Vessel owners take responsibility for Misamis oil spill

MANILA, Philippines — The owners of M/V Racal IV, which capsized in the waters off Jasaan town in Misamis Oriental, have vowed to take full responsibility for the oil spill that occurred on April 3, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said yesterday.

Officials of the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Northern Mindanao met with vessel owners Sherwin Doctora and Lord Sanny Salvaña as well as with personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and local government executives on April 13.

The parties agreed during the meeting that the ship owners would pay the full cost of the damage caused by the incident, the DENR said.

“The incident should serve as a lesson for business owners to take full responsibility for the damage brought by their operations to the country’s ecosystem,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said after reading the report of EMB regional director Reynaldo Digamo.

“It was agreed that the owners will compensate all the expenses including the cleanup and transport of contaminated debris to an accredited treatment, storage and disposal facility,” Digamo said in the report.

The vessel owners will also be held accountable for the damage to the environment that the incident caused and for the lost opportunity of the fishermen and other stakeholders, the report said.

Water sampling tests conducted in the villages of Kimaya, Lower Jasaan, Luz Banzon, Solana and Upper Jasaan showed the spill did not affect the water quality in these villages.

“We commend the people behind this successful dialogue with our stakeholders to ensure that the oil spill will be controlled and thoroughly cleaned,” Cimatu said.

As of April 6, 80 percent of the oil including contaminated debris and materials were recovered from the shorelines of affected villages, the PCG said, adding the situation is under control.