Environmental advocates are greatly alarmed and concerned over the recent oil spill during Typhoon Carina strengthened by the southwest monsoon. Just recently, the tanker MT Terra Nova owned by Shogun Ships Company Incorporated (SSCI) carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel capsized in Limay Bataan last July 25. This incident was expected to affect nearby communities including Manila Bay. Groups also believed that if not urgently mitigated, the oil spill would be the biggest and worst in Philippine history. Residents from Brgy. Lamao in Limay, Bataan, said that in the municipality alone, hundreds of fishermen were at risk from the effects of the oil spill; the same residents who have been affected by the flooding brought by typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon. According to Limay Mayor Nelson David, around 400 to 500 liters of the vessel’s engine fuel leaked.
This is the second oil spill during the Marcos Jr. administration. Last year, the MT Princess Empress carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil capsized in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. Brigada Kalikasan and Southern Tagalog Serve the People Corps (STPC) with AGHAM – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People and Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) – Philippines Inc., have conducted a rapid impact assessment a month after the incident. The results have shown that the oil spill has enormously affected the people’s livelihood, way of life, health, and the environment. Some of the residents have also claimed that before the oil spill, they were already facing financial problems and the oil spill has made their situation worse, even worse than the situation during the pandemic.
Although we know that climate change causes extreme weather events, the lack of mitigating measures caused by the weak implementation of policies by the government causes disasters. The Marcos Jr. administration should have learned from the grave impacts of the oil spill last year, ensuring the protection of the environment, fisherfolk and local communities over business interests. The residents affected by the MT Princess Empress oil spill have not yet fully recovered. Up to now, residents are still suffering from the loss of livelihoods, tar balls can still be observed, damages have not been sufficiently compensated and accountability has not been achieved. And now, hundreds of residents are now facing similar threats. President Marcos Jr. should stop just talking about climate action and start taking significant strides to address issues that cause climate vulnerability.
We call for the following actions in response to the oil spill of SSCI’s MT Terra Nova:
- Urgent and transparent investigation on the impacts of the oil spill.
- Subsidy for the fisherfolk and communities whose livelihoods were affected by the oil spill.
- For SSCI to provide compensation for the damages caused by the oil spill.
- For the related government agency that allowed the MT Terra Nova to set out to sea despite the bad weather condition.
- For President Marcos Jr. to walk the talk and genuinely ensure climate adaptation for the protection of the environment and the people especially the poor and vulnerable communities. | via Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines
