Only 21 lighthouses for 7,100 islands

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc, The Philippine Star, Friday, June 27, 2008

Reader Herminia Rosales Fajardo asks the question many Filipinos have in mind about the sinking of a passenger ship just off Sibuyan Island. Why, if the vessel was so close to shore as most survivors noted, were they unaware so? Is there no lighthouse on the isle that is clearly on a shipping route? Or if there is, was it malfunctioning as most government facilities are? And have old lighthouses been replaced, apparently insufficiently, with radars and sonar from which government officials make kickbacks?

It will surprise habitual congressional investigators to know that this archipelago of 7,083 islands has only 21 lighthouses. And that the Coast Guard, tasked to man the facilities, is so poor that it put them up for adoption by private firms this time last year. The government intends to replace the lighthouses with movement and sound detectors. But transport growth — along with the number of ship passengers and fishing boats — has far outpaced the modernization.

All 21 relic lighthouses were built during the Spanish and American regimes. Today’s ships navigate by satellite. But millions of fishing bancas, unequipped even with handheld global positioning system, have no option. Same with sea commuters like the more than 800 missing passengers of the capsized Princess of the Stars. For them, the good old reliable lighthouses are lifesavers, not those thingamajigs.

Legislators invariably will come to that conclusion. But will they take the next logical step of allocating funds to erect and maintain lighthouses? That’s another question in the minds of most Filipinos who are tired of congressional probes after each of those frequent sea disasters.

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Another reader, Eddie B., wonders why a 23,000-ton ship went belly-up in internal seas rated as “moderate to rough.” The marine inquiry into the operations of Sulpicio Lines Inc., he says, must look into the possibility of cargo overloading. He gives two tips: one friend confided having lost millions of pesos in goods packed in container vans, while another friend was shipping five brand-new cars to Cebu. “It is possible that the cars or container vans moved due to the big waves, causing the ship to list as officially reported,” the reader says.

Overfilling of commuters and cargo are usual in Philippine maritime transport. No one gets punished for breaking the rules. Dozens of marine inquiries have led to mere slaps on the wrists of negligent shipmasters. Survivors and relatives of fatalities are left begging for financial help with hospital or burial bills. And regulators continue to squeeze grease money from ship owners.

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While we’re at it, here’s a reaction from reader Danny Durmaza to my piece Friday about the new passports:

“What’s with those new machine-readable passports? My cousin here in Florida found out he needed to renew his passport. He logged onto the website to download the application form for mailing — the way it goes in America. But there was a notice that as of June 2 all passport renewals must be made in person. We called the consulate in Ft. Lauderdale a thousand times. When finally we plugged someone there for information, my cousin was told that he needed to go to the embassy in Washington, D.C.: “Wala ho tayong magagawa, batas ’yan.” This is the simple explanation why hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the States needing new passports have to fly or drive many miles and spend incidentals for a personal appearance at the capital. And yet we also found out later that applicants won’t get their new passports from the Washington embassy either. The embassy does not have special machines for it. So the application forms have to be sent to Manila, in a process that would take six long weeks. What gives?”

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Reader Nomer Obnamia seems to have the answer:

“In tyranny of taxation, the Philippine government concocts revenue schemes not to improve services but to fund pork barrels. The new passport scam is one of them.”

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Don’t let’s end on a negative note. So here’s a reaction, one of many to my piece Wednesday on the Virgin Mary’s house, from Hernan Hormillosa of Elmshurst, New York:

I’ve been reading your columns since your ZTE exposé. Your latest on the Blessed Mother is very informative. I first heard of Mary’s house in Ephesus from a dear departed friend who was instrumental in my present life progress in faith. She went there too and was inspired by what she saw. Your column has given me more info and inspired me too. Your writings reveal both your courage and faith.”

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E-mail: jariusbondoc@workmail.com