Lawmakers yesterday expressed outrage over the admission of maritime officials that the roll-on roll-off ferry Motor Vessel Baleno 9 that sank off San Agapito Verde Island in Batangas province was not designed to sail in open sea.

Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Joel Villanueva and Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo "Ompong" Plaza lambasted the country’s high ranking officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine Maritime Authority (Marina) over the said statement which is tantamount to allegedly admitting their supposed negligence and dereliction of duty.

"From the very beginning, they knew that M/V Baleno is only for bay use or inland travel and yet they find ways on their own standards without submitting to world’s norm in allowing it to sail on open sea," an irritated Villanueva said.

During a Senate hearing on recent sea tragedies last Tuesday, PCG chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo disclosed that M/V Baleno 9, built in Japan in 1992 and the second RoRo vessel that sank off Batangas province last Saturday night, was not for open sea travel.

Marina administrator Maria Elena Bautista also claimed that most of the RoRo vessels in the country are designed for inland water and were only allowed to sail on open seas after passing a certain class standard.

Earlier, Senator Richard Gordon said that ship owners and operators, along with concerned government agencies, should always put extra effort to ensure the safety of all ship passengers especially now that more Filipinos are set again to go on vacation in time for the New Year celebration.

Gordon noted that the investigation of his committee, the Senate blue ribbon committee, on the sinking of the M/V Baleno 9 last Dec. 26 showed that more lives could have been saved, or the disaster could have been prevented altogether, if all the necessary preparations and precautions had been in place before the vessel left the port.

The senator said that apparently, according to testimonies of some survivors and crew, the vehicles inside the M/V Baleno 9, which is a roll on-roll off (RoRo) vessel, were not properly lashed. Furthermore, some passengers did not go up to the passenger compartment of the ship, but instead, stayed inside their vehicles.

Meanwhile, DOTC Undersecretary for Maritime Sector Thompson Lantion bared yesterday that these vessels should be immediately phased out because some of them have already reached its "retirement age" of 34.

Many of the shipping lines opt to purchase second-hand ships from neighboring countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam.