The following video shows the scenes that need to be immediately played out at the offices of Don Sulpicio Lines (and in its backyard) against the people responsible for the latest ferry accident that claimed the lives of at least 700 of my countrymen.
Unfortunately, this tragic incident is not a first for this company. This is due to the fact that Don Sulpicio Lines was also the exact same company whose vessels figured in the following sinkings that had claimed the lives of thousands of passengers:
1) Dona Paz - 4,300 plus people dead (December 1987)
2) Dona Marilyn - 300 people dead (October 1988)
3) Princess of the Orient - 200 people dead (1998)
Thanks to an inept and hopelessly corrupt government, this company has managed to remain in operation in spite of its past transgressions. Thus, barring its permanent closure or any significant changes in the way it does its business, we should expect this company to kill more Filipinos in the coming years due to a profit-above-everything-else style of management.
Enough said.
36 responses:
hahaha! them were the days! hehe. natawa ako.
ayoko nang magalit. napapagod na ako. sobra nang pamamayagpag ng mga negosyanteng kahit buhay ang kapalit, gagawin kumita lang ng pera.
hahaha! omg, i watched ramon zamora as a kid. he was the jackie chan of the philippines.
badtrip hindi ko makita ang video.
hehehe
just watched the national geographic channel at tungkol ito sa kung sino talaga ang may kasalanan sa titanic. its just a series of wrong decisions at the right time that led to the catastrophic disaster. pero diyan sa sulpicio, hindi ko alam.
This shipping line should be banned!
We're talking of human lives that were risked and lost. Ang kapal ng mukha ng mga taga Sulpicio lines kung tatapatan lang nila ng pera ang mga pamilyang nawalan. Ano kaya kung sila mismong taga-mangaement ang pumalaot sa gitna ng bagyo and have their ship capsized with them?
suplicio lines should should close their business out of delicadeza. how can the government let these morons operate inefficiently?
Atticus,
Nakakabanas talaga itong nangyari. Binale wala ang buhay at kapakanan ng mga pasahero. Dapat isara na ang Sulpicio. Wala na akong pakialam sa kumpanyang iyan dahil sa dami na ng mga nasawi sa kanilang mga barko.
Glenville,
Back in the 1970s, Ramon Zamora was known as the Bruce Lee of the Philippines and his moves and hairstyle in the movie clip I showed was patterned after Bruce Lee. But anyway, these days, you can say that he was the Jackie Chan of the Philippines since Jackie Chan also considered Bruce Lee as one of his idols and influences.
RJ,
You're right. For its size, the incorrect materials were used on the Titanic's hull. In addition, some documentaries and analysts said that the ship was running too fast for its own good on the night it hit an iceberg.
A lot more people could have been saved too if the people in the lower decks (or third class passengers) were allowed to come up a lot earlier than they did.
You're right. It was one bad move after another.
Nyl,
Dapat talaga matagal nang isinara iyan. Malaki na dapat ang binayaran niyang multa sa gobyerno at mga damages sa mga biktima. At dapat rin ay may nakulong na sa kumpanyang iyan para magbayad sa mga kasalanan nila. Ang kaso wala eh.
Doon sa libo-libong nasawi sa Dona Paz, walang nakulong. Paano pa kaya may makukulong dito eh daan-daan "lang" ang namantay. Our country is so messed up talaga. :-(
Mari,
According to the Inquirer's editorial, this company enjoyed favorable rulings from the courts on the sinkings. For Dona Paz, the blame was placed on the other party, Caltex. On the other two sinkings, the blame was placed on nature or "acts of God".
In short, except for Caltex, the other two sinkings were God's fault. Our justice system is so screwed up.
Since Sulpicio lines is one of if not the oldest shipping lines in Cebu. It has resisted change and progress by not merging with the other larger shipping firms--such as William Lines, Gothong and Aboitiz who have formed WGA Superferries and gave us such luxurious ships for going home south on. Sulpicio may be relying on its old ties in the "offices that matter", not in the seaworthiness of its vessels, to stay afloat.
Pero maiba tayo, ok yang nahanap mong video ni Ramon Zamora. I always liked him better as Bruce Lee than the Hitler ape that he started out as. Mas bagay ke BF yun. Mwahahaha.
