The group held the protest on Thursday – also World Oceans Day – seeking the declaration of the VIP as a maritime protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas Act or ENIPAS.

Members of the Protect VIP network brought large cardboard numbers that read “100” – the number of days since MT Princess Empress sank and caused an oil spill off the coast of Oriental Mindoro. The oil spill from the sunken ship reached the VIP, regarded by experts as “the center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity.”

“This was not the first oil spill in the VIP, and it is unlikely to be the last as long as toxic and dangerous cargo is ferried in these waters.” Protect VIP co-convenor Gerry Arances said.

The group also tied black ribbons at the gate of the DENR compound to signify their “solidarity with communities and lament for biodiversity.”

“Millions of Filipinos depend on the maintenance of VIP as a pristine maritime ecosystem for their livelihood,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect VIP and Social Action Center director of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

Protect VIP also urged the DENR to approve designated parts of the VIP as non-attainment areas to stop new polluting activities from being conducted in the area.

“Secretary [Toni Yulo-Loyzaga] has already declared before that she favors the declaration of VIP as a protected area. We are here hoping that she will put her words into action,” said Gariguez.

On Tuesday, June 6, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Environmental Crime Division and Pola, Oriental Mindoro Mayor Jennifer Cruz filed a criminal complaint against RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the sunken oil tanker MT Princess Empress for falsification of documents and perjury. – Rappler.com

Read more from Rappler’s coverage of the Oriental Mindoro oil spill:

• ‘A no-brainer’: Marcos gov’t urged to declare Verde Island Passage off-limits to certain ships
• Marine life has ways to weather an oil spill. Can we keep up?
• Why it’s important to contain the Oriental Mindoro oil spill ASAP
• After oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, uncertain future grips fishing community
• PANOORIN: Ano ang health risks ng exposure sa oil spills?
• Environmental damage from oil spill may reach P7 billion – DENR chief
• Oil spill exposes a Coast Guard in dire need of modernization
• ‘Pagod na po kami’: Pola mayor wants MT Princess Empress ship owner sued
• Oil siphoning to start in June, but is there ‘black oil’ still left in Princess Empress?
• PH gov’t to shoulder rehab costs as oil spill insurance, aid won’t be enough – DOJ official

Garrett Madison, 44, who climbed the 8,849 meter (29,032 feet) Everest for the 13th time last week, said its higher camps were littered with torn tents, food wrappers and empty oxygen bottles discarded by climbers.

“We need to find better ways to bring the waste down,” Madison said in the Nepali capital Kathmandu after returning from the mountain.

“We need better policing to check that every team brings down its garbage.”

It is mandatory for climbers to bring their waste down from the mountain and claim back a garbage deposit of $4,000 from the government.

But expedition organizers and hiking officials say monitoring camps nearly 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) high was both difficult and ineffective.

Authorities collected 13 tonnes of rubbish from Everest and the nearby Lhotse peak this year as part of a campaign to keep the mountains clean.

Despite his worries about the trash, Madison, who owns a Seattle-based mountaineering company, said climbing in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, had a bright future.

“I think Nepal is the Switzerland of Asia in its potential to develop mountaineering,” he said, adding that the country had better emergency helicopter services for climbers than Pakistan and the Tibet region, where the six other highest peaks are located.

This month, as well as Everest, Madison climbed Lhotse, the world’s fourth tallest peak at 8,516 meters (27,939 feet), and the Nuptse peak, at 7,855 meters (25,770 feet), completing the rare “triple crown” of climbing all three in one season.

Mountain climbing generates big income for Nepal, which issued a record 478 permits for Everest this March to May season, each costing $11,000.

While hundreds of people climbed the mountain this season, 12 of them died and five were missing on its slopes. – Rappler.com

When tires make contact with the road, tiny particles are abraded and emitted. The extra weight of EVs linked to their batteries means this little-discussed form of pollution – from an estimated 2 billion tires produced globally every year – is becoming a bigger problem.

Major producers, including Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin, and Continental, are also trying to fend off competition from cheaper Chinese rivals.

“It’s not quite a perfect storm,” said Gunnlaugur “G” Erlendsson, chief executive officer of UK-based startup Enso, which has developed more durable tires specifically for EVs and rents out tires that it takes back to recycle at the end of life. “But it’s close.”

Tire-makers are racing to get ahead of emissions rules and find alternatives.

Emerging research is showing the toxicity of tires, which on average contain about 200 components and chemicals, often derived from crude oil.

