ILOILO CITY, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard will issue new guidelines for seacraft plying the Iloilo Strait and other short routes including to and from the island resort of Boracay when these areas are under storm signal number 1.
The proposed guidelines will allow vessels weighing 1,000 gross tons and below to sail between Iloilo and Guimaras (along the Iloilo Strait) and between Caticlan and Boracay Island (along the Tañon Strait) even if these areas are under storm signal number 1, if sea conditions are normal.
Captain Eduardo Fabricate, commander of the Coast Guard Iloilo station, said the interim guidelines will apply only to the two areas and other routes classified as "short-distance" and "special" routes.
Short-distance routes are those which do not exceed four kilometers or trips that can be completed within 30 minutes. The point of origin, route and point of destination should also be within the line of sight.
The special areas include those "within bays and rivers, enclosed by natural coves or sheltered zones whose natural topographical characteristic makes its sea area less vulnerable to adverse effects of the prevailing weather condition."
The guidelines do not apply to tugboats, government-operated vessels and motorboats used for non-commercial purposes and vessels and motorboats tapped by the Coast Guard to assist in search-and- rescue operations.
The proposed guidelines were presented to stakeholders during a consultation at the Coast Guard Western Visayas District headquarters here on Friday. Among those who attended the meeting were officials of the motorboat association in Guimaras and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Guimaras chapter.
The Guimaras Regional Trial Court last October 21 issued a preliminary injunction barring the Coast Guard from automatically suspending operations of small ferryboats to and from Guimaras when the area is placed under storm signal number 1.
The court blocked the implementation of provisions of the Coast Guard's Memorandum Circular No. 01-09. The provision authorizes the Coast Guard stations to automatically suspend the operations of sea vessels weighing 1,000 gross tons and below when storm signal number 1 is raised within the vessels' point of origin, route or destination.
The provincial government of Guimaras and the provincial chapter of the IBP had earlier sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the Coast Guard memorandum and the eventual nullification of the order.
They complained that thousands of passengers were stranded and the economy severely disrupted because of the automatic cancellation of trips even if sea conditions remained normal.
Fabricante said other areas may be also declared by the Coast Guard Commandant as covered by the new guidelines.
But under the proposed news guidelines, seacraft may be allowed to sail only when 10 conditions exist or are all satisfied.
Vessels will be allowed to travel only between sunrise and sunset and when the sea condition is not rough.
The new rules also prescribe that wind velocity should be not more than 30 kilometers per hour or 16 knots and there is good visibility.
Passenger vessels will only be allowed to carry passengers up to 75 percent of its authorized passenger capacity. The passengers and crew members of boats with open decks will be required to wear life jackets while aboard.
The local government or the boat operator will also designate lookouts and deploy standby emergency boats at the point of origin and destination.
Fabricante said the new guidelines will be issued within the year after consultation with stakeholders in Caticlan and Boracay.
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