Dang! As usual di ko mapanood yung video because of this lousy dial-up connection. Anyways, I'm surprised you were still able to find a vintage video of the late Ramon Zamora. Sa totoo lang I found him only partially funny then, maybe it's because his antics were mostly hand-me-downs from many western comedy skits.
As for Sulpicio lines. We can only wonder how many more lives will be lost before the authorities will finally pull the plug on this company. But, knowing how things are run in this country, malamang tuloy pa rin ang operations niyan...
Bambit,
Since WGA now exists and seems to have safer and more modern vessels than Sulpicio, the government should throw the book at Sulpicio and impose stiff penalties and if necessary mete out prison sentences to the people responsible. If Sulpicio Lines as a business entity dies in the process, then so be it.
Re Ramon Zamora, I chanced upon this video clip last night while surfing through YouTube's archives. The video is still in pretty good condition and so I decided to use it for this post. :)
Rudy,
As with Bambit above, I only liked Ramon Zamora once he did his Bruce Lee-type movies and tv shows. Other than those, I didn't really care much for the others.
I hate to be pessimistic but I have to agree with your view regarding Sulpicio Lines. Unfortunately, both the government and Sulpicio Lines have consistently shown that they do not put a premium on the value of human life.
bakit nga po ba marami na ang barkong lumubog e ang sulpicio lines nakalutang pa? baka malakas maglagay?! may gobyerno ba? nasan si gloria ngayon? sino mga kasama nya? narinig ko sa news kanina bawat isang congressman na kasama nya e 100,000 pesos ang budget, yung ibang gabinete, hindi pa kasama dun yung 2 senador, yung mga pamipamilya nila, yung mga alalay at bodyguards...
nandun po sila para mamalimos!
hindi ko na nga pinakinggan, nilagay ko na lang earphones s tenga ko at nakinig na lang ako ng music sa cp ko.
ayokong magalit...
inhale... exhale...
Papano matutumba yang mga yan e big-time "rent seekers" yang mga yan. All they have to do is find the right connection as in:
Meralco -> ERC
Sulpicio Lines -> Marina, Coast Guard
Bwisit! Bwisit talaga.
Lei,
Malakas maglagay iyan. Walang duda diyan. Kung matino ang pamamalakad ng gobyerno natin, matagal nang sarado dapat iyan. At kung ako ang hepe ng BIR, kung matino akong tao, paiimbestigahan ko rin ang mga libro niyan.
Hindi ba malungkot na 52 years na tayong nagsasarili eh hanggang ngayon, namamalimos pa rin tayo sa America? Kung ikokompara sa isang pamilya, para tayo iyong isang anak na matanda na eh palamunin pa rin ng magulang. Hindi marunong umasenso at tumayo sa sariling paa.
Ang malungkot eh sagana pa sa porma ang mga iyan habang nasa America pero ang pakay naman eh, tulad ng sinabi mo, para mamalimos. Hay naku.
Tulad mo, maglalagay na rin ako ng earphones o kaya eh manonood ng mga paborito kong dvd dahil hindi na ako mag-aaksaya ng panahon na umasang may mapaparusahan nang matindi sa kasong ito.
Blogusvox,
I love the term you used: "rent-seekers" and the examples you cited were spot on. I am actually reading a book right now called "The Anarchy of Families" which is about how certain Filipino families have managed to retain influence over our political and economic affairs over several generations.
Yes, they have managed to find the right connections and established ones for themselves too. Case in point is the Lopez family. Back in the pre-martial law days, the Lopez brothers (Eugenio and Fernando) worked hand-in-hand to protect their business interests. Eugenio ran the companies while Fernando entered politics to protect the family's business intersts. Thus, look at the monster we have today. And that's just one example.
=( Tsktsk! I couldn't agree more about sulpicio line and the government ....Sigh!
Aline,
I feel for the families who lost loved ones in all of the accidents that this company has been involved in. Nakakaawa dahil sigurado na karamihan sa mga biktima ay mga mahihirap. Ano na ang mangyayari sa kanilang mga iniwan lalo na't kung iyong biktima ang nagtatrabaho para sa buong pamilya?
Aside from the number of fatalities, each life that was lost had a family that was probably counting on him/her for their livelihood and survival.
A morally upright government would be expected to side with the victims' families on a case like this. However, our government doesn't think and run that way.