While critics say tires contain many toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, so far there is only really consensus around one – 6PPD, an antioxidant and antiozonant found in all tires that reduces cracking.

This year, California is expected to be the first authority to demand tire-makers demonstrate they are seeking an alternative to 6PPD – a degraded form of which is lethal to some fish and has been found in human urine in South China.

The European Union’s upcoming Euro 7 emission regulations will set standards for tires for the first time.

Compounding those challenges, manufacturers will need to develop tires that emit less for heavy EVs, which Michelin and Goodyear have reported can wear out tires up to 50% faster.

“The unintended consequence of electric cars is we’ll have more tire pollution unless we have better tires,” said Enso’s Erlendsson, whose tires, in testing emit 35% less than premium EV tires from major manufacturers.

He says this is because their reliance on higher-quality, more expensive materials makes them more durable.

Bridgestone and Goodyear declined to discuss the industry’s emissions challenges.

But Michelin, Continental, and Pirelli told Reuters they are pursuing alternatives to 6PPD, with Michelin and Continental adding collective industry action may be necessary to find solutions.

Asked about Euro 7 regulations, Michelin said it wants worldwide standards to squeeze the higher emitting tires, which are usually cheaper, out of the market. Continental advocates a global abrasion standard with transparent labeling for consumers.

Nick Molden, CEO of British-based testing specialist Emissions Analytics, said the “dirty end” of the list of tires the company has tested are “cheap Chinese imports” common in the European market.

The Chinese makers of Rockblade, Mazzini, and Ovation – among the worst-performing tire brands on Molden’s list – did not respond to requests for comment.

‘Differently bad’

Data provided to Reuters by Emissions Analytics shows new tires developed so far are unlikely to solve the problem.

For example, while tests carried out on Continental bicycle tires made using dandelions show a 24.5% drop in carcinogenic aromatics – which help cars hug the road – the chemicals in the particles they emit are similarly toxic overall, Molden said.

“They are just differently bad,” he added.

Continental said its dandelion tires were developed to find a sustainable form of natural rubber, and addressing 6PPD was a separate focus.

“It’s our responsibility to take care of this and to find a solution” to 6PPD, said Thomas Kramer, Continental’s head of material wear.

Developed during the Korean War, research shows that when 6PPD reacts with oxygen or ozone it forms 6PPD-quinone, which has been blamed for mass deaths of Coho salmon off the US West Coast.

Californian regulators say 6PPD’s impact on human health is unclear, but are finalizing documents that could require tire manufacturers to analyze safer alternatives.

The tire industry said finding a replacement for 6PPD is hard because any new chemical must prevent tires degrading and cracking without affecting other attributes.

“Tires are a compromise” between safety, noise, handling, and abrasion, said Adam McCarthy, secretary general of the European Tire and Rubber Manufacturing Association.

Enso’s CEO Erlendsson said the industry could have a solution on the market within five years if pushed, though at a price.

Remove worst performers

Shifting the focus from tailpipe emissions, EU and UN regulators are working on Euro 7 regulations to curb emissions from brakes and tires. EU lawmakers say they could be agreed on as soon as next year.

Particles from tires are expected to be the largest source of microplastics potentially harmful to aquatic life by 2050, data prepared for the European Commission shows.

Michelin estimates that globally tires emit around 3 million metric tons of particles annually – and create another 3 million metric tons of particles from road surfaces, its technical and scientific communications director Cyrille Roget said.

Michelin’s tests show that if you drive 200,000 kilometers (124,274 miles) a year on its tires, you’ll emit about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of particles, compared to a market average of 3.6 kg, Roget said.

The worst-performing rival tires Michelin has tested so far emit around 8 kg per year.

If Euro 7 were used to stop sales of the highest-emitting tires, “you would already remove a lot of particles from the market,” Roget said. “That’s the first step and it’s something we believe can be done more quickly.”

Michelin and Continental said they are already focused on making their tires more durable – Michelin cut its tire emissions 5% between 2015 and 2020, Roget said.

But Emissions Analytics’ Molden said the shift to EVs means tire-makers will be forced to develop more durable tires – a tough challenge without natural rubber, which would be difficult to develop sustainably enough to support the whole industry.

As part of its efforts to be as sustainable as possible, Enso has a recycling deal with Norwegian company Wastefront.

