PHILIPPINES, March 17 - Press Release
March 17, 2023

STATEMENT OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON UPDATES REGARDING OIL SPILL IN MINDORO

The latest findings by the Department of Justice confirm our initial findings during the Senate probe on the Mindoro oil disaster - that officials from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) should be held accountable for their undeniable negligence and nonfeasance in this incident.

PCG officials who directly allowed this "scrap ship" to depart from Bataan on February 27, 2023 - despite not meeting all requirements in the PCG's own pre-departure checklist - should face the full brunt of the law. They should answer not only for this incident, but also for the alleged eight other times that the scrap ship had been allowed to sail.

MARINA officials who allowed the ship to operate despite it not being sea-worthy should also be held liable, if it is true that the reportedly 50 year old ship was not refurbished according to standards. We also need to confirm whether or not the certificate of public convenience (CPC) of RDC Reield Marine Services was duly amended to cover that ship.

I trust that the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change will be able to ensure that the officials responsible for this environmental nightmare will be held to account for their actions.