View source for MV Doña Paz

{{Short description|Ship involved in deadliest peacetime maritime disaster}}
{{redirect|Doña Paz|Mrs. Paz|Paz (disambiguation)|Lady Peace|Our Lady of Peace}}
{{redirect|Don Sulpicio|the saint|Saint-Sulpice (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = MV ''Doña Paz''
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Doña Paz at Tacloban.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Doña Paz'' berthed at [[Tacloban]] port in 1984
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = [[Japan]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Japan}}
| Ship name = *''Himeyuri Maru''
| Ship owner = RKK Line
| Ship operator = 
| Ship registry = [[Kagoshima]]
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = Onomichi Dockyard
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 118
| Ship way number = 
| Ship launched = April 25, 1963
| Ship completed = 
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship maiden voyage = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = October 1975
| Ship identification = 
| Ship fate = Sold to [[Sulpicio Lines]]
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = title
| Ship country = [[Philippines]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Philippines|1986}}
| Ship name = ''Don Sulpicio''
| Ship renamed = '''Doña Paz''' in 1981
| Ship owner = [[Sulpicio Lines]]
| Ship image = [[File:"3149331831 672899de24.jpg"]]
| Ship operator = 
| Ship registry = [[Manila]]
| Ship route = [[Tacloban]] – [[Catbalogan]] – [[Manila]]
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = 
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship refit = After a fire onboard on June 5, 1979
| Ship launched = 
| Ship completed = 
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = October 1975
| Ship maiden voyage = January 20, 1976
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = December 20, 1987
| Ship identification = {{IMO|5415822}}
| Ship fate = Caught fire and sank after a collision with the [[MT Vector|MT ''Vector'']] on December 20, 1987
| Ship notes = Deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[Passenger ferry]]
| Ship tonnage = *2,324 [[Gross register tonnage|GRT]]
*{{DWT|1,192}}
| Ship displacement = 
| Ship length = {{cvt|93.1|m|ft}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|13.6|m}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = 
| Ship depth = {{cvt|8.05|m}}
| Ship decks = 
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship ramps = 
| Ship ice class = 
| Ship sail plan = 
| Ship power = *1{{nbsp}}×{{nbsp}}Niigata Iron Works M8T54S 4-stroke diesel engine
*{{convert|4,500|bhp|kW|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion = 4-bladed single screw
| Ship speed = Service: {{convert|18|kn|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}. Max: {{convert|20.2|kn|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship capacity = 1,518 passengers
| Ship crew = 66
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
'''MV ''Doña Paz''''' was a [[Japan|Japanese]]-built and [[Philippines|Philippine]]-registered passenger [[ferry]] that sank after it collided with the [[tanker (ship)|oil tanker]] ''[[MT Vector|Vector]]'' on December 20, 1987. Built by Onomichi Zosen of [[Hiroshima]], Japan, the ship was launched on April 25, 1963 as the '''''Himeyuri Maru''''' with a passenger capacity of 608. In October 1975, the ''Himeyuri Maru'' was bought by [[Sulpicio Lines]] and renamed the '''''Don Sulpicio'''''. After a fire aboard in June 1979, the ship was refurbished and renamed ''Doña Paz''.

Traveling from [[Leyte Island]] to the Philippine [[capital city|capital]], [[Manila]], the vessel was seriously overcrowded, with at least 2,000 passengers not listed on the [[manifest (transportation)|manifest]]. It has also been claimed that the ship did not have a radio and that the life jackets were locked away. However, official blame was directed at the tanker ''Vector'', which collided with the ''Doña Paz'' and was found to be unseaworthy and to be operating without a license, a lookout, or a qualified master. With an estimated death toll of 4,385 people and only 25 survivors, it remains the deadliest [[List of maritime disasters in the 20th century#Peacetime|peacetime maritime disaster]] in history.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-04-01|title=Ferry collides with oil tanker near Manila - HISTORY|work=HISTORY |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ferry-collides-with-oil-tanker-near-manila|access-date=2020-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401163352/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ferry-collides-with-oil-tanker-near-manila|archive-date=April 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=7 of the World's Deadliest Shipwrecks|url=https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-deadliest-shipwrecks|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>

