Gov’t needs to act fast to contain Mindoro oil spill, says Remulla

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — No need to wait for the owner, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday said the government will do the cleanup of the oil spill caused by the sinking of the MT Princess Empress.

Remulla recalled that during the Guimaras oil spill, it only took 21 days to cleanup the affected waters.

“Now, it’s 21 days wala pa tayong [we still do not have an] ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle),” Remulla told reporters.

READ: Guimaras oil spill recovery goes on

On Thursday, Remulla said their agenda is to engage the services of an ROV if the owner of the vessel will not get one. Remulla will be meeting with officials from the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to discuss measures.

“Kung wala silang ilalabas na ROV for this purpose, tayo na mismo, the government will undertake it on its own [If they can’t provide an ROV for this purpose, we, at the government, will undertake it],” he said.

Currently, the sunken vessel has been located by the ROV from Japan.

However, Remulla said the ROV’s purpose was only to look at the situation but not repair any damage.

“If there are insurance policies that will allow them [the owner] to reimburse us, so be it. But I think that we should do this ourselves kasi habang kung meron pang mahihigop na naroon ang makakawala [because while there is still oil leaking from the vessel], it’s better that we do something about it,” he said.

Remulla has conducted an aerial inspection of the oil spill to see the damage.

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JPV