Urges stop to ambulance chasing
Chiz hits Marina for passing blame to Senate on maritime safety issue

Opposition Senator Chiz Escudero yesterday said the government should acknowledge its continuing failure to ensure the safety of passengers at sea instead of using the issue to push for the passage of a bill pending in Congress.

"I am not about to pass a bill unilaterally drafted by Marina without sufficient consultation with other government agencies and key stakeholders. Among us lawyers, the government's actions may very well be described as ambulance chasing," Escudero, who chairs the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of laws, said.

He said that Marina administrator Elena Bautista has "no monopoly of good intentions and cannot and should not force the hand of the Senate on the passage of this or any bill simply because she is a party in interest."

Bautista had earlier called on the Senate to "fast-track" the passage of its version of the proposed Philippine Maritime Act of 2009 following the successive sea mishaps off Batangas in the past week.

Escudero pointed out that Marina had finalized the draft measure only in October and is mainly about the creation of new offices like the National Maritime Authority, the Maritime Transportation Safety Board and the Maritime Safety Society.

He also noted that the bill is administrative in nature, laying down procedures on investigation and safety.

"Marina can very well do this without a new law. With the exception of acts of God, our current laws are sufficient, if strictly enforced, to ensure the safety of maritime passengers in our seas," Escudero said.