MANILA – Once again, Filipinos heading home for the Halloween break were advised to avoid “fly-by-night” or “colorum” (unregistered) passenger vessels.
Many such vessels take advantage of the Halloween break amid the crackdown led by the Philippine Coast Guard, agency spokesman Armand Balilo said.
“Halloween is just around the corner, and passengers going to their home provinces will once again converge in various ports and terminals. We advise them to not ride colorum bancas,” Balilo told a press briefing.
Colorum ships, commonly fishing vessels, are usually unregistered or lacking in documentary requirements, and thus do not comply with safety standards set by the Maritime Industry Authority.
“Unregistered ships can endanger the lives of passengers as they do not undergo regular inspection,” he added. “They can ensure passenger safety. Most of them do not have life vests and carry defective life rafts.”
Coast Guard chief Admiral Elson Hermogino has ordered continuous monitoring in all ports and terminals to make sure no unauthorized ships can travel to prevent sea accidents, said Balilo.
“The safety of the public is our primary concern,” he said. “These (colorum) vessels, if tolerated, may cause a major tragedy, which we don’t like to happen.”
“We have intensified our campaign, especially in the Visayas area,” Balilo added. “We have vessels, response teams and safety inspectors that will monitor if there are colorum vessels around.”/PN
