DIRTY WATER | This photo taken during an aerial inspection by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Philippine Coast Guard on April 15, 2023, shows traces of oil in the waters off Oriental Mindoro even after more than a month since the fuel tanker MT Princess Empress sank off Naujan town. (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)
MANILA, Philippines — Mayor Jennifer Cruz of Pola in Oriental Mindoro on Monday said the municipal government would pursue charges against groups and agencies responsible for the environmental damage wrought by the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress in her town and adjoining areas in the province.
Speaking at the Laging Handa public briefing, Cruz said between 60 and 70 percent of the town’s shores remained polluted by the oil spill since MT Princess Empress sank in the waters off Naujan and Pola towns on Feb. 28.
Cruz said the Department of Justice (DOJ) was helping her municipal government pursue charges against the “very irresponsible” entities behind the oil spill.
The tanker, owned by the Filipino company RDC Reield Marine Services Inc., was en route to Iloilo province when it sank while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel. Containment efforts led by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were still ongoing to plug the oil leaking from the vessel, which has settled in the depth off Pola’s waters.
“They don’t mind the great damage that they did to all the places where the oil spill [has] spread. They don’t know how grave the damage done to our countrymen, to our shores, to our natural resources,” she said.
“If we don’t charge them, who will stand up for the people and our environment? We’re standing up to them because someone must be held accountable,” Cruz added.
Concern appreciated
The mayor did not say which groups and agencies she was aiming to bring to court. But she referred to reports that the ship was allowed to sail despite alleged noncompliance with documentary requirements and other regulations.
The DOJ earlier said an interagency committee and the National Bureau of Investigation were probing the PCG, Maritime Industry Authority, and the ship owner over reports that the tanker was allowed to sail without a permit and certificate of public convenience.
Cruz thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for showing his concern for Pola’s plight when he visited the town on Saturday to supervise the distribution of relief goods and livelihood assistance to fisherfolk affected by the oil spill.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said more than 26,000 fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro, Antique, and Palawan were directly affected by the oil spill.
The damage in terms of inputs and produce, fishing gears and paraphernalia, and facilities and equipment amounted to a total of P445.3 million, the agency said.