Senators say PCG remiss in its job
SEN. Cynthia Villar yesterday said the ill-fated tanker MT Princess Empress, which sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro last February 28 and spilled oil that has severely affected various areas, had no permit to operate.
During a hearing conducted by the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, Villar showed a copy of the accident report by the Maritime Industry Authority showing the sunken vessel “has no permit to operate in the form of an amendment to its certificate of public convenience (CPC).
“The ship has no authority to operate in the form of an amendment to its certificate of public convenience issued… to operate the MT Princess Empress in the domestic trade pursuant to the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9295 (Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004),” Villar said, quoting the Marina accident report.
The CPC is a license issued by Marina to domestic ship operators so they can engage in domestic shipping. Once a shipping company acquires a new ship, it needs to file an amendment to its CPC to include the new vessel.
During the same hearing, Mindoro Oriental Gov. Humerlito Dolor slammed the national government over what he said was its lack of collective efforts to contain the oil spill more than two weeks after the vessel, carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil and 10,000 liters of operational fuel, sank off Naujan town.
Last Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard said the 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil cargo of the ship appeared to be intact, adding the oil slick in the waters off Mindoro Oriental and nearby provinces came from the vessel’s operational fuel.
Reacting to Villar’s revelation, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the PCG was remiss in its job to prevent the ship from sailing since it did not yet have a CPC. Tulfo said PCG commanders should be held responsible for the lapses of its personnel.
PCG leaders said they are investigating why their personnel did not board the ship to determine if it has complete papers and why the ship was allowed to sail.
Sen. Francis Escudero said this was the ninth time the PCG failed its duty to inspect a ship.
Villar said with the absence of the CPC, the ship owner — RDC Reiled Marine Services — may not be able to claim the $1 billion insurance money.
“We will have a problem on that maybe…The Marina and the coast guard will explain that they cannot claim from the insurance because they have no permit to operate. We should not wait (for) that anymore. They have a problem with that… Don’t depend on something that will not come,” Villar said.
MARINA REVELATION
Hernani Fabia, Marina administrator, said the ship owner has yet to submit complete documents in its application to amend its CPC to include the sunken ship in its fleet.
Since the ship owner has yet to satisfy all the documentary requirements, Fabia said “they were not issued a permit immediately” and should not have been allowed to sail.
Fabia said RDC also did not apply for a special permit to operate pending the completion of documents.
“We can grant temporary permits or special permits but they (RDC) did not apply. We did not issue because they did not apply…From what I understand, RDC still lacks financial documents. But once they comply, we will conduct a hearing, and then we can immediately issue a CPC,” he said.
RDC Vice President Fritzie Tee said the ship was bought sometime in 2022, adding they immediately applied the amendment to their CPC last November and started to submit the documentary requirements the following month.
Tee said the ship was on its ninth voyage when it sank.
Fabia said the affected areas can still be compensated once the PCG sues RDC so the Oil Pollution Management Fund can be used.
GOVERNMENT SCORED
Dolor, who got emotional during the hearing, said there is no particular government official who is in charge of the situation, particularly on how to prevent the oil spill from reaching the shores of Mindoro Oriental.
“We are looking for answers to our problems in this Senate hearing. There is no clear plan so that the oil spill will not reach our shorelines. It is the local government now who is managing. Can you imagine coconut tree branches (as oil spill booms)? Our mayor has cut coconut tree branches, and coconut husks just to contain it. The coast guard should have immediately acted on this,” Dolor said.
While the location of the sunken vessel has been pinpointed, he said the deployment of a remotely operated underwater vessel (ROV) could be of big help to determine the extent of the ship’s damage.
He said no one from the national government is moving for the deployment of an ROV.
“We also need an ROV. But it is not my job to get an ROV, this is the job of the coast guard.
But who finds a way? Who calls (transportation) Sec. (Jaime) Bautista? Who talks to the coast guard, with the Philippine Ports Authority, with the Bureau of Quarantine? It’s Governor Dolor,” he said.
He said that even the translation of the insurance contract of MT Princess Empress — written in Chinese, Singaporean, and Japanese — is a task apparently dependent on him.
“You are making me your secretariat. Just to facilitate the arrival of the ROB to the vessel, it is not my job. I am the one taking care because this is my province,” he said, adding there are no clear plans on the cleanup efforts on the shorelines of Mindoro Oriental.
“The national government should be there as one whole team, that’s why our request, Madam Chair, senators, and to Secretary Carlito Galvez, is that can the NDRRMC hold one dialogue?
