Ramos attacks ship neglecters

Ramos attacks ship neglecters

MANILA (AFP): President Fidel Ramos called on the judiciary and regulatory agencies yesterday to punish the "neglect and the greed" behind three disasters involving domestic shipping which left 22 people dead in the Philippines last week.

Ramos, in a speech to coast guard personnel, called the sinkings Friday of a tourist boat on Manila Bay, an inter-island ferry in the country's east and a small boat in the central Philippines "tragic but avoidable disasters."

The accidents underlined "the need to stop, prevent and punish the neglect and the greed that lead to the unnecessary loss of lives, property and international goodwill arising out of such maritime calamities," he said.