==Service history==
''Doña Paz'' was built in 1963 by Onomichi Zosen of [[Onomichi, Hiroshima]], Japan. It was originally named the ''Himeyuri Maru''.<ref name=mm>{{cite web |author=R.B.Haworth |title=Search results for "5415822" |url=http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/list?search_op=OR&IDNo=5415822 |work=Miramar Ship Index |location=Wellington, New Zealand |year=2006 |access-date=December 13, 2008 |archive-date=April 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408012735/http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> During the time she travelled Japanese waters, she had a passenger capacity of 608.<ref name=pdi3>{{cite news|author1=Acosta, Omar|author2=Veridiano, Dave|author3=Ronquillo, Marlen|name-list-style=amp|title=Doña Paz Overloaded; Inquiry Set|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 23, 1987}}</ref> In October 1975, it was sold to [[Sulpicio Lines]], a Filipino operator of a fleet of passenger ferries, and was renamed ''Don Sulpicio''. It served the [[Manila]] to [[Cebu]] sector as its primary route''.''<ref name="pdi3"/> The vessel became one of the company's two flagship vessels, the other one being the ''[[MV Doña Marilyn|Doña Ana]]'' (later renamed ''Doña Marilyn'').

On June 5, 1979, the vessel was gutted by fire on its usual Manila-Cebu journey. All 1,164 aboard were rescued but the vessel was beached and declared a [[constructive total loss]]. The wreck was repurchased from the underwriters by Sulpicio Lines, and repaired. Structural changes were made and it returned to service with the new name ''Doña Paz''.<ref name="Hooke"/>

As the MV ''Philippine Princess'' had already become the flagship of Sulpicio Lines serving the Manila-Cebu sector, the ''Doña Paz'' was reassigned to serve the Manila–[[Tacloban]] route, with the return voyage having a stop in [[Catbalogan]]. Sulpicio Lines operated the ''Doña Paz'' on this route, making voyages twice a week, until the time of its sinking.<ref name="sc1">{{cite court|litigants=Caltex Philippines v. Sulpicio Lines|vol=374|reporter=Phil.|opinion=325|court=[[Supreme Court of the Philippines]]|date=September 30, 1999|url=http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1999/sep1999/gr_131166_1999.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=MSNBC World News/Asia Pacific|website=[[NBC News]] |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32712754|access-date=August 8, 2009}}</ref>

==1987 collision with MT ''Vector ''==
On December 20, 1987, at 06:30, [[Philippine Standard Time]], ''Doña Paz'' departed from Tacloban, [[Leyte]], for Manila,<ref name="sc1"/><ref name="nyt1">{{cite news|author=[[Associated Press]]|title=1,500 Are Feared Lost as Two Ships Collide and Sink Near Philippines |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/21/world/1500-are-feared-lost-as-2-ships-collide-and-sink-near-philippines.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 21, 1987|access-date=January 26, 2023}}</ref> with a stopover at [[Catbalogan]], [[Samar (island)|Samar]].<ref name="pdi2">{{cite news|title=Tanker Rams Ferry, 1,500 Feared Dead|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 22, 1987}}</ref> Commanded by Captain Eusebio Nazareno,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-''Doña Paz'' skipper testifies in inquiry |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kpAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6802%2C1791477|access-date=November 17, 2021 |work=[[Manila Standard]] |publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 28, 1988|page=8}}</ref> the vessel was due in Manila at 04:00 the next day. It was reported that it last made radio contact at about 20:00.<ref name="nyt1"/> However, subsequent reports indicated that ''Doña Paz'' did not have a radio.<ref name="lanc2005">John Lancaster, ''Engineering catastrophes: causes and effects of major accidents''. Woodhead Publishing, 2005, 3rd. ed., p. 71.</ref><ref name="dnv">{{cite web|author=Det Norske Veritas|title=Annex 1: Passenger Vessel Evacuation Descriptions|url=http://research.dnv.com/skj/Fsahla/Annex1.pdf|access-date=December 13, 2008|archive-date=September 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930132847/http://research.dnv.com/skj/Fsahla/Annex1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At about 22:30, the ferry was at Dumali Point, along the [[Tablas Strait]], near [[Marinduque]].<ref name="nyt1"/> A survivor later said that the weather at sea that night was clear, but the sea was choppy.<ref name="pdi2"/> While most of the passengers slept, ''Doña Paz'' collided with [[MT Vector|MT ''Vector'']], a Philippine-owned [[oil tanker]] en route from [[Bataan]] to [[Masbate]]. ''Vector'' was carrying {{convert|1.05|e6L|USbbl|abbr=unit}} or {{convert|1041|t|ST|abbr=off}} of gasoline and other petroleum products owned by [[Caltex|Caltex Philippines]].<ref name="sc1"/>

