The progressive Makabayan bloc on Thursday, March 16, has called for an investigation by the House of Representatives into the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro that has already affected the livelihood of nearby communities, reached as far as Palawan, and impacted 1.4 million hectares of the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor (VIPMC). House Resolution (HR) No. 869 was filed by Reps. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Women’s Party, France Castro of ACT Teachers Party-list, and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan Party-list. The group was accompanied by fishers’ group Pamalakaya and environmentalists Earth Island Institute and Kalikasan. “Now, therefore, be it resolved as it is hereby resolvee that the House of Representatives through the Committee on Natural Resources and Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resource immediately conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the effects of the oil spill caused by the MT Princess Empress on the environment, livelihood of fisherfolks, and the local production of fish,” the resolution read. It pointed to the possibility of one of the subsidiaries of San Miguel Corp.—SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp.—to be the company reportedly behind the chartering of RDC Reield Marine Services to ship industrial fuel oil from Bataan to Iloilo on Feb. 28. They urged that “the national government must provide immediate compensation for the fisherfolk and families affected by the oil spill, and must exhaust all means to stop the further spread of the industrial fuel oil.” “Whereas, the national government must also pursue sanctions against RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the MT Princess Empress, and explore penalties against the charterer of the vessel,” it added. Makabayan cited several provisions of the 1987 Constitution and other pertinent laws on the violations committed by MT Princess Empress. Section 16 Article 2 of the Constitution stated that “State shall protect and promote the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature,” while Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9483, or the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007, makes it a state policy to protect the marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea and exclusive economic zone and adopt “intemationally accepted measures” that impose liability for oil pollution damage. MT Princess Empress, a vessel that was traveling from Bataan province to Iloilo provinces and was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil, sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28 after experiencing an engine problem. The resolution cited a report from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which said that the sinking of the vessel 400 meters into the ocean was “a depth too deep for divers to reach.” So far, the oil from the vessel has already reached Palawan on March 8, and is expected to spread northeast because of the prevailing wind condition brought by the Northeast Monsoon. The spill has also reached a radius of 40 kilometers and encroached on 21 protected areas including a fish sanctuary, and would affect 36,000 hectares of mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass will be damaged in Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Antique. The towns of Naujan, Pola, and Pinamalayan were the most affected, but a state of calamity has been declared in Pola for the risk of damage to 590 hectares of its marine protected areas (MAs). The oil spill also affected areas within the VIPMC, which spans 1.4 million hectares and covers Batangas, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Romblon. Over two million people live along the passage and depend on its resources to survive, the resolution said.