The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) is awaiting an official explanation from Cebu South Port, the company at the center of a controversy involving a port official accused of extortion. The incident allegedly occurred during the berthing of an international cruise ship in Cebu in March this year.

In an interview, CPA general manager Francisco Commendador III identified the port official as Manuel Luis Sanchez.

Cebu South Port (CSP) is owned and operated by Wally Liu, the president of Cebu South Port Infrastructure Corporation based in Minglanilla, Cebu.

Cebu South Terminal Port, where the cruise ship, the Azamara Onward, docked last 18 March, is a newly opened international seaport in Talisay City.

Sanchez was identified by the complainant, a Filipino-Canadian referred to as “Gabby,” as the port official who allegedly demanded a bribe to allow the cruise passengers to disembark and tour Cebu City.

“Initial info (is that) Mr. Sanchez is an officer of Cebu South Port. This is a private commercial port owned by Wally Liu. The request of the said vessel was an emergency and for refueling only,” Commendador III said.

The CPA, being autonomous and not under the Philippine Ports Authority, exercises oversight over the CSP despite its status as a private port.

“If vessels ask for permission to dock, they will ask for permission from us,” the CPA chief said.

Vessel approved to berth

In a separate interview, Mary Knoll Burlasa, the CPA press relations officer, confirmed that the Azamara Onward was compliant with the necessary papers and permits for berthing at Cebu South Port.

“I saw the berthing application they submitted to the Port Management Office. They filed for it,” she said.

However, Burlasa refuted the allegations of “Gabby” that the 600 passengers, along with the Filipino crew, were allowed by the Bureaus of Immigration, Customs, and Quarantine to disembark while the Azamara Onward was refueling.

She said they received information from the Cebu South Port that only 33 passengers and five crew members were allowed by the BI to disembark after they had secured a clearance from the general manager of Cebu South Port.

“Only 38 passengers got the clearance from the BI, not all the passengers. Those passengers had international flights to catch in Manila. When they disembarked, they were immediately brought to Mactan Cebu International Airport to catch their flight to Manila. The rest of them didn’t have clearance so they were not allowed to alight from the vessel,” she explained.

She said the CPA and Cebu South Port have no authority to issue a disembarkation clearance to passengers, only the BI does.

In an email to DAILY TRIBUNE, Gabby recounted that the captain of the cruise vessel announced a six-hour refueling stopover in Cebu. He said the captain permitted members of the crew, including many Filipinos, to disembark. The Filipino crew members had contacted their relatives earlier to meet them at the pier so they could spend time together after months apart.

Gabby stated that these relatives had traveled from various parts of the Philippines, incurring expenses for transportation and hotel bookings to reunite with their loved ones on the vessel.

Consequently, the CPA official emphasized their zero-tolerance policy for extortion within their organization.

“It’s appropriate not to allow those passengers to disembark because only 38 passengers and crewmembers were approved by the BI. We have already reached out to the Cebu South Port management to provide their statement addressing the concerns raised,” she added.

Gabby alleged that Sanchez solicited “grease money” from the ship’s captain, after complaining about being called away from a family dinner due to the unplanned visit of the vessel and expressing his displeasure, yet purportedly offering assistance.

“The captain understood his intentions and refused to comply because paying bribes isn’t part of the corporate policy,” according to Gabby.

Originally bound for Manila, the Azamara Onward had to make an unexpected stop in Cebu on 18 March after running low on fuel because the port of Palau, its previous stop, had a problem with its fueling system.

The DAILY TRIBUNE attempted to obtain a comment from the Cebu South Port but was unsuccessful as of press time.