“The advent of the EV is the time to make this change,” to improve tires,” Enso’s Erlendsson said. “We’re never going to end up having zero tire pollution, but we can reduce it.” – Rappler.com

The Kenya-based UN body released its analysis of policy options to tackle the plastic waste crisis two weeks before countries convene in Paris for a second round of negotiations to craft a global treaty aimed at eliminating plastic waste.

The report focuses on three main market shifts needed to create a “circular” economy that keeps produced items in circulation as long as possible: reuse, recycling, and reorientation of packaging from plastic to alternative materials.

“If we follow this roadmap, including in negotiations on the plastic pollution deal, we can deliver major economic, social and environmental wins,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director.

The treaty negotiations, known as INC2, will take place from May 29 to June 2 and are expected to result in key inputs for the first treaty draft, which needs to be done before the third round of negotiations in Kenya in November.

UNEP estimates that government promotion of reuse options like refillable bottle systems or deposit return schemes could reduce 30% of plastic waste by 2040.

It also says recycling could achieve an additional 20% by that year if “it becomes a more stable and profitable venture” and fossil fuel subsidies are removed, and that the replacement of products like plastics wraps and sachets with compostable materials could yield an additional 17% reduction.

Countries have different approaches to tackling plastic waste. Some major plastic producing countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia prefer a system of national strategies.

Some that have formed a “High Ambition Coalition,” comprising Norway, Rwanda, New Zealand, the European Union and others, have called for top-down approach where global targets are set to reduce virgin plastic production and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, among other measures.

Some environmental campaigners on Tuesday called out UNEP for promoting the practice of burning plastic waste in cement kilns or incinerators for addressing plastic waste that cannot be recycled. A 2021 Reuters investigation found that some of the world’s biggest consumer brands have funded projects to send their plastic waste to cement kilns.

UNEP said given the short timeline between now and 2040, “sub-optimal solutions” will need to be used to deal with that waste though further study was needed to weigh the impacts of increased greenhouse gas emissions or air toxics.

“Not only does this pose a grave climate and public health threat, it also undermines the primary goal of the global plastic treaty –putting a cap on plastic production.” said Dr. Neil Tangri, Policy Director at Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). – Rappler.com

The tiny plastic particles are used in products including cosmetics, paints and sports pitches, or created unintentionally when bigger pieces of plastic litter break up over time.

The European Commision is drafting a law, due to be proposed to members of the 27-country bloc and lawmakers next month, to introduce measures to cut the volume of microplastics released into the environment by 30% by 2030.

The European Chemicals Agency says that in Europe around 42,000 tons of intentionally-added microplastics are released into the environment each year, plus an estimated 176,000 tons of unintentionally-formed particles.

“Voluntary measures are not enough,” the six countries said in a joint paper which was sent to the EU executive this week and seen by Reuters. It was also signed by Denmark, Luxembourg and non-European Union member Norway.

“We call on the Commission to introduce precautionary measures at EU level to prevent and reduce microplastics in the environment,” the countries said in the letter.

They also called for the EU to create uniform systems to monitor microplastics in air, water ,and soil across Europe, to track whether countries are complying and enforcing the rules.

The Commission proposed a separate law last year that will phase in restrictions on adding microplastics to products sold in Europe, including sports pitches and cosmetics.

The upcoming proposal is expected to also target unintentionally released microplastics, such as from wear and tear of tyres and washing clothes made from synthetic materials. – Rappler.com

The environmental groups also called on the government to make the VIP a no-go zone for oil tankers and to reject applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the area.

The groups made the call in a press conference on Wednesday, March 29, during the sixth anniversary of the signing of the MOA establishing the Verde Island Passage (VIP) Marine Protected Area Network (MPAN) and Law Enforcement Network (LEN).

Under the MOA, the provincial governments of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, and Marinduque committed to protect the marine flora and fauna in the VIP, the PMJC said in a statement. The local governments signed the MOA in partnership with concerned national government agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The VIP is one of the affected areas of the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro. The vessel was carrying more than 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro in early March.

Dubbed the “Amazon of the oceans,” the VIP is home to 1,700 fish species and 300 coral species, and is considered the “center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity.”

Must Read

FAST FACTS: Verde Island Passage, the ‘Amazon of the oceans’

“We are calling [on] the government to protect VIP. The large volume of oil that spilled into our seas is a wake-up call. Nature is damaged, and our food and livelihood are also affected. Ships carrying oil and gas shouldn’t be allowed to sail through VIP. Those responsible for the destruction of VIP should be held accountable,” Leizel Amol, a Batangas resident, said in Filipino.

