52 sailors die of ailments

52 sailors die of ailments

MANILA (AFP): At least 52 Filipino sailors have died from
various ailments and 200 were killed, missing or maimed in sea
accidents in the nine months to September this year, a Philippine
senator said yesterday.

Senator Ernesto Herrera urged President Fidel Ramos to enlist
the help of international maritime authorities to ensure that
foreign ships employing an estimated 186,000 Filipino sailors, at
any one time, give them adequate protection.

Many of the 52 fatalities died from heart attacks, pneumonia,
and viral infections said Herrera, citing data from the state-run
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Herrera, a former trade union leader, noted that because of
budgetary cutbacks by shipping firms, one sailor is forced to do
chores supposed to be handled by two or three crewmembers.

"As a result, we've had reports, for instance, of mechanics
being forced to labor continuously in engine rooms, depriving
them of adequate sleep and rest," he said in a statement.