Manila, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will fine passenger ships that violate the Anti-Overloading Policy for sea travel.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday that the Philippine Coast Guard apprehended an overloaded passenger ship traveling from Batangas to Romblon.
“Nakakaawa din yung mga kababayan natin kasi may na stranded. Obviously na stranded sila kasi nag benta ng mas maraming ticket yung shipping line compared sa allowable number of passengers and weight,” he said.
According to Dizon, the investigation into the overloading incident is ongoing. He added that many passengers were stranded due to the overloading case.
As a result, the secretary is ordering the shipping company to compensate the passengers for the inconvenience caused.
Secretary Dizon emphasized that they will not allow the safety of any passenger to be compromised.
“Hindi tayo mag ko kompriso sa safety ng mga pasaero natin. Ma-inconvenience ang ating mga pasahero pero wala tayong choice, pero kargo ‘yan ng shipping line. So we will hold the shipping line accountable,” he said.