As the third anniversary of the MT Princess Empress oil spill looms like the dark substance that fouled Oriental Mindoro’s once-vibrant waters, it is high time for Nosy Tarsee to call out the corporate elephant in the room: San Miguel Corp.

Through its subsidiary, SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp., which chartered the ill-fated vessel, SMC bears undeniable responsibility for the catastrophe that poisoned the Verde Island Passage, a biodiversity jewel now scarred by toxic sludge.

Fisherfolk continue to voice their grievances as they live through the nightmare of slashed livelihoods, with fish catches still a fraction of pre-spill levels and families scraping by after a five-month fishing ban that gutted their incomes.

An independent assessment pegs the economic and environmental toll at a staggering P41.2 billion, yet only a paltry 15 percent, or P2.7 billion, had been released to claimants as of late 2025.

That is not compensation; that is crumbs from a conglomerate’s table, while communities in Gloria, Mansalay, Naujan, Pola and Calapan drown in despair.

SMC, with its vast resources and influence, has dragged its feet on full payouts, leaving affected families without the restitution they deserve under the Oil Pollution Compensation Act.

Cry for justice

The class action lawsuit filed in December 2025 is a desperate cry for justice. But why wait for the courts when SMC could step up now?

More than the money, this is about accountability in a nation where corporate giants too often evade the consequences of their operations.

Father Edwin Gariguez and the Protect VIP coalition are right to demand not only immediate rehabilitation but long-term safeguards, including the designation of the Verde Island Passage as a protected seascape.

SMC must lead by example by releasing the full compensation package without further delay, funding ecosystem recovery, and backing measures to ban hazardous shipping from these fragile waters — part of what has been called the Amazon of the Oceans.

Anything less is a betrayal of the people and the planet they have exploited. Three years of suffering is already too many. SMC must pay up — or own up to being part of the problem.