The owner of the ill-fated MT Princess Empresses must be held liable for the damages caused by the spill of its oil cargo last Feb. 28, Senator Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go said.

‘’Hindi pwedeng i-asa mo sa gobyerno lahat ng paglinis ng mga coastal areas na ‘yan (you should not allow government to bear the brunt of cleaning the coastal areas),’’ Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee, stressed.

The MT Empress Tanker was acquired in 2022 by RDC Reield Marine Services Inc.

‘’Ilang pamilya po ang magugutom diyan, ‘yung mga umaasa sa huli ng isda, umaasa sa pangkabuhayan ng pangingisda at ilan pong mga kababayan natin ang naapektuhan ang kalusugan (Families are going hungry, they are dependent on their fish catch, they are getting sick),’’  Go said.
 The senator from Davao said he was able to discuss with Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor and Pola town Mayor Jennifer Cruz separately the situation in their localities particularly the almost hundred thousand residents who have been affected, especially in the town of Pola.

Governor Dolor, according to Go, said that there are more than a hundred residents who went ill because of the oil spill, some of them suffering from vomiting and diarrhea while others are having respiratory problems.

“Ako naman bilang senador, handa po akong tumulong sa mga kababayan natin lalo na ang mga apektado, ‘yung mga kababayan nating isang kahig, isang tuka, ‘yung mahihirap na walang makain po dahil apektado dito sa oil spill (As a senator, I am willing to help our countrymen, particularly those most affected who are poor and have nothing to eat because of the oil spill,’’  Go reassured.

“Dapat po hindi maulit ito at mapapanagot kung sino ang dapat managot, sinong may kasalanan (This incident should not be repeated and those responsbie must be held liable). Dapat po maagapan at hindi umabot sa iba pang island o probinsya itong oil spill (The oil spill should not be allowed to reach other islands and provinces),” he added.

MT Princess Empress, which was carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel, sank in the waters off the coast of Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro on February 28.

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) earlier claimed that the oil tanker had no authority to operate as the application for its amended Certificate of Public Convenience was still pending.

However, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) belied this.

Either way, Go urged the ship owners to take full responsibility for the incident regardless if they had a permit or not. \

According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the oil spill has also already affected the provinces of Palawan and Antique.

Emphasizing the adverse impact of the incident on the economy, particularly on local industries such as fisheries, tourism, and recreation, Go urged the government to expedite the clean up operations and other interventions.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had said that more than 2,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass are estimated to be potentially affected by the oil spill.