Upon collision, ''Vector''{{'}}s cargo ignited and caused a fire on the ship that spread onto ''Doña Paz''. Survivors recalled sensing the crash and an explosion, causing panic on the vessel.<ref name=nyt1/> One of them, Paquito Osabel, recounted that the flames spread rapidly throughout the ship, and that the sea all around the ship was itself afire.<ref name=nyt1/><ref name=pdi2/>

Another survivor, [[Philippine Constabulary]] corporal Luthgardo Niedo, claimed that the lights aboard had gone out minutes after the collision, that there were not any life vests to be found on ''Doña Paz'', and that the crewmen were running around in panic with the other passengers, and none of the crew gave any orders or made any attempt to organize the passengers.<ref name=pdi2/> It was said later that the life jacket lockers had been locked.<ref name=dnv/>

The survivors were forced to jump off the ship and swim among charred bodies in flaming waters around the ship, with some using suitcases as makeshift flotation devices.<ref name=nyt2>{{cite news|first=Sheila|last=Coronel|title=Searchers Find No Trace of 1,500 From 2 Ships Sunk in Philippines|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/22/world/searchers-find-no-trace-of-1500-from-2-ships-sunk-in-philippines.html |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 22, 1987|access-date=January 26, 2023}}</ref> ''Doña Paz'' sank within two hours of the collision. ''Vector'' sank within four hours.<ref name=dnv/> Both ships sank in about {{convert|545|m|sp=us}} of water in the [[Tablas Strait]].<ref name=pdi4/>

===Rescue===
Officers and the captain of a passing inter-island ship, [[MV Don Claudio|MV ''Don Claudio'']], witnessed the explosion of the two ships and, after an hour, found the survivors of ''Doña Paz''. The officers of ''Don Claudio'' threw a net for the survivors to climb onto. Only 26 survivors were retrieved from the water: 24 of them were passengers from ''Doña Paz'', while the other two were crewmen from ''Vector''{{'}}s 13-man crew.<ref name="pdi2"/><ref name="sc2">{{cite court|litigants=Vector Shipping Corp. v. Macasa|court=[[Supreme Court of the Philippines]]|date=July 21, 2008|url=http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2008/july2008/160219.htm}}</ref> A four-year-old boy was found drifting in the sea in the immediate days after the collision, but there were conflicting reports on whether he was an actual survivor or not from the ''Doña Paz''.<ref name="news.google.com">''Nevada Daily Mail'', [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=19871222&id=oTcrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WdUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1416,6885509&hl=en "4-year-old survivor found floating in sea"]</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Robles|first1=Higino|last2=Soriano|first2=A.F.|last3=De Jesus|first3=S.|title=121 more bodies found near collision site; survivors, nil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rGcVAAAAIBAJ|access-date=May 18, 2025|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=December 24, 1987}}</ref>

A 25th survivor from ''Doña Paz'', Valeriana Duma, was not originally accounted for by officials. She revealed herself later by the [[GMA Network]] program ''[[Wish Ko Lang!]]'' in 2012. At 14, she was the youngest passenger of ''Doña Paz'' to survive.<ref name="Duma">{{cite news|title=MV Dona Paz survivor reunites with family after 25 years on 'Wish Ko Lang'|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/publicaffairs/wishkolang/259876/mv-dona-paz-survivor-reunites-with-family-after-25-years-on-wish-ko-lang/story/|access-date=February 10, 2020|work=GMA News|publisher=GMA Network|date=May 12, 2012|quote=Valeriana [Duma] survived using a life jacket given by her employer, but her survival was never recorded by the authorities. If it had been, she would have been the youngest of the few survivors.}}</ref>

None of the crew of ''Doña Paz'' survived. Most of the survivors sustained burns from jumping into the flaming waters.<ref name="nyt1"/> Doctors and nurses aboard the rescue vessel tended to their injuries. It reportedly took eight hours before Philippine maritime authorities learned of the accident, and another eight hours to initiate [[search-and-rescue]] operations.<ref name="dnv"/>

