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.