Town, fishermen demand P132M for damage from 2013 oil spill

Philippine Navy divers retrieve a body from the waters off the coast of Talisay city, Cebu province, in central Philippines Saturday Aug. 17, 2013, a day after a passenger ferry MV Thomas of Aquinas collided with a cargo ship Sulpicio Express Siete. AP FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY—The Cordova municipal government and a group of fishermen are seeking about P132 million in damage payment from the owners of two vessels that last year collided and leaked oil, polluting  the town’s marine environment.

The fishermen are also seeking a separate payment of at least P81 million for the loss of livelihood as a result of the oil spill.

A petition for the  cleanup, rehabilitation and restoration of the marine ecosystem, and for reimbursement was filed in the Regional Trial Court Branch 28, a designated environment court, on Thursday, almost a year after the MV St. Thomas Aquinas and MV Sulpicio Express Siete collided in waters off Lawis Ledge on Aug. 16, 2013.

At least 116 passengers were killed and 21 others are missing.

St. Thomas Aquinas, of the transport firm 2GO Group Inc. and which was carrying 18.1 metric tons of diesel and 108.8 MT of bunker oil, sank and spilled fuel that spread to the mangroves and polluted the coastline in Cordova town.

The spill’s effects spread to 11 of 13 villages in Cordova, covering about 3 hectares of land with oil and displacing at least 5,000 fishermen in the coastal municipality.

For weeks, fishermen and vendors in Cordova were left without livelihood and had to depend on government aid to survive after the collision.

Most of the residents in this third class municipality in Mactan Island, Cebu province, earn a living from fishing, shell collecting and guso (seaweed) farming.

In the petition, the municipality and fishermen asked the court to order 2GO Group and Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. (PSACC, formerly Sulpicio Lines) to pay P132 million for the complete rehabilitation of the town’s marine environment, which was damaged by the oil leaked from St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Inquirer tried to reach Manila-based lawyer Dennis Cabanos of 2GO Group but he did not answer calls. A text message sent to his cell phone was also left unanswered.

PSACC lawyer Jaime Vibar earlier said the oil that leaked into the sea did not come from its vessel.

He said the Cordova municipal government should instead hold 2GO Group accountable.

Aside from the two shipping companies, also cited in the case were the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Maritime Industry Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard  for failing to protect the town from the oil spill.

“They just keep on delaying things. So now, we’re asking the court to compel these government agencies to perform their mandate under threat of contempt,” said Lawyer Benjamin Cabrido, of  Philippine Earth Justice Center and whose law firm represents the fishermen.

Cabrido said 2GO Group  and PSACC should be made to answer for the cost of cleanup, protection and restoration of Cordova’s marine ecosystem.

The Coast Guard should be directed by the court to submit in five days a report on the volume of bunker fuel and stored oil left inside the sunken vessel, he added.

“We believe there is still bunker fuel and oil in the sunken ship. These still pose an imminent threat to the marine environment of Cordova and the adjoining coastal towns,” Cabrido said.

He said the DENR should submit to the court an update on the extent of the damage caused by the oil spill and conduct a study for the complete rehabilitation of damaged areas.