===Investigation of the causes of the incident===
According to the initial investigation performed by the [[Philippine Coast Guard]], only one apprentice member of the crew of ''Doña Paz'' was monitoring the ship's [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] when the accident occurred.<ref name=pdi5>{{cite news|title=Coast Guard Says: Dona Paz Officers Not at Their Posts|date=December 25, 1987|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer}}</ref> Other officers were either drinking beer or watching television in the crew's recreation quarters.<ref name=nyt5>{{cite news|author=[[Associated Press]]|title=Officers Were Not at Posts, Ship Disaster Survivor Says|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/25/world/officers-were-not-at-posts-ship-disaster-survivor-says.html |date=December 25, 1987|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 26, 2023}}</ref> The ship's captain was reportedly watching a film on his [[Betamax]] machine in his cabin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1992&dat=19871225&id=LClbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=m08NAAAAIBAJ&pg=7205,4326325 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714164254/http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1992&dat=19871225&id=LClbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=m08NAAAAIBAJ&pg=7205,4326325 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |title=Dona Paz officers were not at posts |via=news.google.com }}</ref> This theory was given more credibility through statements given by survivor Salvador Bacsal, who spoke of "upbeat music from the recreation quarters", and was corroborated by Luthgardo Niedo, who testified that a fellow constabulary soldier informed him of "an ongoing party with laughter and loud music" on the ship's bridge with the captain as one of the attendees.<ref>{{cite news|last=De Guzman|first=Nicai|title=Hell at Sea: Remembering the Tragedy of the MV Doña Paz|url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/dona-paz-a1729-20181220-lfrm|access-date=11 February 2020|work=[[Esquire Magazine]]|date=December 20, 2018}}</ref> The Marine Board of Inquiry of the [[Philippine Coast Guard]], chaired by Capt. Dario Fajardo, performed a fact-finding mission of the sinking and gave its report to Congress on February 29, 1988.<ref>{{cite news|title=Doña Paz collision report due Feb. 29|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nJAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4655%2C2447235|access-date=January 16, 2023|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=February 7, 1988|page=8}}</ref>

The Coalition of Samar and Leyte Organizations (CSLO) made an investigative team composed of professionals and police members from the provinces of Leyte and Samar. Their volunteer members intended to gather information on the ship's journey and passengers. Among the documents that they sought were duplicate tickets given to the passengers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Group To Gather Own Evidence On Collision |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lqgkAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=15 April 2023 |publisher=Manila Standard |date=31 December 1987 |language=en}}</ref> CLSO was officially recognized by the Philippine government to be able to provide assistance to the MV Doña Paz's victims' relatives.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vergara |first1=Ricky B. |title=Dona Paz Relatives Assail Gov't, Ship Firm Over Aid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kpAtAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2 |access-date=15 April 2023 |publisher=Manila Standard |date=January 28, 1988 |language=en}}</ref>

Survivors claimed that it was possible that ''Doña Paz'' may have carried as many as 4,000 passengers.<ref name=pdi3/><ref name=nyt2/> The signs that they considered were that they saw passengers sleeping along corridors, on the boat decks, and on bunks with three or four people on them.<ref name=nyt2/>

===Casualties===
In the initial announcement made by Sulpicio Lines, the official passenger manifest of ''Doña Paz'' recorded 1,493 passengers and 59 crew members aboard.<ref name="pdi3"/><ref name="nyt2"/> According to Sulpicio Lines, the ferry was able to carry 1,424 passengers.<ref name="nyt1"/> A revised manifest released on December 23, 1987, showed 1,583 passengers and 58 crew members on ''Doña Paz'', with 675 persons boarding the ferry in Tacloban, and 908 coming aboard in Catbalogan.<ref name="pdi4">{{cite news|author1=Acosta, Omar|author2=Veridiano, Dave|author3=Lirio, Gerry|name-list-style=amp|title=238 Bodies Washed Ashore in Mindoro|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 24, 1987}}</ref> However, an anonymous official of Sulpicio Lines told [[United Press International|UPI]] that, since it was the Christmas season, tickets were usually purchased illegally aboard the ship at a cheaper rate, and those passengers were not listed on the manifest.<ref name="pdi3"/> The same official added that holders of complimentary tickets and non-paying children younger than the age of four were not listed on the manifest.<ref name="pdi3"/><ref name="nyt7">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/27/world/bodies-of-133-found-from-ferry-disaster-the-filipinos-report.html |date=December 27, 1987|agency=Associated Press |title=Bodies of 133 Found From Ferry Disaster, The Filipinos Report|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 26, 2023 }}</ref>

