DoTr sacks Marina official over Mindoro oil spill

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has announced the dismissal of the Maritime Industry Authority Region V director for alleged negligence that led to the sinking an oil tanker and spilling of oil off Oriental Mindoro in February 2023.

MT Princess Empress sank last 28 February off Naujan town while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil, causing a massive oil spill that reached the coasts of provinces around the resource-rich Verde Island Passage.

A letter by DoTr Secretary Jaime Bautista to Marina administrator Sonia Malaluan dated 7 August but released only yesterday, dismissed Engr. Jaime Bea on the grounds of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service over his role that led to the incident.

“We have had sinking before, but no one has been held to account. This time all parties, whether private or public, will be held accountable. There will be no exception. Our policy is zero tolerance for shortcuts, official negligence, and disregard of rules. The rule of law, good governance, and best practices must prevail throughout the department and its agencies,” said the Secretary in the letter ordering Malaluan to enforce the decision immediately.

Bautista said Bea, who has been on a floating status for one year already, signed and approved the Certificate of Ownership (CO)/Certificate of Philippine Registry (CPR) of MT Princess Empress in direct breach of established rules and procedures.

Bautista said Bea also failed to maintain the integrity of the processes in the Marina Domestic Shipping Section and to enforce the provisions of the Citizen’s Charter, which allowed Marina Regional Office V Engr. Joe Buban to process documents outside the scope of his duties.

According to Bautista, the Marina official’s actions caused millions of pesos in damages to the government for the oil spill response operations and tarnished the image and integrity of Marina.

Unfair, unfounded

Meanwhile, the counsel of Bea, Atty. Dominic Solis, said the dismissal was unfair and unfounded.

“For Sec. Bautista to directly pin the blame on Engr. Bea for the sinking of the M/TKR Princess Empress is quite a stretch and smacks of scapegoatism. Our client simply approved the Certificate of Ownership/Certificate of Philippine Registry of M/TKR Princess Empress,” Solis told the DAILY TRIBUNE.

“Indeed, to date, there is still no official finding as to the actual cause of the sinking of the vessel. On the other hand, our client has been cleared by the DOJ (Department of Justice) in the falsification case filed by the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) in relation to the incident,” he added.

According to a report from the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, the estimated value of the oil spill’s environmental damage amounted to around P40.1 billion, while socio-economic losses totaled P1.1 billion.