THE Department of Justice (DOJ) is bent on digging deeper over the possible involvement of the sunken MT Terra Nova into fuel smuggling – but only after the oil spill shall have been addressed.
Citing intelligence reports, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said that the oil which spilled at the Manila Bay may have been for delivery or transfer to a smaller oil tanker in modus he aptly referred to as “paihi.”
“May intelligence reports naman na ‘paihi’ system ang umiiral. Tapos yung isa pang tumaob na vessel, walang makina… Ginawa nilang tanker pero hinihila lang,” Remulla said in an interview over the radio.
Paihi system is an illegal trade at sea embarking on the cheap sale of smuggled fuel in an apparent effort to avoid paying taxes.
The investigation will also be zooming on the Philippine Coast Guard’s failure to monitor the movement of the MT Terra Nova.
Relatedly, the PCG issued a statement welcoming the probe.
“We assure everybody that a full investigation will proceed after the oil has been cleared from the site. The assurance also is we will impose appropriate sanctions to our people if they are found after investigation to be involved in this. But for now, we are focused on our mission, which is to prevent the oil spill,” PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said.
As this develops, the Philippine government will have to wait for another week for the arrival of the US Coast Guard to assist Philippine authorities in responding to the oil spill which has paralyzed the fishing industry in the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan and Metro Manila.
The siphoning operation to remove the oil from the vessel has yet to commence as of this writing.
On July 25, one crew member died and 16 others were rescued after MT Terra Nova capsized and sank 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point in Limay town.
After the MT Terra Nova sank, two other ships — MTKR Jason Bradley with 5,500 liters of diesel and MV Mirola 1 with used oil and diesel — were found to have leaks after sinking off Bataan waters. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