Of the 21 bodies that had been recovered and identified as passengers on the ship five days after the accident, only one of the fatalities was listed on the official manifest. Of the 26 passengers who survived, only five were listed on the manifest.<ref>{{cite news |title=300 More Charred Victims Retrieved |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 26, 1987 }}</ref>

On December 28, 1987, [[House of Representatives of the Philippines|Representative]] [[Raul Daza]] of [[Legislative districts of Northern Samar|Northern Samar]] claimed that at least 2,000 passengers aboard ''Doña Paz'' were not on the ship's manifest.<ref name=pdi9>{{cite news|author=Ed Perpena & Dave Veridiano|title=2,000 on Ship Not on Manifest|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 29, 1987}}</ref> He based that number on a list of names furnished by relatives and friends of missing people believed aboard the ferry, the names having been compiled by radio and television stations in Tacloban.<ref name=pdi9/> The names of these 2,000-plus missing passengers were published in pages 29 to 31 of the December 29, 1987, edition of the ''[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]''. At least 79 public school teachers perished in the collision.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ordoñez|first=Lynette|title=Missing tutors' kin to get due|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880110&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=February 12, 2020|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 10, 1988|page=1}}</ref>

During February 1988 the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation stated, on the basis of interviews with relatives, that there were at least 3,099 passengers and 59 crew aboard, giving 3,134 on-board fatalities.<ref>{{cite news |title=3,159 people were on 'Dona Paz'|publisher=Lloyd's List|date=February 24, 1988}}</ref> During January 1999 a presidential task force report estimated, on the basis of court records and more than 4,100 settlement claims, that there were 4,342 passengers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Official 'Dona Paz' toll exceeds 4,300|publisher=Lloyd's List|date=January 26, 1989}}</ref> Subtracting the 26 surviving passengers, and adding 58 crew, gives 4,374 on-board fatalities, almost three times the [[design load]]; adding the 11 dead from the crew of ''Vector'', the total becomes 4,385.<ref name="Hooke"/>

===Reactions and aftermath===
[[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Corazon Aquino]] described the accident as "a national tragedy of harrowing proportions...[the [[Filipino people]]'s] sadness is all the more painful because the tragedy struck with the approach of [[Christmas in the Philippines|Christmas]]".<ref>{{cite news|first=Barbara|last=Crosette|title=It's Gloom And Glitter For Manila|date=December 23, 1987|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/23/world/it-s-gloom-and-glitter-for-manila.html |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 26, 2023}}</ref> [[Pope John Paul II]], [[Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Noboru Takeshita]] and [[Queen Elizabeth II]] of the [[United Kingdom]] conveyed their official messages of condolence.<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Agence France Presse]] & [[Associated Press]]|title=Pope, Takeshita Send Condolences |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 24, 1987 }}</ref> Given the estimated death toll, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine and others have termed the sinking of ''Doña Paz'' "the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster of the 20th century".<ref name="Hooke">Hooke, Norman. ''Maritime Casualties, 1963–1996''. Lloyd's of London Press, 1997</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author1=Howard Chua Eo |author2=Nelly Sindayen|name-list-style=amp|title=The Philippines Off Mindoro, a Night to Remember|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,966394,00.html|date=January 4, 1988|access-date=December 13, 2008|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209182552/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C966394%2C00.html|archive-date=December 9, 2007}}</ref>

Sulpicio Lines announced three days after the accident that ''Doña Paz'' was insured for {{Currency|25&nbsp;million|PHP}} (US${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|631000|2019}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars), and it was willing to [[indemnify]] the survivors the amount of {{Currency|20 thousand|PHP}} (US${{Inflation|US|542|2019}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars) for each victim.<ref>{{cite news|author=[[Agence France Presse]]|title=Sulpicio Willing to Pay Victims|date=December 23, 1987|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer}}</ref> Days later, hundreds of the victims' kin staged a mass rally at [[Rizal Park]], demanding that the ship owners likewise indemnify the families of those not listed on the manifest, as well as to give a full accounting of the missing.<ref name=nyt7/>

Nonetheless, the Board of Marine Inquiry eventually exculpated Sulpicio Lines of fault in the accident.<ref name=sc2/> Subsequent inquiries revealed that ''Vector'' was operating without a license, lookout or properly qualified master.<ref name=dnv/> During 1999 the [[Supreme Court of the Philippines]] ruled that it was the owners of ''Vector'' who were liable to indemnify the victims of the collision.<ref name=sc1/><ref name=sc2/>

