For over four weeks now there’s been an oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, sunken ship with no permits that no media cares to report. Over 800,000 liters of industrial fuel, oil, pouring from the ruptures in a tanker that shouldn’t have been sailing let alone carrying toxic oil in the seas of the Philippines. This ship has failed to pass required checks since September 2022. The name of the ship is Princess Empress, owned by R D C Reield Marine Services. Sailing from Limay, Bataan going to Iloilo. After a month the information concerning the owners being linked to San Miguel Corporation even the type of fuel has been masked by goverrnment agencies and main street Media.
Fishing has been halted from Palawan, Batangas and parts of Oriental Mindoro. This is a major spill that deserves world attention yet has been covered up by big agencies paid off or in affiliation with the disaster. Such acts should not go unnoticed or unpenalized. The blame is clear for the world to see but hasn’t been given the proper legal attention by court or government. These atrocities have been thrown into a basket of world offenses we the people are expected to absorb with a spoon full of lemon. The taste holds in our mouths like oil has been mixed with it. The straight truth is much easier to swallow. Without fish we starve, without reefs we suffocate, as these dirty deeds seem to become normal. When will it stop, when will we have our world back ?
Isla Verde is a protected sanctuary along the straight, west of the spill. Weakening of the North West winds causes the oil to flow Northward toward the Island passage. the damage is expected to last for years. These winds are expected to push the spill to provincial capital Calapan City, the Verde Island and some parts of Batangas Province. Barriers have been placed along reefs through the passage. The spill is expected to affect 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves and 6,000 hectares of sea grass, most of which are found in the marine ecosystems in Pola in Mindoro, Caluya in Antique and the Cuya Group of Islands. After a month of neglect the Philippine and Japanese marine salvage operation has begun. that is a step in recovery. the Senate legislation 518 chapter 4 section F protects ecosystems world wide in a number of ways. If the offender or corporation is knowingly involved in dumping any toxic or harmful substance they are held responsible for damages done. The fine is minimal and almost a joke as the cleanup effort will cost millions and take years to repair. What effort can we address at this early stage of recovery? Inform the public for one. Address the spill with human involvement, elbow grease, and begin filtering the ocean as aggressively as possible. Tighten regulations and impose fines enough to fit the crimes. Inspections of sea fairing vessels that carry toxic substances and a possible ban on water transport of these substances.
This is the worst disaster involving our ecosystem in the Philippines we have ever faced and to berate the importance of such a disaster is a crime in itself. Without our precious reefs, our fish nurseries that replenish the great oceans we would all be lost. All countries should be outraged by this event . I can’t believe the coverup by such corrupt enterprises ignoring, covering their tracks and hiding the truth from us all . This is not acceptable in any way shape or form and needs to be dealt with with a heavy hand . Enough Is Enough !