The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is conducting a massive campaign for the registration of private and commercial motor bancas in Negros Oriental in coordination with the different local government units.
According to Lt. Commander Agapito Bibat, chief of the Dumaguete Coast Guard station, the MARINA’s information and dissemination drive, which launched May 1st, targets to have all motor boats with a gross tonnage (GRT) of three tons and below duly registered to protect public interest.
The move comes in the heels of last month’s freak accident off the coast of the internationally famed dive destination, Apo Island, in Dauin, Negros Oriental, where a fishing boat, “Albert”, that was ferrying passengers across to the island to attend its annual fiesta, had capsized.
The “Albert”, which originates from Selinog Island off the coast of Dapitan in Mindanao, did not have registration documents, said Bibat.
Bibat also disclosed that since 2005, when the authority for the registration of motor boats with 3-GRT and less was devolved to the local government units (LGUs), the MARINA and the Coast Guard no longer have an updated data base of the total number of the said sea vessels operating in Negros Oriental.
A MARINA officer has already visited the LGUs of Bais City and Siaton this week and has provided application forms and a revised list of requirements for the accreditation, registration and other licenses and permits required for this type of motor boats, he added.
Other towns and cities are also lined up for the information drive, which also gives a prescribed period for owners and operators of motor bancas to comply with the requirements of the law.
MARINA has shortlisted the requirements for the registration of these smaller type of sea vessels as part of its “pro-poor” program, Bibat said.
The Coast Guard officer said he is hopeful that the LGUs will cooperate with the MARINA in encouraging motor banca owners and operators to have their units registered.
Bibat admits that while the MARINA campaign is ongoing, the Coast Guard cannot apprehend any violators except to board these vessels and ensure that they are safe to travel. (PNA) JFP