Some of the claims pursued against either Sulpicio Lines or the owners of ''Vector'', such as those filed by the Cañezal family (who lost two members) and the Macasas family (who lost three members) were adjudicated by the Supreme Court, which found that even the families of victims whose names did not appear on the official manifest were entitled to indemnity.<ref name=sc1/><ref name=sc2/> Caltex Philippines, which had [[affreightment|chartered]] ''Vector'', was likewise cleared of financial liability.<ref name=sc1/>

===Survivors===
;MV ''Doña Paz''
{{Div col}}
#Moris Apura, 37, of [[Borongan]], [[Eastern Samar]]<ref name="JanuaryAid">{{cite news|title=Aid to survivors|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880121&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=May 1, 2020|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 21, 1988|page=8}}</ref>
#Renato Asisturga, 19
#[[Aludía Bacsal]], 18, of [[Can-avid]], Eastern Samar<ref name="3KPlus">{{cite news|last=Ramos|first=Rogelio|title=More than 3,000 boarded Doña Paz|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kZAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2093%2C1716251|access-date=November 17, 2021|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 27, 1988|page=8}}</ref><ref name="Survivor">{{cite news|last=Ramos|first=Rogelio|title=Survivor: 4,000 on board 'Paz'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k5AtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5420%2C1849296|access-date=November 17, 2021|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 29, 1988|page=8}}</ref>
#[[Salvador Bacsal]], 44, of Can-avid, Eastern Samar<ref name="3KPlus"/><ref name="Survivor"/>
#Almario Balanay, 44, of Borongan, Eastern Samar<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ramos|first1=Rogelio|last2=Del Rosario|first2=Luz|title=Another witness blames Doña Paz|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lJAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6820%2C1898148|access-date=November 17, 2021|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 30, 1988|page=6}}</ref>
#Generoso Batola, 29, of Borongan, Eastern Samar<ref name="JanuaryAid"/>
#Jose Cabrieto, 29, of [[Catbalogan]]/[[Calbiga]], [[Samar (province)|Western Samar]]<ref name="JanuaryAid"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Delos Santos|first=Bong|title=2 more Paz survivors testify|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hJAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UAsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6683%2C894761|access-date=June 5, 2021|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=January 14, 1988|page=8}}</ref>
#Samuel Carillo, 27
#Severino Carrion, 25
#Zosimo de la Rama, 21<ref>{{cite news|last=Gabieta|first=Joey|title=Doña Paz victims waiting for justice 25 years after|url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/327123/dona-paz-victims-waiting-for-justice-25-years-after|access-date=10 February 2020|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=December 20, 2012|location=[[Barugo]], Leyte}}</ref>
#Dominador Depayo, 23
#Valeriana Duma, 14 (youngest survivor), of [[Catubig]], [[Northern Samar]]<ref name="Duma"/>
#Alejandro Estuita, 21
#Arnel Galang, 18
#Mario Leganda, 25
#Armando Lomungue/Lominuque, 28
#Constancio Mabag, 21
#Gilbert Mabutol, 15
#Francisco Minggote
#Luthgardo Niedo, 26<ref name="3KPlus"/>
#Panfilo Olalia, 34
#Eugenio Orot, 27
#Paquito Ozabel, 42
#Sofronio "Puyok" Sabuco, 44, of Calbiga, Western Samar<ref name="JanuaryAid"/>
#Pedro Sorema, 17
{{Div col end}}

;MT ''Vector'' 
#[[Quartermaster]] Franklin/Francisco Bornillo, 26<ref name="whitewash">{{cite news|title=Victims' kin fear whitewash|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19871228&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=June 6, 2020|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=December 28, 1987|page=8|quote=The Coast Guard said they believed the two survivors of the tanker, identified as Second Mate Reynaldo Tarife and Quartermaster Francisco Burnillo [sic], may be holding the key to the circumstances...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Callo|first=Kathleen|title=Sea voyage: Risky business|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19881220&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=June 6, 2020|work=Manila Standard|publisher=Manila Standard News, Inc.|date=December 20, 1988|page=4}}</ref>
#[[Second Mate]] Reynaldo Tarife, 41<ref name="whitewash"/>

