The story
Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation (PSACC) was established as Sulpicio Lines by Go Guioc So. Commonly known as Sulpicio Go, Go was a Chinese merchant from Amoy (now Xiamen) who emigrated to the Philippines in 1919 with his siblings. With his brother he set up a shipping enterprise in Eastern Visayas. In 1953, Go served as the managing partner of Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc.
Sulpicio Go established his own venture with his sons by founding Sulpicio Lines in September 1973, starting with a fleet of 17 vessels, 1 tugboat and 5 barges. Sulpicio Lines catered to a niche market, opening tertiary and developmental passenger routes to isolated communities in Central and Eastern Visayas.
Sulpicio Lines grew to be the largest domestic shipping company in the Philippines, with a fleet of 22 passenger and cargo vessels and a market share of 20 percent of domestic sea traffic in the Philippines in 1988.
The company experienced multiple marine disasters, including the 1987 sinking of the Doña Paz, the sinking of the Doña Marilyn in 1988, the sinking of the Princess of the Orient in 1998, and the 2008 sinking of the Princess of The Stars during the occurrence of Typhoon Fengshen (PAGASA name: Frank). In 2009, the PSACC adopted its current name discontinuing the use of "Sulpicio Lines" to refer to the company.
In January 2015, almost 7 years after the sinking of Princess of the Stars, the Maritime Industry Authority decided to revoke the company's certificate of public convenience (CPC), which meant that the company could no longer legally transport passengers.
The Court of Appeals, in a 237-page landmark decision dated June 28, 2024, written by Justice Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan, held that Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation formerly Sulpicio Lines, Inc. was guilty of gross negligence and consequently liable for the deaths of 814 passengers and 500 missing in the Princess of the Stars shipwreck. In upholding the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 49's judgment, the CA ordered PSACC owners Enrique Go, Eusebio Go, Carlos Go, Victoriano Go, Dominador Go, Ricardo Go, Edward Go and Edgar Go, to pay a total of P129,854,502.57 damages to the victims' heirs, survivors, families and relatives, represented by counsel Persida Acosta.
From Wikipedia’s article on Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4