The MV Princess Of The Stars Tragedy
June 25, 2008 · Filed Under All Entries, Current Events, Top Story
MV Princess of the Stars capsized 3km from Sibuyan Island in Romblon at the height of typhoon Frank (international name: Fengshen) on June 22, 2008. The ferry was carrying over 800 passengers and as of the latest update, 70 were found dead, 48 survivors rescued, while the rest is still missing.
The shipping company Sulpicio Lines, a name that immediately rang a bell to me because of previous disasters, announced that they would pay P200,000 to the family of each casualty and give financial assistance to the survivors and their relatives.
I hope that after the search and rescue operation, government officials will investigate this incident and file necessary cases against those responsible. May they also strengthen and improve policies and systems in the shipping industry. Otherwise, expect that Inquirer’s list of deadliest ferry disasters in the Philippines will just grew longer. A sign that the government, and for this case Sulpicio Lines, haven’t yet learned their lesson.
May we utter a prayer for those affected by this tragedy.
reyna elena on Wed, 25th Jun 2008 6:57 AM
bothered ako sa mga news about the disaster esp with the announcement that this vessel is exempted daw sa mga weather bureau warnings. pisses me off dahil mga tao ang sakay at hindi bato that could just be thrown overboard.
you’re right. sulpicio lines sound familiar? why, their name is already synonymous to major maritime disaster and they are still doing business! wonder who regulates them under the table?! kairita!
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carla on Wed, 25th Jun 2008 10:03 AM
kakalungkot ang balitang ito…
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tutubi on Wed, 25th Jun 2008 10:23 PM
another one in pinas’ long list of tragedies…tsk…tsk
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bangkay on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 7:55 AM
asar. miscalculation na naman. people never learn.
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Hello on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 1:37 PM
I pray that some of the passengers will be rescued….
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chuvaness on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 2:34 PM
perfect example of dying the senseless way! it could have been prevented if and only if and more ifsss…
i can imagine what was it like to be trapped inside…and the families waiting outside, who are hopelessly wishing they could, at least, recover the dead bodies…naimagine ko how painful it is for them na gumising everyday para mag reklamo sa harap ng opisina ng sulpicio lines
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gracia Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 5:04 PM
@chuvaness,
yeah, no one can imagine how it is to be there, and no one can imagine how it is to be one of the families of the victims.. its almost seven months now, it would make me wonder how could i have survived another night to sleep..by the way, its not june 22, it was june 21. it would have been our third year anniversary..
but, the story has not ended yet. unless i could see his body with my eyes, i know he’s just out there.
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iRonnie on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 5:28 PM
REYNA ELENA,
from what i heard is clear sila to sail at signal #1. balita ko nasibak na yung head ng coast guard. i wonder saan kaya sya ire-re-assign? lolz the sad thing about this country is they lack implementing policies that are effective and endures.
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iRonnie on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 5:29 PM
CARLA,
nakakalungkot talaga. dahil sa kawalan ng isip ng ilan, daang pamilya ngayon ang nagluluksa.
thanks for dropping a comment. feel free to visit back and have a great day!
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Remuel Reply:
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:38 AM
Ilang beses nang nasangkot ang sulpicio lines sa mga aksidente sa dagat nung 1987 mahigit 4000 na katao ang namatay ng salpukin ng vecotr ang MV Dona paz, nung 1988 nman Sumunod ang paglubog ng MV Dona marilyn n may mhigit 300 katao ang nmatay at nung 1998 nman Lumubog ang MV Princess of the orient sa karagatan ng Batangas n kumitil ng 150 katao…………. dpat dyan sa sulpicio lines ay igrounded muna…. kse sa dmi ng aksidente nila hindi ba sila nadadala…. hoy sulpicio marami ng inosenteng nmatay ng dhil sa paglalayag ng mga barko nyo khit may bagyo…..
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iRonnie on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 5:34 PM
TUTUBI,
sad but true. alam ko since dona paz pa nagwiwish ang mga tao na sana di na ito masundan. pero i still wish na sana last na ito.
BANGKAY,
from the long list of sea tragedies, people never do learn.
HELLO,
i pray also for the bereaved families. hindi madaling mawalan ng minamahal lalo na sa ganoong paraan.
CHUVANESS,
mahirap talaga. i pray malagpasan nila ito at maparusahan ang mga iresponsable. sana din isara na ang sulpicio.
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reynz on Thu, 26th Jun 2008 7:57 PM
yeah, but you know, ang nakakapagtaka, ga-bundok daw ang alon on signal number one? then sabi sa news, outdated na ung binabasa nila? honestly, di mo na alam kung ano ang paniniwalaan mo, other than 800+ siguro ang fatalities at responsibility pa rin yan nang sulpicio, coast guard at marina. di lang dapat isara sulpicio, dapat sa mgt nyan isilya elektrika
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reena on Fri, 27th Jun 2008 5:14 PM
It goes beyond BRIBERY and WEAK MARITIME LAWS. The Princess of Stars tragedy is a case of HUMAN SACRIFICE! And this is not the first by Sulpicio Lines.
Ever wonder why after THREE MARITIME ACCIDENTS, the company is still afloat???? And why does this company fond of sailing during bad weather conditions???
Try to look at this angle, INNOCENT HUMAN LIVES are being offered to some DARK FORCES to ensure the company’s business success!
This may sound like a weird plot of a thriller movie BUT there are some people who still PRACTICE “DAGA” (and I’m not talking about pigs and chickens being slaughtered and offered as “ALAY” to the gods). Dig into the SULPICIO owners family background and you might just find some interesting answers!
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iRonnie on Sun, 29th Jun 2008 5:10 PM
REYNZ,
sulpicio made another blunder by not disclosing that the supposedly passenger ship was carrying tons of lethal pesticide. the divers had to undergo blood testing pa tuloy para malaman if they were affected. stupidity! dapat talaga tanggalan na sila ng license to operate. grr
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iRonnie on Sun, 29th Jun 2008 5:31 PM
REENA,
interesting plot indeed. thanks for dropping a comment and feel free to visit back.
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