|
JUSTICE
Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Monday ordered an
investigation into reports that relatives of the victims
of the MV Princess of the Stars are being lured into
signing a “blank” special power of attorney (SPA) which
could be used for quit-claim purposes.
Gonzalez
said an investigation is necessary to determine whether
the management of Sulpicio Lines Inc., (SLI) which
operates the MV Princess of the Stars, is behind the
signing of the SPA.
Public
Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, in
an interview, said the SPA form is questionable because
the name of the attorney in fact is missing.
The SPA
is supposed to authorize the lawyer in fact to
negotiate, sign and receive monetary compensation for
the relatives of the victims of the recent sea tragedy.
“How can
that be, who will be the attorney in fact? That is
foolishness. Whoever is making the rounds, making people
sign that kind of document can himself be investigated
for malpractice, assuming that he is a lawyer. He is
usurping if he is not a lawyer,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez
cautioned families of the victims against signing any
document without the assistance of a PAO lawyer.
The DOJ
chief said if it is established that SLI is behind the
release of the SPA forms, then it only shows that it is
dealing with the claimants “in bad faith.”
“But
first we should take hold of these people who are
pretending to be representing the families of the
victims. Then we should find out why are they doing
this. If they are lawyers, that is already violation of
legal ethics,” Gonzalez added.
He added
that relatives of the victims who signed such spurious
document risked giving up their right to the P200,000
compensation being offered by SLI, as these lawyers
could enter into a quit claim settlement and settle
for a lower amount without informing their clients.
Acosta,
on the other hand, said around 100 families have been
convinced to sign the SPA during the past two days.
She said
SLI management prevented PAO lawyers from entering its
office in North Harbor, where the said SPA forms were
distributed. She, however, refused to directly link
officials of SLI in the release of the SPA forms.
She
added that the incident resembles a fixer’s racket as
the forms do not have any names of the supposed lawyers
who are being authorized to act in behalf of the
victims’ families.
Acosta
added that some of the relatives of the victims told her
that they were advised by alleged representatives of SLI
not to talk anymore to any PAO lawyer so as not to
hamper the release of their compensation.
In a
related development, Gonzalez said the amount being
received by the victims could still go higher once the
Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) and the courts ruled that
there was reckless imprudence in the part of the
company.
Sen.
Edgardo Angara, meanwhile, said the government must
limit issuance of licenses to shipping lines with clean
sea-disaster records and only after establishing their
disaster-preparedness measures.
“It is
unfortunate that many Filipinos have to risk their lives
first before realizing that there is a need to enforce
stricter rules on voyage,” Angara said, pointing out
that prior to the latest Sulpicio Lines sea tragedy, the
government must have had records of the sea- worthiness
of their vessels, “especially its violations of simple
but essential regulations on sea transport.”
He
lamented that SLI was allowed to operate amid its
questionable safety record in the country. Angara noted
that just recently, seven other passenger vessels of
Sulpicio Lines have been found defective by the Maritime
Industry Authority (Marina).
According to Angara, Marina officials have so far
inspected the MV Princess of the South, MV Princess of
the Earth and MV Cagayan Princess, which are all in
Cebu; MV Princess of Paradise in Cagayan de Oro; MV
Palawan Princess in Baybay, Leyte; and MV Princess of
the Universe and MV Princess of Ocean, both dry-docked.
He added
that the sinking of MV Princess of the Stars off Sibuyan
Island is the fourth maritime disaster involving vessels
owned by Sulpicio Lines. The three others were: MV Doña
Paz, which burned and sunk after colliding with an oil
tanker on December 20, 1987; MV Doña Marilyn, which
capsized after seeking clearance to sail for Tacloban
City although Storm Signal 3 had been raised over Leyte;
and MV Princess of the Orient, which sank near the mouth
of Manila Bay on September 18, 1998.
“The
only way we can make our people less miserable of
natural calamity is if we have our own capacity to deal
with disaster. There is no substitute for preparedness,”
Angara said. (With B. Fernandez) |
