The massive oil spill caused by the sinking of oil tanker MT Princess Empress, which was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel, off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28 showed how unprepared we are to face this kind of disaster. It also exposed our inability to learn from the environmental damage caused by a similar accident in the past.
On August 11, 2006, an oil spill occurred in Panay Gulf when the oil tanker MT Solar 1 sank off the coasts of Guimaras and Negros, causing what is considered to be the worst oil spill in the country’s history. The oil spill adversely affected marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in four municipalities in Guimaras. It also threatened 27 communities in Iloilo province and 17 others in Negros Occidental.
Unfortunately, the public outrage engendered by the spill was not enough to push the government to design a program that could help contain future oil spills. Despite the heavy damage caused by the oil slicks, we didn’t create or identify a government agency manned by people who have the expertise to deal with these kinds of challenges. The oil spill nightmare in 2006 should have inspired the formation of a body tasked to prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil spills that occur in the country.
The massive oil spill in Mindoro continues to affect not only the livelihood of fisherfolk, but also the country’s marine biodiversity and tourism as it heads towards the famous beaches of Coron in Palawan and in Boracay.
Marine scientists at the University of the Philippines said about 36,000 hectares of coral reef, mangroves and sea-grass were potentially in danger of being affected by the oil slick.
At the Senate hearing on the massive leakages of oil on Tuesday, Sen. Cynthia Villar expressed dismay over the extent of the damage caused by the oil spill, noting that it “is emerging to have more extensive effects,” compared to the 2006 Guimaras incident.
Citing the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Situation Report dated March 12, 2023, Villar said the oil spill in the province affected 21,691 families in 117 barangays of Region 4-B; 7,616 families in four barangays of Region 6; a total of 13 marine protected areas and 61 tourist attractions; and about 8 kilometers of coastline in Caluya, Antique.
The Senate hearing also exposed grave regulatory lapses by the owner of the sunken tanker, dashing hopes that thousands of people impacted by the massive leak could promptly get financial help for the damage and lost livelihood from the $1-billion indemnity insurance taken out by the owners.
Maritime Industry Authority representatives told the Senate panel that the ship didn’t have the permit to sail. RDC Reield Marine Services (RDC) – the owner of M/T Princess Empress – has yet to secure an amendment of its certificate of public convenience (CPC) for the ill-fated vessel; thus it should not have been allowed to sail.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero grilled Philippine Coast Guard and officials of the oil tanker over the incident, pointing out the failure of the PCG to check the ship’s certificate of public convenience. In questioning Fritzee Tee, vice president of RDC Reield Marine Services Inc. that owns MT Princess Empress, Escudero found out that the vessel was newly acquired and has sailed nine times already even though it technically had no permit to operate yet. Tee said they applied for an amended CPC in November 2022. However, the senators learned that the ship was not issued an amended CPC because the owner did not apply for one.
Senator Francis Tolentino, who earlier spurred the Senate environment panel to demand an in-depth assessment of the huge damage brought by the Mindoro oil spill incident following his privilege speech last week, urged authorities and the owners of MT Princess Empress to hasten the distribution of compensation for those affected by oil spill. The Senate should also ask compensation from the company that owns the oil cargo for its failure to exercise due diligence when it chartered the sunken MT Princess Empress, which is now spilling 800,000 liters of highly polluting industrial oil into Philippine waters.