Sulpicio Lines Inc., owner of the M/V Princess of the Stars that sank off Sibuyan Island in Romblon, filed yesterday a P4.4-million damage suit against the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) for gross incompetence and irresponsibility for allegedly providing inaccurate weather forecast on typhoon “Frank.”
Lawyers of the company, represented by its first vice president Edgar Go, filed the civil suit at the Manila Regional Trial Court against the weather bureau and two of the agency’s officials, Pagasa director Prisco Nilo and Nathaniel Cruz, weather services chief.
The officials of Sulpicio Lines blamed the weather bureau for its alleged failure to accurately predict the path of the typhoon that caused the Princess of the Stars to sink off Romblon at the height of the storm last June 21.
More than 140 bodies have been recovered while hundreds remain missing. More than 50 survivors were rescued.
Is it Pagasa's fault for not warning them about the strength, direction, and path of the storm?
First off, I don't know too many people who put 100% faith in the predictions of any weather service. Possibly because we see over and over that such predictions are not entirely accurate, if at all. Furthermore, I would think that the fundamental unpredictability of the weather has been hammered home to people who watch the Discovery Channel, to people who check weather forecasts daily, and to people whose livelihoods are highly dependent on weather conditions.
Second, how many other ships were sent out in that storm? How many other ships decided against going out to sea in stormy weather, whether or not they were adequately warned by Pagasa?
Third, how many times has this happened to Sulpicio's ships?