True! super kawawa talaga ang naiwan na family :(
Sana magbago gobyerno natin, pero mukhang impossible for now yun... hopefully next generation di na ganto ...HAY!
this shipping lines doesnt learn from past mistakes. aba three strikes na ah, death penalty na yan.
ramon zamora...blast from the past. i vaguely remember his movies.
Aline,
Sana nga magbago for the sake of future generations. Pero masyado nang mahirap mangyari.
We have an awful Congress who can't seem to act on the country's problems with a sense of urgency. We also have a justice system that is so susceptible to manipulation by the rich and powerful. People have their own lives to live, their own struggles to overcome and they can't just sit by and wait for things to change. Kaya marami lumalayas na ng bansa natin para lang mabuhay nang maayos ang kanilang mga pamilya.
Photo Cache,
Sinabi mo. Dapat talaga may na-silya elektrika na diyan sa mga demonyong iyan.
As for Ramon Zamora, he capitalized on the martial arts fad in the mid 70s for a few years and then faded back to minor or supporting roles in Pinoy movies. That's why I'm not surprised when you said that you have vague memories of his movies.
it's really sad to see the government remaining in the idea of being reactive rather than proactive!\
and you can see this on many instances on different institutes.
i agree that these people deserve all those kicks. even po's (kung fu panda) super punch and kicks.
our very own Bruce Lee.:D
the inept marina, coast guard and sulpicio lines officials should be fed to the sharks. you should have posted scenes from 'Jaws'.:D now everybody wants to investigate--- AFTER the tragedy. too late the hero na naman sila. hayyy...
Panaderos, just read yer comment while I was readiong about The Dona Paz incident.
The fires are not encroaching on my space. I spent 15 years as a smoker of cigarettes. I should really be less particular of what gets into my lungs...
Graciously, the air quality is improving here.
The Dong,
Yeah, the government only springs into action when accidents like this occur. However, even if they do, the results still fall way below the public's satisfaction and expectations.
Po is more than welcome to join in the fray to punish these people :)
Luna Miranda,
Yeah, I totally forgot about Jaws.
The problem is all of these investigations will be launched and publicized. However, we all know where all these would lead: a lot of publicity and a lot of talk before the tv cameras but no conclusive action.
Keith,
Ok. :) Glad to know you're safe.
Most passenger ships nowadays, at least when you're ferrying more than a thousand passengers are equipped with modern satellite equipment for accurate weather forecasts. Likewise there are marine channels that provide weather forecasts 24 hours a day. When a strong typhoon such as Frank is looming in the region, the seaways are cleared of ships or at least ships dock at the nearest harbor to let the hurricane pass.
This tragedy was unavoidable. Why it happened is truly mindboggling.
BW,
Bro, this event is such an outrage especially since it involved a company that was supposed to have learned its lesson from three other sinkings that involved its vessels.
This ship was obviously ill-equipped and ill-maintained. I want to see heads roll here but our government's track record on handling cases like this does not provide me a lot of reasons to be optimistic about.
pan, it's us from the Visayas who are frequent passengers of these vessels. Two of my high school classmates lost their fathers in ill-fated princess of the orient.
I thought it was safe to assume that they're the safest because Sulpicio got the largest passenger vessels in the country. And their ships are not really that old. (Doulos is way way older)
It's so sad to hear about this tragedy. 8 other Philippine vessels sank because of Frank. Or maybe there was really a failure on those who monitored the weather and our sailing ships.
Ceblogger,
Thank you very much for sharing that bit of information about Visayans being the frequent passengers of such vessels. I'm also very sorry to hear about the fathers of your classmates.
Given that the other shipping lines, especially one such as Doulos that owns a number of older ships, have not figured in as many tragic accidents as Sulpicio Lines, then Sulpicio's management certainl y owes everyone a very good explanation as to why they seem to be making the same mistakes over and over.
I can sense your anger...grabe na ang gobyerno.
I keep thinking that if there's a place where Satan set up as camp when he was thrown down from heaven (revelation 12:7-10), it must be Pinas...sorry but thats just how I feel.
Mirage2g,
I am mad as hell about it kasi naaalala ko iyong mga pamilyang naiwan ng mga biktima.
I understand how you feel. Manuel Quezon did get his wish that we have a government that's truly being run like hell by his countrymen. Sigh.
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