Black Saturday

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died in the twin sea mishaps that occurred in Iloilo Strait on Aug 3, 2019.

We pray that the departed will find eternal peace even as we hope that those they left behind will be able to cope with their loss.

Daily Guardian salutes the people and organizations that volunteered to rescue the passengers despite the possible dangers they faced in the rough waters of Iloilo Strait on that fateful day.

A lot of questions are now being raised as to who should be held accountable and what should be done to prevent another tragedy and painful loss of lives.

The accountability part will be addressed once the victims have been accounted and comforted and the departed ones are laid to rest with decency and respect. One question is why authorities allowed the pump boats to ferry passengers despite the sea mishap and bad weather.

Consequently, this tragedy reignites the fire in the belly of those who push for the construction of a bridge between Iloilo and Guimaras if only to provide a faster and more convenient mode of transportation between the two provinces.

But interisland bridges also face challenges, thus it is natural for others to fear the unknown. Still, engineering marvels have proven to overcome such challenges and make our lives safer and easier.

The question of the safety of motor bancas plying Iloilo Strait will also be revisited. Some observers believe that these vessels are not strong enough to erratic and unpredictable weather occurrences like the “pugada.”

These questions and concerns will be answered but for now, compassion requires us to unite and help comfort those who lost their loved ones on that Black Saturday.