Bataan oil spill lawsuit pushed

A PHILIPPINE senator on Tuesday urged the Justice department, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Maritime Industry Authority to speed up its efforts to sue the owners of the oil tankers that capsized and leaked oil in waters near Bataan province, citing the need to hold them accountable over environmental damage.

“Because that is permanent damage to the environment and country, it is not right to do nothing,” Senator Cynthia A. Villar said at a senate hearing on Tuesday in Filipino.

“I want a commitment from the agencies to prosecute them.”

She also agreed with Senate Majority Leader Francis N. Tolentino who sought stricter regulation on the registration of vessels and the need to address state negligence in allowing them to sail during heavy rains.

MTKR Terranova was carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel when it capsized and sank about seven kilometers east of Lamao Point in Limay municipality, Bataan shortly after midnight on July 25, while Super Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) battered Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The Office of Civil Defense earlier said 352,000 people were affected by the spill across Southern Luzon. — John Victor D. Ordoñez