On September 13, Philippine Coast Guard personnel inspected roughly 15 metric tons of explosives that arrived at Puerto Princesa Port aboard MV St. Francis Xavier, a 2GO-operated passenger and cargo vessel. The cargo was loaded onto two “wing van” trucks, which open on their sides and are often used to transport sacks of rice.
The inspection was prompted after the PCG’s detection dogs alerted personnel to the trucks. The bill of lading indicated that the cargo consisted of Department of Education materials and tools. We were later informed by an independent source that the cargo was released to its consignee and escorted out of the port by Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel.
What we and other Palawan media outlets that have reported on the story do not yet know is who cleared the shipment for transport, or whether anyone did. Beyond the account of our single source, we do not know who allowed it to pass or how.
The local Philippine Coast Guard office, which was directly involved in the inspection and eventual release of the cargo to its registered consignee, has so far declined to issue a clarifying statement, saying it remains preoccupied with the June Aster tragedy in Coron.
We specifically wanted to know from the local Philippine Coast Guard whether a Dangerous Cargo Manifest and Stowage Plan had been filed for the shipment, as required by its own memorandum circular. Because the cargo was loaded onto a passenger-carrying vessel, we also wanted to know under whose authorization it was allowed, given that existing regulations permit no more than a few dozen kilograms of Class 1.1D explosives aboard such a ship, certainly not 15,000 kilograms, or 15 metric tons.
We also wanted to learn more from the Palawan Police Provincial Office about its role in escorting the cargo out of the port. The only explanation we have received so far is that the police are required to escort such cargo and that a transport permit had been issued to the shipper, a private company identified as BM Equipment Resources, a certified drilling and blasting contractor.
Under existing maritime regulations, the vessel’s owner or operator is supposed to be involved in the dangerous-cargo clearance process. However, our source told us that the vessel’s operator was not even aware of the cargo’s contents.
And so, we have reached a proverbial dead end in this story, a blank wall. All that can reasonably be done now is to let these troubling questions hang, at least until the Philippine Coast Guard or the Philippine National Police chooses to break its silence and provide an explanation.