This sentiment was echoed by fisherfolk communities affected by the oil spill, with government estimates placing the number of affected fisherfolk at 20,000.

“It’s been almost two weeks since we were prohibited from fishing that started when the oil spill reached our shores. We lose P700 per day. Even if there are relief [aids] provided by the local government like noodles, rice, and canned goods, those are not enough. This is why we call the owners of Princess Empress to compensate for the damage caused to our livelihood,” Irvin Doraemon, a fisherfolk leader from the VIP, said in Filipino.

Even before the Oriental Mindoro oil spill, local fisherfolk and local government units along the Verde Island Passage have already reported an alarming decrease in fish catch.

This was attributed to the proliferation of fossil gas plant operations along the VIP corridor. Since the execution of the agreement, energy power plants using LNG have expanded their operations in Batangas, directly abutting the VIP, the PMJC said in its statement.

“The expansion of fossil gas projects along the VIP corridor undermines the commitment made in 2017,” said PMCJ national coordinator Ian Rivera.

“No less than the DENR, a party to the agreement, is entertaining applications for environmental compliance certificates for proposed fossil gas projects. Faithful enforcement of the agreement means agencies like DENR pulling the plug [on] the mad rush for fossil fuel projects by promoting cleaner renewable energy alternatives and doubling efforts to protect VIP,” he added.

A Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report said five of seven ongoing LNG terminal projects and two of three committed gas-fired power plants are in Batangas City, which lines the VIP.

The groups and community leaders called on the five governors representing the five provincial governments who signed the 2017 MOA to reject and oppose environmental compliance certificate applications of LNG and fossil gas power plant projects.

“With the unabated spread of hundreds of thousands of liters of oil into the VIP, and the deluge of fossil gas projects, the surrounding local government units must swiftly act to prevent the further devastation of our maritime resources,” said Aaron Pedrosa, co-chairperson of PMCJ’s Energy Working Group.

Apart from the five provincial governments, the DENR, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police also signed the 2017 MOA.

No-go zone

To prevent future accidents from endangering the VIP, PMJC senior energy program officer Larry Pascua said the area should be made a “no-go zone” for oil tankers.

Considering the VIP’s role as a “nautical highway,” Pascua said it was understandable that not all ships could be prevented from passing through VIP, but oil tankers should not be allowed to pass through the area. 

“Ships carrying fossil fuel, barges, oil barges should not be allowed because we will face the same problem as what we are having now if an accident involving these types of vessel occurs,” Pascua said.

“Given the inaction of the national government, the provincial governments along the VIP corridor must join the people’s clamor for urgent actions – from immediately declaring the VIP as a no-go zone for fossil fuel projects and transport, declaring a national state of calamity to access disaster funds for clean up efforts, and to hold the owners of MT Princess Empress accountable,” Pedrosa said.

This wasn’t the first time the idea of prohibiting oil tankers from passing through the VIP was brought up. In a March 20 ABS-CBN News Channel interview, Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor said it would be a good policy to prohibit oil tankers from using the VIP.

Must Read

Marcos urged to ban oil tankers from using Verde Island Passage

According to American nonprofit organization Conservation International, the VIP is one of the country’s busiest shipping corridors, home to an international port and various oil and gas facilities. – Rappler.com

During the launch of the Stop the Oil Spill, Save Our Seas (SOS) coalition on Tuesday, March 28, SOS said the “elusive” transparency on the investigation gave “no assurance that responsible agencies exhausted all effort to urgently contain the spill and remove oil.”

The advocates said this lack of assurance failed to inspire confidence in communities that companies at fault would be held accountable.

It was a subsidiary of San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage Corporation that chartered the capsized tanker that was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil. RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the tanker, was recently slapped with cease-and-desist orders, which would be in effect until authorities finish their investigation into the embattled company.

According to SOS – composed of the Protect VIP Network, Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, Oceana, and Greenpeace Philippines – reparations should include compensation, containment and removal of oil, long-term rehabilitation, and “punitive actions that will be taken against all liable actors.”

“Sila ang nagdumi ng ating karagatan; sila dapat ang maglinis nito (They were the ones who spoiled our seas; they should be the ones to clean this up),” said Dino Melaya, convenor of the newly formed, Oriental Mindoro-based Koalisyon ng Mangingisda Apektado ng Oil Spill, during the launch.

Aside from containing the oil spill and cleaning up the oceans, the coalition demanded the companies pay a cash bond of at least P70 million ($1.29 million), per the Philippine Coast Guard’s Revised Rules on Prevention, Containment, Abatement, and Control of Oil Marine Pollution.

