ON THE SINKING OF MB COMMANDO 6
No more excuses, says Chiz

The government should take responsibility for its failure to prevent a tragedy waiting to happen when it sees one. It should put to task the appropriate agencies responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers at sea.

A simple but thorough inspection of the Batangas ferry would show that it was clearly overloaded. No amount of excuses can bring back the lives that have been lost.

The government should look into ways on how to institute reforms and prevent the occurrence of these sea tragedies in the future. One way it can beef up its monitoring and law-enforcement units would be to expand the role of auxiliaries of the Coast Guard.

I also urge authorities to use the strong arm of the law against the owner and the operator of the capsized ferry. They should be made to answer for their criminal negligence.