The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has drafted an executive that will create the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) in the wake of the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars of Sulpicio Lines at the height of Typhoon Frank.
The drafting of the executive order, was revealed by DOTC Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Elena Bautista.
Bautista – who also pushed for the passage of the Coast Guard Bill – said the NTSB as a separate body will investigate such transport disasters, and not by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) nor by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
The Coast Guard Bill, on the other hand, will define the identity – whether military or civilian — of the PCG, said Bautista. The PCG is no longer under the Philippine Navy (PN) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but under the DOTC.
Bautista said she was also tasked to call for industry-wide consultations regarding the guidelines for allowing ships to embark on their respective voyages in times of typhoons. (PIA/Bohol)
