Nearly three years after the MT Princess Empress sank and spilled thousands of liters of oil into the biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage (VIP), fisherfolk and coastal residents of Oriental Mindoro told Nosy Tarsee that they have taken their fight for accountability to court — this time squarely confronting the corporate actors they say have evaded responsibility while continuing to profit.

On Tuesday, affected communities filed a class suit before the Regional Trial Court, seeking to hold liable the shipowner RDC Reield Marine Services Inc., the vessel’s insurer The Shipowners’ Club, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC) — and crucially, the tanker’s charterer, SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC).

The complaint invokes the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007 (RA 9483), arguing that the companies’ negligence resulted in one of the country’s worst marine environmental disasters, with impacts that persist to this day.

“It has been nearly three years, yet we are still waiting for those responsible to face accountability,” said Aldrin Villanueva, a fisherfolk leader and president of Koalisyon ng mga Mangingisdang Apektado ng Oil Spill (KMAOS). He said many fishers remain in debt because marine productivity has not yet recovered, and any compensation received has been grossly inadequate. “We should not have to beg for the compensation that is rightfully due to us.”

The lawsuit follows three formal demand letters sent by fisherfolk groups to the same companies between 2024 and 2025 — none of which were answered.

Advocacy groups say the silence underscores how powerful corporate actors have insulated themselves from the full consequences of the disaster, even as communities absorb the damage.

“The oil spill caused damage to the VIP to an extent that it still causes lingering impacts to this day,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect VIP. He noted that fisherfolk losses run into the billions, while aid and compensation disbursed so far “barely begin to address these damages, especially on the part of polluters.”

As of September 2025, authorities report that P2.7 billion has been released to affected claimants. But an independent study by the think tank Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED) estimates total economic and environmental damage at P41.2 billion — exposing a yawning gap between harm suffered and restitution delivered.

San Miguel Corporation’s financial disclosures underscore that disparity. From January to September this year alone, the conglomerate posted a 215-percent increase in net income, reaching P13.5 billion. SMC, through its energy and infrastructure arms, is also spearheading large-scale fossil gas developments in Batangas — one of the provinces straddling the Verde Island Passage — further entrenching its footprint in an ecologically critical zone.

For fisherfolk, the contrast is stark: while corporations record surging profits, communities continue to grapple with ruined livelihoods, degraded waters, and mounting debt.

On Tuesday, petitioners attempted to stage a symbolic and peaceful action alongside the filing of the complaint. Still, local authorities barred the program from proceeding — an episode advocates say reflects the broader marginalization of affected communities.

“We are reminded once more of how difficult it is for fisherfolk and other marginalized sectors to get their voices heard,” said CEED executive director Gerry Arances. “Meanwhile, companies whose destructive activities bring them harm report higher earnings year in and year out.”

Arances said SMC and other fossil-fuel-linked firms must be held fully accountable — not only through compensation, but also through concrete rehabilitation of the Verde Island Passage and stronger policies to prevent similar disasters.

Even as legal battles continue, Mindoro communities are already pointing to alternatives. In a symbolic rejection of fossil fuel dependence and the risks of transporting fuel through the VIP, residents inaugurated 37 pilot solar photovoltaic systems for Mangyan Tadtawan households and a parish building in Victoria town.

“The oil spill in the VIP is proof that fossil fuels are a bane to the environment,” Gariguez said. “Justice for affected communities must go hand in hand with a long-term transition away from dirty energy.”

For Mindoro’s fisherfolk, the case is no longer just about compensation — it is about corporate impunity and forcing powerful conglomerates like San Miguel Corporation to reckon with the human and ecological costs of their operations.