DENR Chief says: Tanker should pay P42 M or more for reef damage

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said a Panama-registered tanker should pay P42 million or even more for the damage it caused in the Bakud (Takut) Reef in Kiamba, Sarangani last May 8.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said the penalty should include not only the damage in the coral area but the total worth of marine services lost.

The 225-meter MV Double Prosperity, loaded with 65,900 metric tons of coal, was heading for India from Australia when it plowed through a portion of Bakud Reef.

The reef, which is within the 215,950-hectare Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (SBPS), is a declared protected area by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 756.

“We estimate that the damage cost in Bakud Reef could run up to P42 million. But this amount is like giving a slap on the wrist on the ship’s owners as the value of marine services lost as a consequence of the accident is invaluable,” Paje said.

Paje directed Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau director Mundita Lim to recommend in the next meeting of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the SBPS, to consider in the computation of the penalty the lost value of marine services that would remain non-existent for at least 20 years, the minimum period needed before they could regain their former condition.

Paje said P42 million is too small a compensation, as it “does not take into consideration the lost marine life that could have spawned in the rich marine that could ultimately benefited even millions of Sarangani residents, especially the region’s fisherfolk and allied enterprises dependent on the region’s teeming fishing industry.

A hectare (10,000 square meters) of coral reef has an annual average value of $130,000 in terms of services to humans, according to research posted on the Science Daily website.

Paje said though the SBPS-PAMB has yet to give an official cost of the damage caused by MV Double Prosperity and expressed hope that the figure would be reflective of the points he raised.

The SBPS-PAMB is co-chaired by Sarangani Gov. Miguel Dominguez and DENR-Region 12 executive director Alfredo Pascual. It is set to convene today to assess the damage.

“We must make sure that the operators of MV Double Prosperity pay the full amount of fines due for the reef damage their ship caused. To do any less would make a mockery of the Philippine legal system, particularly our National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Law and the Bakud Reef as a protected area,” Paje said.