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Prior to the sinking of the Princess of the Stars that wasted more than 700 lives and several millions in cargoes, there was jurisdictional tiff between MARINA and the Philippine Coast Guard as to who has jurisdiction over ship inspection.
Both offices want to claim exclusive right.
But after the sinking, they want no part in ship inspection.
They are in fact doing ping pong over the issue during the Board of Marine inquiry.

During the Governor’s Report last Sunday, somebody wanted to know if the province has a list of Boholanos who were among the unfortunate passengers of Princess of the Stars.
Acting governor Julius Caesar Herrera said there is none.
That should not be surprising.
The passenger manifest does not provide space for address. Only the name, nationality, age, destination and signatures are provided.
But even if the address is provided, common experience will tell us that the filling up of the passenger manifest is oftentimes taken for granted.
Passengers do not write clearly and correctly every information that is required in the manifest.
It is only when accidents happen that the entry in the passenger manifest becomes terribly important.
According to Sulpicio Lines, only those listed in the passenger manifest are entitled to receive 200,000 pesos.

Multiple jeopardy for the kin of the victims.
One, they lost their loved ones because they perished under the raging water off Sibuyan Island while typhoon Frank was battering and inflicting mayhem along its path.
Two, they could not view the dead remains of their kin because they are trapped inside the mammoth passenger vessel.
And three, there is slim hope of ever seeing the dead remains following discovery of the very deadly pesticide Endosulfan inside the cargo hold of the vessel. The pesticide is harmful to both humans and sea animals and has no known antidote; no known cure in case of poisoning.
And four, the kin of the dead passengers may not be able to recover the 200 thousand pesos assistance from Sulpicio Lines either because their kin were not listed in the manifest or even if listed, the penmanship could not be deciphered.

Before the sinking of the Princess of the Stars, nobody took notice or pay particular attention to the request of PAGASA or Philippine Coast Guard for equipment upgrade.
There was a request for the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) which is prescribed by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The equipment would have allowed the Coast Guard to immediately receive distress signals and to quickly alert search and rescue teams.
But nobody bothered, not GMA or her cabinet officials. Obviously, they don’t care.
With the sinking of the Princess of the Stars, GMA wanted to make it appear that she’s deeply bothered about the sea mishap by ordering an investigation and even preempting the Board of Marine Inquiry as to the liability of Sulpicio.
She’s impossible.

Acting governor Julius Caesar Herrera said that the procurement of brand new service vehicles for the members of the provincial board is long overdue.
He said the plan to purchase new service vehicles was conceived long before the economic crisis has set in. It’s only now that the plan was put into motion by the provincial board.
The province spends a lot, he said, in repairs and maintenance of the old service vehicles of the kagawads. More savings kuno if brand new service vehicles are bought instead.
So, there is nothing wrong in spending 10.8 million in savings for the purchase of service vehicles even when the line of Boholanos queuing up to buy NFA rice is getting longer?
There is nothing wrong in prioritizing those service vehicles while many Boholanos find it very difficult to find food for the table?

Why do they have to buy brand new vehicles?
The service vehicles being used by the kagawads are already old and decrepit kuno.
His vehicle for example, he explained, is very costly in terms of repairs and maintenance. This vehicle is the same vehicle used during the time of Rene Relampagos.
Same goes with the vehicles of the other members of the board.
To save on repairs and maintenance costs, he said that it is better to buy brand new service vehicles.
And this is the very reason why they are appropriating 10.8 million, he stressed.

Wonderful.
Actually, we have no quarrel over this line of reasoning. No dispute over the high cost of maintaining old vehicles. And no dispute either in the notion that one can do away with repairs and maintenance cost when one talks of brand new vehicles.
So we are one in that respect.
But there is one thing that needs to be considered - the timing of the purchase.

Food is scarce. The province, according to Gov. Aumentado, can only supply at least 83% of the rice needs of the Boholanos.
There is deficiency of 17%.
But looking at the long line of Boholanos waiting for their turn to buy NFA rice, one doubts right away if the deficiency is only 17%.
Anyway, what is the plan to catch up with the deficiency?
There is that executive order limiting the shipment of rice to other provinces.
There is RACER, supposedly a sustainable program according to acting governor Julius Herrera.
There is the search for idle lands to be converted to “productive” land, etc….
All these undertakings need money.
Now, here comes salary savings of the provincial government to the tune of 10.8 million pesos. If infused to the RACER program, surely, this will count a lot. Or, if used to purchase certified or hybrid seeds or fertilizer, many farmers will be benefited.
And not just the 13 “privileged” Boholano officials who want personal comfort when they travel.

So we ask them, why buy the service vehicle now?
Why not wait until the province has stabilized its economic moorings?
So it’s expensive to use those old second-hand service vehicles, then why not limit their use?
Better still, the kagawads can spend most of their time in their air-conditioned offices, their constituents can come to Tagbilaran and confer with them right inside their offices.
Less cost for the constituents that way because they will just commute, they can eat anywhere and whatever and they can also visit every now and then their favorite spots in the city.
Most of all, with the non-use of the vehicle, the province can enjoy tremendous savings in fuel and other maintenance costs. The driver can also do other more productive errands, instead of just waiting for the “honorable kagawad.”
After all, the kagawad should not worry so much if there is less travel for him – his primary job is legislation.

Will the DBM approve the planned expenditure?
I have no doubt that it will.
Remember the junket of the Bohol mayors to Guam sometime in the 3rd week of April this year?
That junket costs no less than US$1,000 for the travel expense alone per mayor. That, plus the “other” expenses and the result translated as heavy burden to the financial coffers of the town.
The DBM gave its go-signal. The DILG likewise. Not a single government agency has ruled that it was a total waste of government funds.
That was April, and now it’s already late June.
Did we hear of any visible or concrete “output” from that junket to Guam? I don’t!
Some mayors meekly said they would emulate what they saw in Guam.
Of course, that’s stupid. How can they emulate when they only have the IRA for their survival? How can they emulate when they only depend on doleouts from government?

City Mayor Dan Neri Lim said there is no more problem with the city coop hospital. The hospital will not be evicted from the city-owned building.
And there will be change of administration.
Albur Vice Mayor Dr. Cirilo Jalad will have to go and somebody will have to take his place as hospital chief.
That’s good news. Because the threat of eviction had several city resident worried. More when we return, stay tuned for more. Comments, suggestions, write to salvadiputado@yahoo.com.