No one held accountable for Petron oil spill a year after

July 27th, 2007 by Site Administrator

OVER A YEAR has passed since the oil spill in Guimaras but despite three separate investigations, charges have yet to be filed against those responsible for the country’s worst environmental disaster.Rafael Coscolluela, presidential adviser for Western Visayas, chided the Department of Justice for its failure to pursue charges against individuals who should be held accountable for the oil spill.

Aside from a DOJ investigation, the Senate and the special board of marine inquiry (SBMI) also conducted their separate inquiries, the results of which were endorsed to the DOJ, Coscolluela said.

“We asked (the DOJ) to already take the appropriate measures. But at this point in time, nothing has been done yet,” he said.

The DOJ was tasked with consolidating the findings of the investigations and acting on them.

Coscolluela revealed that last month, during a meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, he raised the same concern to the DOJ representative but “the representative was not aware of the status of the case.”

“I do not know (what happened). (The DOJ) could be gathering more evidence prior to the filing of charges. What charges to file and against whom, it is up to the DOJ,” Coscolluela said.

Last year, the SBMI created a special body to determine the circumstances surrounding the sinking of MT Solar I, which was carrying 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel when it went down nine miles southwest of Guimaras Island on Aug. 11, 2006.

It was on its way to Zamboanga City from Bataan. The tanker settled at a depth of 640 meters, but not after leaking its fuel cargo.

Last February, the SBMI, in a report to the DOJ, found that overloading, lapses and incompetence triggered the sinking of the vessel.

The investigating body concluded that the tanker was overloaded and that incompetence on the part of the vessel’s crew led them to sail into the middle of a storm.

The MT Solar I captain, Norberto Aguro, was not a licensed oil tanker master.

The SBMI also said in its report that Aguro disregarded regulations, policies and requirements for seaworthiness.

Petron, the firm that owned the MT Solar I fuel cargo, was liable for overloading the vessel, the SBMI said. Petron, however, said the amount of fuel in MT Solar I was well within its capacity.

The SBMI also asked the Maritime Industry Authority to file administrative charges against Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. (SMDC), owner of MT Solar I; Petron; and Aguro.

Coscolluela said something must come out of the investigation to determine the guilty parties.

“It should not be forgotten. We have learned our lessons. It should be corrected,” he said. (David Israel Sinay. Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 24, 2007)