PCG, MARINA asked to explain on Basilan ferry fire

By PMT Desk

MANILA – A Cavite representative has asked the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to explain on the circumstances of the M/V Lady Mary Joy 3, which caught fire late Wednesday evening (March 29) off the waters of Basilan province.

Cavite 4th Dist. Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said anyone negligent should be held accountable for the deaths of 29 passengers of M/V Lady Mary Joy 3, which caught fire late Wednesday evening off the waters of Basilan province.

In a statement on Friday (March 31), Barzaga Jr. said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority should explain if the vessel was overloaded since such has always been the case in most of the previous maritime accidents.

He said he distinctly remembers the 2008 investigation of the Committee on Transportation into thesinking of M/V Princess of the Stars off the coast of San Fernando, Romblon in June 2008 at the height of a typhoon, claiming the lives of over 800 people "and now, this tragedy in Basilanhappened."

The enactment into law of the Maritime Code measure was among the transportation panel's recommendations after its inquiry into the 2008 tragedy of the passenger ferry owned by Filipino shipping company SulpicioLines.

"What is the Coast Guard doing? If there were so many passengers, did they not check if thevessel was overloaded? Secondly, is there already an action to stop the shipping linefrom operating its other ferries on account of this incident?” Barzagasaid.

Mayor Arsina KahingNanoh of Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan has said the ferry's manifest was inaccurate, which made it difficult for authorities to conduct

BARMM to hold mass signing of appointments, oath taking of teaching, non-teaching personnel

COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) will conduct another mass signing of appointments and oath taking for 196 teaching and non-teaching personnel to officially work for the MBHTE on Tuesday, April11.

The affair has been in thepipelineas theMBHTE, one of the primary governance organs of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has been conducting hiring processes, which involves interview, examination, demonstration, and assessment of the applicants for plantilla items.

On Nov. 17 last year, Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal had conducted the mass signing of appointment and oath taking for 380 teaching and non-teaching employees.

In Regional Memorandum No. 263, Series of 2023, dated April 5, Iqbal said all the incoming appointees were required to bring a photocopy of their authenticated Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID, a set of their Personal Data Sheet, and aballpen.

As the memo is addressed to Schools Division Superintendents, Assistant Schools Division Superintendents (Schools

Division Office MaguindanaoI& II,Marawi City, and Special Geographic Area or SGA), it is needless to say, all schools division superintendents and assistant schools division superintendents of the concerned divisions wereinvited tojointhe affair.

Attire was also specified in the MBHTE memo, such as formal attire with Inaul (hand-woven) accent/landap for schools division superintendent (Marawi City), principal (Marawi City and Maguindanao II), and nonteaching personnel (MBHTE Regional Office); black slacks/skirt/abaya with white hijab and white blouse or long sleeves for Instructor I and Teacher I (Higher Education), Teacher I (Elementary and Sec- ondary), Maguindanao I & II, Special Geographic Area, andMarawiCity.

List of positions and their respective schools divisions/offices:

1. MBHTE Regional Office: bit.ly/3GlEnFq

2. MBHTE Higher Education: bit.ly/43c4W9G

3. Maguindanao I Schools Division: bit.ly/438rfgF

4. Maguindanao II Schools Division: bit.ly/3KBAazO

5. Marawi City Schools Division:

For moreinformation on the affair, click bit.ly/43mSioL search, rescue and retrieval operations.

She said the PCG record showed there were only 205 passengers. However, 195 people were already rescued, excluding the number of those who died, which means that the figures donotmatch.

Barzaga also lamented that the latest maritime incident happened in the wake of the sinking of M/T Princess Empress on Feb. 28 off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, causing a massive oil spill that has reached otherprovinces.

"We haven't even recovered yet from the oil spill incident and now, this happened. Here we go again," said thesenior law- maker.

Authorities are still looking into reports that the fire started from an airconditioningunit.

M/V Lady Mary Joy 3 was en route to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboanga City when it caught fire before midnight.

(With story from PNA)