Jail the crooks

The mystery over the Manila Bay oil spill deepened after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) disputed the theory of a conspiracy among the three ill-starred vessels that sank during the heavy downpour from typhoon “Carina.”

Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla and some legislators have zeroed in on the “paihi” racket, which is the smuggling of oil done by transferring oil from bigger to smaller tankers to avoid Customs duties.

PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said the three vessels encountered problems under different circumstances at the height of the bad weather.

The grounded MV Mirola 1 did not go through PCG inspection, the MT Terranova went through the process, while the MT Jason Bradley sank while at anchor, according to Gavan.

The Terranova’s leak has been plugged and the situation has been contained but it would take 15 days to complete the process of siphoning off 1.4 million liters of oil from the submerged tanker.

The Jason Bradley carried no cargo but salvage operations will have to be done to retrieve 5,500 liters of diesel used to fuel the ship. The smaller tanker will be refloated before the fuel is extracted, according to Gavan.

He clarified that the Mirola 1 is a cargo vessel and not a tanker, although it carried two barrels of heavy oil. Gavan said the owner of the vessel has not reached out and the PCG is planning to move the vessel.

The DoJ, however, remains focused on the possibility of the operators of the three vessels being complicit in a crime.

Remulla said every single individual, who is liable for spilling the thousands of liters of oil in the waters of Bataan, which affected nearby provinces such as Cavite and Marinduque, will face charges.

The authorities have estimated the lost income of fisherfolk and the destruction of marine and aquatic resources at billions of pesos thus far.

The DoJ has locked on the owners and personnel of the vessels and the authorities who approved “their seaworthiness despite the very evident red flags” as among those who will be charged.

It is not yet clear if the charterer of the main vessel that carried the oil that leaked into Manila Bay will also be held responsible for the triple mayhem.

The conglomerate that chartered the tanker Princess Empress that sank off Oriental Mindoro in February last year, which created an environmental disaster near the Verde Island Passage heritage site, has escaped accountability thus far as only the owner of the vessel was charged.

It is the same corporate giant that owns the industrial oil the Terranova was transporting when it sank.

“The goal is that those responsible, whether there’s a conspiracy in allowing the ships to sail, will be prosecuted. We need to determine that since there are many Filipinos affected by the disaster,” DoJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV stressed.

Aside from the filing of cases, Clavano said the DoJ will also aid local government units in ensuring compensation for the affected fisherfolk and residents.

The DoJ joined the provincial government of Cavite in its dialogue with the owners and insurance agents of the sunken vessels.

Upholding the law is not limited merely to the administration of justice among men, but also covers safeguarding and preserving the environment and our natural resources for the use of future generations, Remulla said.

If it was not a conspiracy to defraud the government, the crime committed is the trampling of the nation’s precious wonders that merits prosecution “to the full extent of the law.”

Nothing must be spared in seeking complete justice.