Vessel owners liable for damages caused by Misamis Or. oil spill
THE owners of the MV Racal IV vessel that sank off the town of Jasaan must shoulder the full cost of damages of the oil spill incident in Misamis Oriental last April 3.
This was stressed by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu saying the incident should serve as a lesson for business owners to take full responsibility for the damages brought about by their operations near the country’s rich ecosystems.
Citing the report of Director Reynaldo Digamo of DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-10, Cimatu said Digamo met recently the vessel owners Sherwin Doctora and Lord Sanny Salvaña, together with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the local government of Jasaan wherein it was agreed that the owners must compensate all the expenses.
In the same report, Digamo disclosed that the owners will also be responsible in the cleanup activities as well as the transportation of the contaminated debris to the accredited treatment, storage and disposal facility.
Digamo further emphasized that the owners should also be accountable for the environmental damage the incident has caused and the lost opportunity of the fishermen and other stakeholders.
The EMB-Region 10 has also conducted ambient water sampling in the five affected barangays namely, Lower Jasaan, Upper Jasaan, Luz Banzon, Kimaya, and Solana, to assess the water quality, which includes dissolved oxygen, oil and grease, pH, and temperature as parameters.
Test results showed the concentrations of ammonia, color, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, oil and grease, pH, phosphates, and total suspended solids and temperature are all within the Water Quality Guidelines for Class SC Water pursuant to DENR Administrative Order 2016-08.
Class SC water body includes Fishery Water Class III, which is intended for the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources, and intended for commercial and sustenance fishing.
“We commend the people behind this successful dialogue with our stakeholders to ensure that the oil spill will be controlled and thoroughly cleaned to protect our vast oceans and seas,” Cimatu said.
As of its April 6 report, the PCG said it has recovered approximately 80 percent of the oil spill including oil-contaminated debris and materials along the shorelines of the affected areas, declaring that the situation is “already under control.”
