OIL SPILL | NBI files case against MT Princess Empress owners, others over false documents

June 7, 2023 , 12:05 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(June 7, 2023) – A unit of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday filed criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the owners of the oil tanker that sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro last February and several other government officials.

The NBI Environmental Crime Division lodged multiple counts of falsification by a private individual and multiple uses of falsified documents against seven incorporators and directors of the RDC Reield Marine Services Inc., the owner of MT Princess Empress. Two company officials are also facing perjury.

Also tagged for the use of falsified documents were the six crew members of MT Princess Empress, 19 officials of the Philippine Coast Guard, and two officials of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).

Aside from the NBI, Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz was another complainant in the case. One of the grounds they cited for the falsification charge was the issuance of an authenticated certificate of public convenience (CPC) despite the alleged lack of an original copy.

DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said the shipowners and MARINA officials “conspired for the purpose of illegally registering the MT Princess Empress with false documents.” Apart from the CPC, the other falsified documents also included the construction certificate and the certificate of ownership, among others.

“RDC directors are presumed to be the authors of the falsified document as they were in possession of the same and made use of the document,” said Clavano in a media conference.

Cruz, who has repeatedly called for accountability over the oil spill that affected the livelihood of hundreds of residents, said they will let the DOJ decide how to move forward with the case but she assured their continued vigilance to ensure that those involved will be made responsible for their lapses.

“Marami nang nagdaan na ganitong pangyayari pero hindi nakakasuhan, so this time magkakaroon ng katarungan ‘yung ating ginagawa na pakikipaglaban sa matagal na panahon,” said Cruz on Radyo5’s Bangon Bayan with Mon.

She also expressed hope that the respondents will not abandon their responsibility of helping in the cleanup drive of the coastal communities affected by the oil spill.

“Hindi ito para sa Pola lang. Ito ay para sa lahat na nadadaanan ng mga barko na may dala ng oil na sana maging responsable tayong lahat,” said Cruz.

MT Princess Empress, which was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil, sank last February 28. It dealt massive health, environmental, and economic damage to several towns of Oriental Mindoro and its nearby provinces like Batangas, Palawan, and Antique.

Protect VIP, a network pushing for the conservation of the Verde Island Passage, stressed that the polluters must not “go scot-free.”

“While the government dilly-dallies in exacting accountability and justice, the damage to Verde Island Passage’s ecosystem and resulting impacts on stakeholders continue to worsen,” said Protect VIP lead convenor Edwin Gariguez in a statement last week.

(PM)

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