A lawmaker on Sunday pushed Congress to allocate more funds for resources that could help mitigate the effects of man-made disasters like the 900,000 liters of San Miguel oil spilling out of the sunken MT Princess Empress vessel.

Agri Partylist Rep. Wilbert Lee said the MT Princess Empress disaster has exposed “how ill-equipped we are in responding to threats to our aquatic resources due to oil spills.”

Specifically, Lee called for the procurement of oil spill containment equipment after the Philippine Coast Guard admitted that it lacks the equipment to deal with the oil spill now wreaking havoc on Philippine waters.

A team from Japan has come to the Philippines, with its equipment, to help the PCG in containing the oil spill off Oriental Mindoro.

Among the equipment brought by members of the Japanese Coast Guard were oil blotters, oil snares and oil-proof working gloves.

The United States and South Korea have also committed to helping the Philippines deal with the oil spill from the ship chartered by San Miguel from an operator said to be lacking a Certificate of Public Convenience.

MT Princess Empress had sailed nine times without the CPC that would have made its operations on Philippine waters legal.

Groups have called for accountability not only from the ship operator but also from San Miguel for chartering the ship allegedly without undertaking due diligence.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Irene Rodriguez of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, the oil may reach Puerto Galera and Batangas.

Meanwhile, Rep. Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur stressed that coastal communities affected by the oil spill should be compensated by those responsible.

“We expect the oil tanker’s owner to be swamped with compensation claims from individuals and entities harmed by the spill, including those forced to conduct their own cleanup activities,” he said.

Environmentalists like those from the Protect the Verde Island Passages said San Miguel should also be held criminally and civilly accountable.

Members of Congress have been taking action to provide assistance and probe the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the one-year-old ship.

The ill-fated tanker sank off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on 28 February 2023.