SOMEBODY in this administration must be protecting Sulpicio Lines, owner of MV Princess of the Stars, which created a big stir in media when it capsized last year.

Up to now, more than a year after the tragedy, nobody could as yet say how many really died. Estimates varied from 700 to 800 people. Even Sulpicio Lines apparently did not keep records of the vessel’s passengers.

What is more, Sulpicio Lines is still very much around, still raking it in through its cargo shipping business and, most of all, still trying to renew its permit for passenger vessels.

From what I gathered, the Board of Marine Inquiry that investigated Sulpicio Lines, recommended the cancellation of its shipping franchise. Hey, it’s not as if the company only did a little shoplifting or something.

The board has in fact already submitted its findings and recommendations to the Department of Transportation and Communication.

But then somebody in this cute administration has been stopping the Maritime Industry Authority from meting out the “punishments” to Sulpicio Lines.

Aside from franchise revocation, according to our sources in the shipping industry, the board recommended the prosecution of Sulpicio Lines owners and executives—in a criminal case.

How come Sulpicio Lines is still getting away with it all? Well, it seems the Marina cannot act on the board’s recommendation because it has yet to receive an “official” copy of the report.

Word is that certain Marina board members only have “unofficial” copies, from sources other than the DOTC.

You see, the board submitted its report straight to the DOTC, which apparently thought it best to keep the report a top secret.

And here is the clincher, ladies and gentlemen, whenever Sulpicio Lines applies for a permit to run passenger vessels again, its executives get this privilege of presenting their case to the Marina board. In person, OK!

It is such a special arrangement that no other shipping firm can ever get in this country made famous the world over by two record-breaking maritime tragedies (remember Doña Paz) courtesy of one shipping line. Yes, it’s our very own Sulpicio Lines! Hoorah!

* * *

The country’s first domestic cruise ship, the MV 7107 Islands Cruise, is now gathering rust at the piers.

The government recently seized the vessel, allegedly for the owner’s failure to pay customs duties and taxes.

Ironically, the Lola at the Palace has written a personal letter to the ship owner, Esteban Tajanlangit Jr., praising him for his effort to promote tourism in the country.

Reads the President’s letter: “I truly value your support in assisting me build a strong and fast growing economy… This is also our motivation for getting up every day to work hard and focus like a laser beam in strengthening the economy.”

Now, who would dare sabotage the Lola’s economic program? Well, it seems that only the Department of Finance would, courtesy of Undersecretary Estela V. Sales, the same person who became famous for saying “fiction is not education,” apparently because she never took up Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” or Balagtas’ “Florante at Laura” in school.

The Bureau of Customs earlier cleared the cruise ship of tax liabilities, since the business was registered with the Peza and SBMA, which give tax incentives to pioneering ventures.

Lo and behold, the one and only Sales reversed BOC and ordered “forfeiture” of the country’s one and only cruise ship.

Word goes around that somebody is behind this scheme against Tajanlangit, going by the name of Juan Orola, a former congressman, who supposedly owns a maritime servicing firm called Orophil. (“Orola” and “Orophil”—get it?)

Orophil filed a case against another company of Tajanlangit, claiming that it owed Orophil several millions of pesos. Tajanlangit in turn filed estafa cases against Orophil.

If only to show you how things just fall into place in this country, let me say that when Tajanlangit was applying for license to operate the cruise ship, who should come to the rescue of Orophil if not…well, the Marina.

The country’s shipping authority said it would only give Tajanlangit the authority to buy the cruise ship, “without prejudice to the outcome of the case” filed by Orophil.

What has Orophil got to do with it all, and Marina behaved like it was Orophil’s collection agent?