00:00 During the Senate hearing on the capsized vessel in Binangonan Rizal that claimed almost 30 lives,
00:05 revelations of bribes and the absence of a license came up.
00:09 Daniel Manalastas tells us the details.
00:11 The captain of the capsized boat in Binangonan Rizal claimed bribery allegations against the
00:19 Philippine Coast Guard. This he revealed during the Senate inquiry. He claimed giving fruits
00:25 such as bananas and cash to avoid being cited for violations.
00:30 I was not given any money, just bananas.
00:33 You are just being a fool, you are the Philippine Coast Guard.
00:36 No sir, I was just doing my job.
00:37 You are just trying to fool me.
00:39 How can I make them laugh, sir?
00:41 You were just smiling. What happened? Did you get money?
00:44 You are smiling so beautifully. How much did you smile?
00:48 I just smiled. I gave 100 pesos for the bananas.
00:51 How much did you give for the bananas? How much?
00:53 I gave 50 pesos for the bananas, sir.
00:56 What?
00:56 I gave 50 pesos.
00:57 PCG spokesperson Arman Balilo denied these allegations, calling it absurd.
01:03 Balilo said even their personnel denied accepting such items.
01:08 Meanwhile, during the hearing, the boat captain was also found not to be completely licensed
01:15 for the skipper status. But he claimed he has documents which recognized by the PCG.
01:20 However, Marina said the kind of documents he claims to have does not suffice.
01:25 I applied for a license as a SAT, a seapair identification boat, to Marina.
01:35 The training was very long, three days.
01:39 Why didn't you apply for a license?
01:41 The first thing I need is a license, sir.
01:44 That is the first requirement, the MPST, to get a boat captain.
01:49 The PCG, meanwhile, admitted negligence on their part.
01:53 For the boat tipping over from way too many passengers.
01:57 We are prepared to accept the consequences of our actions.
02:00 I know that it is really heavy for the concierge.
02:02 I don't want to put too much salt on the wound, but of course, they have to answer.
02:09 The Coast Guard personnel assigned to the ill-fated boat also appeared in the hearing.
02:14 And senators didn't waste time lashing out at them.
02:17 I asked the MPST and the PANIPESTO to leave.
02:22 I asked the MPST to leave.
02:25 If you were caught, you were stopped, you were caught by the police, you would have died.
02:31 That's why I said, you have a big responsibility.
02:34 The senators also questioned the specifications of the capsized boat.
02:39 As it was revealed during the hearing that there's a memorandum saying
02:43 the boat's composition should have been of fiberglass or steel material
02:48 and not of wooden construction or material.
02:51 There are places already that are completely FRP or fiber reinforced plastic or steel.
03:05 But in other areas,
03:12 in other areas where there's no access,
03:15 the representatives asked for an extension because of the lack of transportation.
03:23 Obviously, if they don't transition to the new one,
03:26 we'll be fine because there's no need for it.
03:29 If there's a lack of transportation, then so what?
03:33 It's just a matter of time before people get sick from boats.
03:40 Daniel Manalastas for The Nation.
