Divers in ‘Princess’ retrieval ops to undergo debriefing

MANILA, Philippines - The 17 divers of salvor firm Harbor Star are set to undergo psycho-debriefing tests Wednesday to ensure that they are free from mental stress for their involvement in search and retrieval operations inside the capsized MV Princess of the Stars in Romblon. Doctors from the Department of Health (DOH) will conduct the psycho-debriefing procedures at the Harbor Star office in Makati City. “The purpose of the psycho-debriefing is to assess the health condition of the divers and to make sure that they are not suffering from mental stress,” said Rodrigo Bella, Harbor Star project manager. Bella said phase two of the operations, which was the removal of the bodies from the ill-fated ship, was “a very unusual experience” for the drivers. The said phase lasted for 16 days wherein 199 bodies were retrieved from the ship. "They (divers) went through all the possible areas with passengers including the navigational deck, chapel and mini-theater for possible human remains. That is why there is a need for them to undergo a debriefing process," Bella said. Aside from psycho-debriefing tests, the divers will also be provided two-day vacations courtesy of the company. Bella said this would be done in batches. MV Princess of the Stars, owned and operated by Sulpicio Lines Inc., capsized off Sibayan Island at the height of typhoon “Frank” last June 21. It was carrying 864 passengers and crews. Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) chief Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said they would review the report submitted by Harbor Star to ensure that phase two had covered all areas. "We would evaluate the completion report, to determine if we are satisfied with the phase two." Tamayo earlier said that even if Harbor Star terminated its search and recovery operations last Nov. 10, he had appealed to Sulpicio Lines Inc. to exhaust all possible means to find other bodies. "If it is possible, they could still integrate the search for the bodies in phase three," he said, referring to planned retrieval of the main ship from Romblon waters. - GMANews.TV