Tragedy's Fine Print

Sulpicio Lines is eager to immediately stave off any potential class action suit in the aftermath of its latest killer incident: the sinking of MV Princess of the Stars which had been billed as the rown jewel of the tragedy-ridden shipping company.

Even as prayers continue for Navy frogmen to still find any more survivors among the more than 650 still missing, Sulpicio is already announcing that it will pay 200,000 pesos as 'bereavement assistance' for each death.

This as the owners are asserting that the incident "was an act of God."

But ask any lawyer worth his salt: the relatives of the dead, to qualify for the pay-out must have proof: the body of the deceased or at the very least a certification of presumed death ,which under the law can only be issued by the civil registrars, at the earliest, 2 years after tha person goes missing under unusual circumstance such as a plane crash or the sinking of a sea-goig vessel. If the circumstances of one's disappearance are considered 'normal', the waiting period is 7 years with the other party, in this Sulpicio Lines, having the 'right' to contest each and every claim.

So there you are. Sulpicio knows the game only too well, having a record of one vessel sinking every five years these past two decades.