Commemoration of Kim Nirvana-B capsizing held

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — Flower offerings capped the commemoration of the death of 62 people from the passenger boat, M/B Kim Nirvana-B, which capsized on July 2 last year, around 200 meters off the port in this city.

The M/B Kim Nirvana-B, bound for Pilar town in Camotes, Cebu from this city, capsized a few minutes after it left port at around 12 noon, exactly a year ago on Saturday. The official death toll was 62, with two people still unidentified to this day.

Parish priest Father Isagani Petilos officiated the memorial ceremony, which was also attended by Mayor Richard Gomez, some city councilors, the Ormoc Rescue Team, and representatives from national government agencies involved in maritime concerns.

Some survivors from Ormoc City also attended the commemoration. Among them were relatives of Lourdes Wenceslao, who died in the tragedy. There was also Alexa Jen Wenceslao, a one-and-10-month old toddler, who went underwater thrice before she was rescued. They were on the way to attend a relative’s wedding when the boat capsized.

Petilos said the memorial rites were not only to remember the dead but also to celebrate the lives of those who survived. It was also learned that 11 of 13 barangays in Pilar, Camotes, also held similar memorials.

Mayor Gomez, for his part, said remembering the tragedy was important because it was an accident that could have been prevented, and of which lessons are learned. He urged those present to be safety conscious and do their jobs conscientiously.

The Ormoc-Pilar route is now serviced by a Ro-Ro boat of the Jomalia Shipping Lines, which is bigger than the usual motorboats. Others have remodeled their boats, taking off the upper deck, making these more stable on rough sea conditions.

Meanwhile, the criminal case filed against the motorboat captain and two coast guard officers, who cleared it for sailing, during that fateful day, remains pending at a court here. (FREEMAN)