Sec. Galvez assured me before he left (the Senate hearing) that he will be in-charge. I know the government is doing everything but what we need now is quick action to the problem,” he added.
The oil slick can possibly affect approximately 20,000 hectares of coral reef and 6,000 hectares of seagrass in 14 municipalities and one city in the province, based on Bulletin No. 3 of the University of the Philippines- Marine Science Institute dated March 4.
The oil slick can also spread in five municipalities in Palawan, and one in Antique.
“That was a projection made 10 days ago, we hope to see updated figures based on actual scenario now as the spread of the oil spill has been escalating day by day and its effects have become more pronounced,” Villar said, adding national government agencies and the ship owner should “contain the oil spill in the most expeditious way possible.”
BATANGAS READY
Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas yesterday said the province is prepared to address the oil slick once it reaches their shores.
Mandanas issued the statement two days after the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) warned that the oil slick may reach the Verde Island Passage in Batangas.
Due to the “weaking Amihan (northeast monsoon),” UP-MSI said the oil slick may flow northwards and affect Calapan in Mindoro, Verde Island and some parts of Batangas.
“The oil spill threatens the global center of marine biodiversity located in the Verde Island Passage,” UP-MSI said.
In a radio interview, Mandanas said the Batangas provincial government has been monitoring the situation since the MT Princess Empress sank and spilled oil.
“We’re monitoring it in coordination with our Coast Guard,” said Mandanas, adding the measures are already in place, ready to be implemented in case the need arises.
As of yesterday, Mandanas said they have not monitored any oil from the sunken ship going to the province.
“Since this problem started up to now, we’ve been monitoring. Fortunately, no oil is flowing (towards Batangas),” said Mandanas.
Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz slammed the ship’s insurance company for not helping in the cleanup of oil in the shorelines of the town.
“They said they are going to help in the cleanup. But until now, you know the ones involved (in the cleanup) are us, the Coast Guard and people hired by the DOLE (under its cash for work program),” said Cruz.
“Where is the help they are saying, we’re not feeling anything,” said Cruz.
“Until when are we going to wait? There is still no timetable given to us (to stop the oil spill). Our marine resources are already damaged. What if there will be a change in wind direction? Others will be affected,” said Cruz.
122 FALL ILL
The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported that 122 individuals have fallen ill due to the massive oil spill either through skin inhalation or ingestion.
In a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said cases include cough, colds, headache, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, skin rashes, and aggravation of asthma.
“Most of these are coughs and colds as well as headaches,” she said.
She said they are minor incidents, with only one with aggravated asthma requiring hospitalization.
“All in all, almost all have already recovered. Only one needed to be hospitalized because of asthma attack but has been discharged after one day,” said Vergeire.
The DOH had earlier warned communities in areas affected by the oil spill to avoid exposure to chemicals. These include not swimming in affected areas and avoiding contact with sediments, sand, soil, or other things contaminated by oil.
The DOH said the public must also avoid consuming water contaminated by oil and avoid eating fish, seashells, and other resources caught in areas near the oil spill.
DSWD PROGRAM
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already employed 1,453 people, most of them fishermen, under the 15-day cash for work program in oil spill-affected Caluya town in Antique.
The DSWD is set to implement the CFW program in Pola, Bongabong and Bansud all in Oriental Mindoro starting March 15.
The CFW usually involves the clean-up of areas affected by the oil spill and provides work for 15 days, or five days a week for three weeks. They will be paid the prevailing minimum amount per day.
In Antique, the DSWD has also provided 865 affected families with Emergency Cash Transfers (ECT) aid worth P8,122 per household. A total of P7 million in cash has been distributed in Barangays Tinogboc, Semirara, and Alegria, all in Caluya.
In Palawan, the DSWD distributed P5,000 cash aid under its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program that benefitted 1,742 affected residents from Barangays Algeciras and Concepcion in Agutaya.
In Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro, DSWD distributed P5,000 cash under AICS to 643 beneficiaries.
DSWD said to date, it has already distributed more than P9.9 million worth of cash assistance
This is on top of the Family Food Packs (FFPs) and non-food items that were distributed to Region IV-B (Mimaropa) or 21,152 FFPs worth P14.8 million, and to region VI (Western Visayas) or 6,600 FFPs worth P3.49 million.
DSWD said as of March 14, 31,392 families or 141,988 individuals from 122 barangays in Mimaropa and Western Visayas VI have been affected by the oil spill. — With Victor Reyes, Jocelyn Montemayor and Gerald Naval
