GMA vows heads will roll in ferry sinking

BALER, Aurora – President Arroyo yesterday vowed that heads will roll in connection with the ill-fated sinking of the Princess of the Stars off the coast of Sibuyan Islands last week, including the cancellation of the franchise of the Sulpicio Lines,Inc. (SLI).

Speaking during the sixth anniversary of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day at the Quezon Memorial Park here yesterday morning, Mrs. Arroyo said those responsible for the tragedy will not go unpunished.

“We demand full accounting. Pananagutin natin ang lahat ng mapapatunayang nagpabaya at naging sanhi ng pagkamatay ng marami nating kababayan (We will hold accountable those who will be proved to have been negligent and caused the deaths of many of our countrymen),” she said

It was her first official statement about the incident since arriving in the country at dawn yesterday. The tragedy, the offshoot of typhoon Frank, struck when she was on official trip abroad.

The President, who flew here a few hours after arriving in the country, said that even before she flew to the United States to meet with President George Bush and other officials, she already directed the various government agencies to brace for the coming typhoon. She said it was a difficult decision to forge ahead with the trip but she went ahead nevertheless because of several reasons.

She said that as President, she had to make the difficult choice whether to cancel important meetings with Bush and leaders of the US Congress who specifically asked that she be in Washington to lobby for pending legislation on the Philippine Veterans’ Bill.

She added that while in the US, she was overseeing relief efforts and was in constant touch with officials on the ground and personally directing activities.

The Chief Executive said that over the next few days, she and her Cabinet would be meeting with government officials for the rescue and relief operations to ensure the speedy rehabilitation of the affected areas.

She said she will fly to Cebu tomorrow to meet with the families, express condolences and to pledge to them that the government will get to the bottom of the tragedy.

She also thanked the Spanish government for being one of the first countries to extend assistance to the Philippines in the wake of the typhoon and the ferry accident. She said that a plane of the Spanish Air Force is now on its way to the country to deliver relief goods.

In an earlier speech, Spanish Ambassador Luis Arias-Romero conveyed his government’s condolences to the victims of the ferry accident.

At the same time, Mrs. Arroyo said the government should take pains to be more prepared in the event of another typhoon. She said the government will install new Doppler radars or weather forecasting instruments in Surigao del Sur, South Cotabato, Mactan, Tagaytay,
She added that two Doppler radars in Baguio and in this province will be upgraded to make them more responsive during calamities.