Criminal raps recommended for MT Princess Empress owners in Mindoro oil spill
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended the filing of criminal charges against owners and corporate officers of Motor Tanker (M/T) Princess Empress over the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro in February 2023.
In a press release on Wednesday, the DOJ said that the case was lodged by the National Bureau of Investigation-Environmental Crime Division and Mayor Jennifer Cruz of Palo, Oriental Mindoro.
The respondents in the charges included the shipping company that owns and operates M/T Princess Empress, its corporate officers, certain employees, 19 Philippine Coast Guard personnel, and two maritime industry authority personnel.
One respondent, meanwhile, will be facing charges of multiple counts of falsification by a private individual; multiple use of falsified documents and multiple counts of falsification of public or official documents, according to the DOJ.
The mentioned offenses are punishable under the Revised Penal Code. If guilty, the individual could face imprisonment of six to 12 years and a fine not more than P5,000.
“Following a comprehensive evaluation of affidavits and evidence, the panel of DOJ prosecutors uncovered irregularities in certain documents related to the construction and certificate of public convenience of M/T Princess Empress,” the DOJ’s press release read.
The Justice department also said that it had found “submitted falsified documents” of the company who owned and operated the sunken vessel.
However, the DOJ said that some charges against other respondents have been dismissed due to lack of probable cause.
In a statement, Cruz said she is thankful for the swift response taken by the Justice department about the matter and hopes that the owners would be held accountable due to the damage done by the sunken vessel.
“Umaasa po tayo na magbabayad ang may-ari ng barko upang makatulong sa recovery dahil hindi biro ang ilang bilyong halaga na nawala sa ekonomiya sa bayan ng Pola,” she said.
(We hope that the ship owner will pay to help in the recovery because the loss to the economy of the town of Pola, amounting to billions, is no small matter.)
M/T Princess Empress is an oil tanker that sank in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28, 2023. This caused an oil spill in the waters of the provinces of Antique, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro and Palawan.
According to the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, the environmental damage of the oil spill is estimated to be at P7 billion.
Based on the data of the National Risk Reduction and Management Council, 27,850 farmers and fisherfolk had been affected by the incident, posting an agricultural damage of P4.9 billion.
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