In invites to get-togethers, people at times are told to BYOB or “Bring Your Own Beer” / “Bring Your Own Bottle” (for other alcoholic drinks they may prefer).
In the regular seaside get-togethers we call ferry rides, it might be a good idea to encourage people to “Bring Your Own Vest”, as in Life Vest. Our local ships and ferries seem to either have life vests in grossly insufficient number (vis-a-vis the passenger count) or if there may be enough, they are alleged to be securely fastened to the boat and eventually useless to those who need them.
If the national statistics on maritime accidents weren’t so high on fatalities, our maritime accidents would be ridiculous.
As regular inter-island commuters, we should have excellent safety records borne out of experience. Yet, we have some of the worst.
It might be time we take government negligence and shipping negligence for granted and find ways to protect ourselves. Why wait for the Coast Guard to get their act together? Why expect shipping lines to think about passenger safety ahead of business profit? These things haven’t happened despite our world-record-breaking maritime disasters.
So next you time plan to ride a local ship, ferry or banca, remember to BYOV. Wear it already if you can. We don’t see any related legal issues if you do. You can choose from the inflatables or non-inflatables, it all just depends on how you’ll take the expected side comments). There have been much too many unnecessary deaths from other people’s negligence or greed.
BYOV can also mean Buy Your Own Vest in anticipation of future devastating typhoons and floods. You never know.
You could take one paranoiac step further and get a bulletproof vest too. Remember, Jason Ivler is still on the loose … Claudio Teehankee Jr. is out … the Ampatuans can be exonerated …
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