HINILING ni Deputy Speaker at Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman sa Department of Transportation (DOTr) at sa Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) na muling pag-aralan at pansamantalang alisin ang iniutos nitong ban sa operasyon ng mga pampasaherong bangka o barko na gawa sa kahoy.
Apela ng ranking house leader sa dalawang ahensiya, magsagawa muna ang mga ito ng kaukulang public consultation o dinggin ang panig ng bawat sektor na apektado sa nasabing direktiba.
“While we recognize the need to improve safety at sea for our passenger crafts and fishing boats, we would like to point out that 80% of the 7,000 registered ships in the country are wooden-hulled, as the MARINA itself knows,” pahayag ni Hataman.
“Pero huwag naman sana padalos-dalos. Kinonsulta ba nila ang mga maaapektuhan ng direktibang ito? I believe delaying it is best until a public con-sultation on the issue has been conducted. Sa Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi lang, alam kong maraming mawawalan ng kabuhayan. I am sure this is true in other parts of the country,” dugtong ng Mindanaoan solon.
Subalit bukod sa mga pampasaherong sasakyang pandagat, balak din ng MARINA na ipagbawal maging ang paglalayag ng mga bangka at barkong pangisda na gawa sa kahoy.
“Kung totoo ito, then it will also affect fisherfolk families not just in Mindanao, but also in Luzon and the Visayas who are subsistence fishers, as well as small businesses that provide island-to-island transport in this archipelago of over 7,100 islands,” paalala ni Hataman.
Aniya, hindi kayang bumili ng mga passenger at fishing boat operator ng bangkang gawa sa fiberglass, na nagkakahalaga ng P5 milyon hanggang P8 milyon, habang higit na mas mahal naman ang‘steel-hulled sea vessels.
Binigyan-diin ng Basilan lawmaker na ang Pilipinas, bilang isang arkepelago, ay maraming mamamayan nito ang umaasa sa bangka hindi lamang bilang gamit sa kanilang pinagkakakitaan kundi maging sa pang-araw araw na buhay.
“Many of the people in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have depended on the sea for their livelihood for centuries. The sea is part of our history as a people, and our people – especially those who call Tawi-Tawi their home – have been making wooden boats for centuries, even before the existence of the Philippines as a country,” sabi pa ni Hataman. ROMER BUTUYAN
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