Local government units in coastal areas must know the nature and the characteristics of their immediate marine environment.
This need was made clear with the recent airplane crash at Masbate Pass fronting the airport of Masbate, involving Interior & Local Government Sec. Jesse Robredo, and three others on Aug. 18, 2012.
As of this writing (4pm, Aug. 19th), only one of the people known to be in the plane has been rescued. Secretary Robredo and the two pilots were still missing. One possibility was that they were carried away from the crash site by the ocean currents at Masbate Pass. In the early evening of Aug. 18th, I heard somebody being interviewed at the Masbate City airport say that the search for the Secretary was being called off and postponed until the next morning because of the “darkness of the night and the depth of the sea.”
This statement indicates that our police and other rescue authorities (except probably the Navy and the Coast Guard) are not prepared for marine rescue operations at all times of the day.
We can draw a lesson from the tragic incident: We must know and be familiar with the marine environment of coastal communities as part of the information needed for search and rescue operations.
We must know the directions and speed of currents during times of low and high tides, and during the northeast and southwest monsoons.
In fact, detailed oceanographic studies, with special reference to ocean currents are needed to plot the probable location of missing persons.
We must also know the depths of the sea at various distances from land as guide to scuba divers. Much of the knowledge about bodies of marine waters is known by fishers, but this knowledge should be confirmed by information from nautical charts and from scientists actively conducting research.
I suspect that not very many coastal municipalities have good knowledge of the marine environment in the vicinity, nor are they prepared for rescue operations of people who are victims of maritime accidents. And they may not be aware of the importance of oceanography to the rescue operations. It is now the time to prepare for such emergencies.
There is one organization that can be of assistance in the formulation of a program of sea rescue. This is the Coast Guard Auxiliary found in most cities of the country. LGUs can ask for assistance from this organization.
LGUs can also access research information on oceanography gathered by academic institutions.
But LGUs seem reluctant to avail themselves of such information. It is time they realize the need to develop good working relations with academic institutions.
So let’s add one more requisite for a rescue plan: knowledge of the sea around us.
