Coast Guard eyes stricter measures on boat tickets

In a bid to prevent overloading of sea vessels during the Christmas vacation as well as thwart possible terrorist attacks, the Coast Guard is mulling strict measures on the issuance of trip tickets. Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said he will coordinate with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) so “chance passengers" will have fewer opportunities to sneak aboard ships. “Dapat sa ticket mismo hingin ko ang tulong ng MARINA rito. Sila ang policy-making powers…dapat may regulation. Dapat ang ticket nakalagay anong barko at saan pupunta at anong oras para may control tayo," Tamayo said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (We have to ask the help of MARINA as the agency with policy-making powers. The trip tickets should be more specific, they should include the name of the ship, its destination, and time of the trip.) Added information on the tickets can include the seat number and boarding time, he said. Tamayo said the Coast Guard has intensified security measures in the wake of a failed terrorist attack on the United States. He also stressed the need to crack down on lapses in time for the yearly exodus to the provinces for the Christmas holidays. He lamented many small ship operators are relatively lax in handling passengers, with the lack of information printed in tickets allowing chance passengers to get aboard ships. This can be a security lapse that allows anyone from chance passengers to criminals to get aboard ships without being questioned, he said. “In many cases, ticket-holding passengers can board ships and crew members cannot stop them," he said. On the other hand, Tamayo said they are considering stricter rules at ports and terminals where latecomers will not be allowed to board the vessel. “We have ports where there is no terminal control. Some passengers just walk in and take a ride. We hope shipping firms will also do their part to minimize this," he said in Filipino. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV