MANILA, Philippines - A lawmaker called on the House Committee on Energy to review the implementation of Republic Act 9483 or the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon authored House Resolution 1600, noting that the provisions on the Oil Pollution Management Fund (OPMF) has not been been collected which could have been used to address oil pollution such as the case of the oil spill in Estancia, Iloilo last year.
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The existing law provides that the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) should collect a 10-centavo fee per liter for every delivery or trans-shipment of oil by tanker barges and haulers.
“During an onsite investigation of the Energy Committee in Estancia last month, it was revealed that not a single peso from the OPMF has been spent to rehabilitate the areas affected by the oil spill,” Ridon said.
The lawmaker noted that seven years after the legislation of the act, there is still a lack of implementing rules and regulations which should have been drafted by the Department of Transportation and Communication.
"Congress must act in haste for the full enforcement of the law to protect and uphold the rights and welfare of its people, especially those affected by oil pollution damages such as the oil spill in Estancia," the youth representative said.
Last November 2013, Power Barge 103 was anchored at the south of Estancia but was knocked due to the strong winds of Typhoon Yolanda, causing it to spill as estimated 800,000 litters of bunker oil into the sea.
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