==Memorial==
A memorial honoring the victims of ''Doña Paz'' is at the Pieta Park in [[Catbalogan]]. Located at adjacent to St. Bartholomew Church and [[Saint Mary's College of Catbalogan]], the park now serves as a public space for families and friends of the victims.<ref>{{cite news|title=DECEMBER 20 WAS THE MV DOÑA PAZ TRAGEDY LAST 1987|url=http://www.catbalogan.gov.ph/december-20-was-the-mv-dona-paz-tragedy-last-1987/|access-date=July 27, 2020|work=Official Website of the City Government of Catbalogan|archive-date=July 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726190638/http://www.catbalogan.gov.ph/december-20-was-the-mv-dona-paz-tragedy-last-1987/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Wreck==
The wreck of ''Doña Paz'' was located in April 2019 by the [[RV Petrel|RV ''Petrel'']], with video footage later released on December 19. It lies upright at a depth of {{Convert|500|m|sp=us}}. The wreck of the ''Vector'' was found lying {{convert|2200|m|sp=us}} away in the same state. Both wrecks are in good condition.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schlosser|first=Kurt|title=Paul Allen's research vessel surveys wreckage of 'Asia's Titanic' — 1987 ferry sinking killed 4,300|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2019/paul-allens-research-vessel-surveys-wreckage-asias-titanic-1987-ferry-sinking-killed-4300|access-date=February 11, 2020|work=[[GeekWire]]|publisher=GeekWire, LLC|date=December 19, 2019}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
*[[National Geographic Channel]]-[[National Geographic (Asia)|Asia]] premiered a documentary about the MV ''Doña Paz'' entitled ''[[Asia's Titanic]]'' on August 25, 2009.<ref name=mindanaotimes-donapazdocumentary>{{cite news|title=Davao Titanic debuts today|work=Mindanao Times|date=August 25, 2009|url=http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/?p=3163|access-date=September 6, 2009}}</ref><ref name=ngcasia-donapazdocumentary>{{cite web|title=Asia's Titanic|url=http://www.ngcasia.com/Programmes/asias-titanic|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820064224/http://www.ngcasia.com/programmes/asias-titanic|website=National Geographic Channel|archive-date=August 20, 2009}}</ref>
* The [[GMA Network]] docudrama series ''[[Case Unclosed]]'' featured the incident during its Arnold Clavio era.
* In 2018 a horror movie titled ''[[Aurora (2018 film)|Aurora]]'' was released, inspired by the events of the tragedy.

==See also==
{{Portal|Philippines|Transport}}
*[[List of maritime disasters involving the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation]]
*[[List of maritime disasters in the Philippines]]
*[[List of shipwrecks in 1987]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.flickr.com/groups/psss/ Photograph of the MV Doña Paz (Courtesy of the Philippine Ship Spotters Society)]
*[http://research.dnv.com/skj/Fsahla/Annex1.pdf DNV Annex 1 Passenger vessel Evacuation descriptions P36] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930132847/http://research.dnv.com/skj/Fsahla/Annex1.pdf |date=September 30, 2018 }}
*[http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/list?search_op=OR&IDNo=5415822 Mimar Ship Index – Ship ownership history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408012735/http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ |date=April 8, 2012 }}
*[http://www.newsflash.org/2002/05/hl/hl015694.htm Newsflash – Experts Cite Perils of Roll-Off, Roll-On (Ro-Ro) Ferries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930043915/http://www.newsflash.org/2002/05/hl/hl015694.htm |date=September 30, 2018 }} 
*[http://www.gmanews.tv/story/102786/Sulpicio-Lines-vessels-in-major-marine-mishaps Sulpicio Lines vessels in major marine mishaps]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080702031151/http://www.hazardcards.com/card.php?id=14 Hazardcards: Doña Paz]
*[https://archive.today/20160716033545/http://www.marinews.com.gr/?p=93 To vαυάγιο του MV Doña Paz 20η Δεκεμβρίου του 1987]

{{Philippine Maritime Tragedies}}
{{1987 shipwrecks}}

{{coord missing|Philippines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dona Paz, MV}}
[[Category:1963 ships]]
[[Category:1987 disasters in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Ferries of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1987]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Ship fires]]
[[Category:Ships sunk in collisions]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:2019 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:December 1987 in Asia]]
[[Category:Explosions in 1987]]
[[Category:1987 fires]]
[[Category:1987 industrial disasters]]
[[Category:Explosions in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Fires in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Ferry boat disasters]]