EDITORIAL - Accountability in disaster

Scientists say the Verde Island Passage in Batangas is home to 36 marine protected areas with an estimated 1,700 fish species and 300 coral species. About two million people depend on the passage for their livelihoods, mostly fishermen and workers in the tourism industry.

Tragically, the industrial oil spilling from the sunken motor tanker Princess Empress has reached several coastal barangays on Verde Island. This was reported yesterday by the Philippine Coast Guard, which is part of the teams tracking the movement of the oil spill and struggling to contain it. Later in the afternoon, the PCG said an aerial inspection showed that the oil sheen spotted in the waters near the island had dissipated.

While teams from different agencies assisted by civilian groups as well as Japan and now the US scramble to contain the oil spill, probers must speed up the determination of accountability in one of the country’s worst environmental disasters. Reports last week said the vessel was originally an LPG tanker named Dorothy that was about 50 years old but was refurbished and made to appear new.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla described the vessel as “a rebuilt scrap… it was not built to be a tanker from the very beginning.” He also said the ship ignored a gale warning when it set sail on Feb. 28. The ship owners have declined to comment.

The oil spill has so far affected over 151,000 people in 131 barangays in Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is providing various forms of immediate relief to the residents.

Scientists have warned that the oil spill could cause long-term damage to the marine ecosystem in the affected areas. This could mean prolonged disruption of fisheries in several provinces. The pollution is also destroying beaches this summer, the peak travel season when the affected communities had hoped to bounce back from three years of pandemic disruptions.

Japan has provided a remotely operated underwater vehicle to pinpoint the exact location of the sunken tanker and determine if its cargo of 800,000 liters of bunker oil is leaking along with its fuel. Initial probes indicate that the tanker has settled at a depth of about 400 meters.

Why the ship was cleared to sail remains unclear. An official of the Maritime Industry Authority said a document bearing his signature and presented by ship owner RDC Reield Marine Service is fake. Congress is still investigating the role of the MARINA and Coast Guard in the disaster.

Remulla has said criminal and civil cases are being studied against the ship owners and anyone else who may be found culpable for the disaster. Accountability is crucial in preventing a repeat of this environmental crisis.