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MANILA, Philippines — A congressional panel on Monday approved its report on the January sinking of an interisland ferry off Basilan that left 65 people dead, referring the findings to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice for possible case buildup.
The 33-page draft report prepared and approved by the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation also recommended that authorities conduct “safety, seaworthiness and compliance audits” of vessels owned by Aleson Shipping Lines, Inc., whose operations have been suspended following the tragedy.
The panel referred its report “for investigation on the possible filing of criminal, civil and administrative cases against responsible public officials and private entities whose negligence or misconduct” may have contributed to the sinking of MV Trisha Kerstin 3, House Committee on Transportation Secretary John Francis Panoncillo said.
READ: Death toll in Basilan ferry sinking now 64
