Villar questions DENR: Why make a deal with company tagged in 2 oil spills?
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Cynthia Villar urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to re-examine its agreement for the conservation of Verde Island Passage.
During the agency’s budget briefing on Thursday, October 10, DENR Secretary Maria Yulo-Loyzaga said they signed a memorandum of understanding with major conglomerates back in May, including San Miguel Corp. (SMC), to help preserve the Verde Island Passage, which is a vital strait filled with rich marine biodiversity.
The deal prompted Villar to remind the DENR that it was SMC’s oil that polluted Oriental Mindoro and the VIP in 2023, carried by the company’s subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp.
“It’s so funny, ah? Itong Verde Island Passage, 'yung ka-partner niyo, San Miguel Corp. ‘Di ba yung kanyang ano ang nag i-spill doon? You better look at that, kasi baka there’s something wrong with the way they operate their transportation of oil. Kasi siya nag-spill dito sa Verde Island Passage, siya dun 'yung nag-spill sa Bataan,” Villar said.
(It’s so funny, ah? This Verde Island Passage, your partner is San Miguel Corp. Is it not their thing that spilled oil there? You better look at that, because perhaps there is something wrong with the way they operate their transportation of oil. Because they spilled here in Verde Island Passage, and they were also the ones who spilled in Bataan.)
After the 2023 oil spill, the MT Terranova sank in the waters of Bataan this year. It contained 1.4 million liters of oil.
It was also SMC’s SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp. that chartered the doomed vessel.
Villar admitted that SMC was not directly responsible for the spills since the vessels were subcontracted but said that the company should be careful in selecting its subcontractors.
The senator mulled giving a warning to SMC over the two oil spills.
The oil spill in Bataan has been subject to an investigation in the Senate. Villar urged the DENR and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to be the ones to lead the cases against those who are responsible for the oil spills.
Villar comes from a very wealthy family with a massive foothold in the real estate business. Her husband, former senator and business tycoon Manuel Villar, is the third-richest person in the country, with a net worth of $10.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Manuel's net worth is more than double that of SMC's Ramon Ang, who is worth $3.8 billion.
What is the Verde Island Passage? The 1.14-million hectare strait separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines.
It is renowned as host to a vast array of marine life and as an system of ecological significance.
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