FOLLOWING the recent developments on the Mindoro oil spill, Aklan 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. has expressed that the country needs stronger penalties for oil pollution damage to be at par with international legal frameworks on oil pollution liability.
Haresco has filed House Bill 8354, amending Republic Act No. 9483 or the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007, by seeking to increase the penalties of violators and including ship charterers to be held liable for the oil pollution damage in order to better protect our environmental resources and justly compensate affected communities.
“All entities involved in the shipment of large oil tankers that lead to oil spills have the moral and legal obligation to environmental and social damages that may take years to be rehabilitated,” Haresco said.
Almost three months after the capsizing of the MT Princess Empress Oil that resulted to the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro and nearby provinces, livelihood and other economic opportunities in the area remain at a standstill.
“Oil spills result to severe environmental damage, economic losses, and threats to public health and safety. Damages to our marine protected areas, public health, livelihood, and tourism, remain insurmountable when perpetrators remain unaccountable,” the veteran solon added.
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Philippines is losing P5 million per day due to the fishing ban imposed in several areas affected by the oil spill.
Based on the computation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the owner of MT Princess Empress may be fined at least P471,000 per day from March 1 until the oil spill is fully addressed, due to our existing laws.
Since 1999, there have been at least nine major oil spills in the country: the Manila Bay Oil Spill in 1999; the Cavite Oil Spill in 2001; the Semirara Oil Spill in 2005; the Guimaras Oil Spill in 2006; the Cebu and Manila Bay Oil Spills in 2013; the Iloilo Oil Spills in 2013 and 2020; and more recently, the Oriental Mindoro Oil Spill of February 2023 that resulted from the capsizing of the vessel MT Princess Empress, a ship owned by RDC Reield Marine Services.
“With stronger laws against oil pollution damages, we affirm our commitment to protect our country’s environmental resources, tourism, and public health, and become better equipped in the rehabilitation of affected communities,” Haresco said.
