Compensation sought for oil spill victims

MANILA, Philippines — The owner of a power barge that spilled oil in the waters off Iloilo City is expected to compensate communities that suffered economic losses due to the incident, a lawmaker said yesterday.

“We are counting on the operator of the power barge – AC Energy Corp. – to shoulder the cost of the cleanup of the spill,” Rep. Michael Defensor, former secretary of environment and natural resources, said.

Defensor cited the Oil Pollution Compensation Law of 2007 or Republic Act 9483, which imposes liability for oil pollution damage and guarantees adequate reparation for adversely affected populations, especially those that depend on fishing and seashell harvesting.

He cited the liabilities of the owners of vessels that cause pollution damage or create grave and imminent threat of causing such damage.

“These liabilities are apart from fines that may be imposed by the Pollution Adjudication Board on AC Energy for violating the Clean Water Act of 2004,” Defensor said.

After the cleanup, AC Energy is expected to rehabilitate the coastal ecosystem damaged by the spill, he said.

A blast ruptured Power Barge 102’s fuel tank on Saturday, spilling some 251,000 liters of petroleum in the waters off Barangay Barrio Obrero, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Private power distributors like AC Energy have been deploying power barges – self-contained, floating power plants – to help address recurring electricity shortage in the Visayas.