Must Read

Oil spill victims advised not to sue ship owner as claims office set up in Oriental Mindoro

In a separate statement, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the national federation of fisherfolk organizations in the Philippines, estimated that 18,000 fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro, Antique, and Palawan were affected by the oil spill.

Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap said that the lengthy processes and strict requirements hindered oil spill victims from claiming indemnity.

“Sa Oriental Mindoro, inirereklamo ng mga mangingisda sa ilang bayan ang mabagal at napakaraming rekisitos sa pagkuha ng bayad-pinsala sa kumpanyang may-ari ng MT Princess Empress,” he said.

(In Oriental Mindoro, fishermen in some areas are complaining about the slow process of claiming reparations from the owner of MT Princess Empress.)

He added, “Habang tumatagal at lumalawak ang saklaw ng oil spill, humahaba ang panahong gutom ang kanilang mga pamilya (The more the oil spill expands its reach, the longer the fisherfolk and their families go hungry).”

On Monday, March 27, the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro established a Claims Office where oil spill victims could file for compensation.

Protecting biodiversity

The oil spill has now reached the Verde Island Passage (VIP), the strait between Mindoro and Batangas, surrounded by Marinduque, Romblon, and Cavite. This was especially concerning, as VIP is also known as the “center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity.”

The ecological damage caused by the oil spill has brought into focus policy reforms concerning polluting companies.

SOS called for the “prohibition of the transport of highly toxic cargo such as fossil fuels over ecologically sensitive waters” – a suggestion supported by Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor, who said this could be done through a presidential order in the absence of legislation.

Concerned groups also said it was high time the government integrated the VIP into the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System.

According to the UP Marine Science Institute’s latest bulletin, oil was still leaking out of the sunken tanker as of March 23. The Philippine Coast Guard already raised its oil spill response to Tier 3 – the highest level of response. – Rappler.com

$1 = P54.38

The Mobula 8, brainchild of 52-year-old Franco-Swiss Yvan Bourgnon, is capable of clearing solid debris, microwaste, and oil spills, and he expects it to retrieve up to 1,000 tons of waste annually.

Bourgnon founded nongovernmental organization SeaCleaners in 2016 after sailing solo around the world and witnessing first hand the extent of the ocean plastics crisis.

He hopes Mobula 8 will be an idea replicated elsewhere and said it was his dream that thousands more are mobilized.

“When I sailed along Bali island in 2014, I discovered this island, this beautiful island, but I was for sure a little bit disappointed by this plastic pollution,” he said.

“I promised to come back here with the solution,” he said.

Asia has been identified as the biggest contributor to ocean plastic and Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, is a major source country.

Plastics pollution threatens extinction of marine species, and microplastics have now become part of the food chain, with environmental groups warning of severe consequences for life and the planet.

Bali’s iconic beaches have in recent years been littered with trash during the peak of the monsoon season, as heavy winds and rain wash up pollution from neighbouring Java island.

“It is very disturbing to us as surfers and those who swim there,” 21-year-old Rifon Laia said of plastics.

Henry Lin, a tourist from Taiwan who is learning to surf, said the Mobula 8 was a good idea, but had limitations.

“We should stop throwing trash in the sea and use less plastic bags, produce less plastic garbage, plastic products,” he said. – Rappler.com

In an interview on ABS-CBN News, lawyer and former environment undersecretary Antonio La Viña said that despite previous incidents of major oil spills, the Philippines still does not have a law that will make companies behind oil pollution pay for damage to people and the environment, especially for long-term impacts. 

“We have many good environmental laws but we do not yet have a corporate environment liability act where it should be the company that pays for the damage,” he said. 

He acknowledged that the country’s laws limit liability mainly to the ship owner and not to the charterer of the vessel, but added that it’s time that Congress pass a law that will make polluters pay. 

Under the current system, La Viña said the private companies behind oil pollution were simply sanctioned and fined by regulatory agencies. 

“We only have fines, pero maliit lang ang fines (the fines are small), and not enough to pay for the damage,” he said. 

Aside from environmental damage, private companies should also compensate fishermen for loss of livelihood, as well as LGUs and resort owners for loss of revenues. 

Although private companies can be sued for oil pollution, La Viña said these take a long time. 

“Pag sa kaso mo dinaan, matagal yan. Dapat yung ganito, administrative ang process, ‘di sya dadaan sa korte,” he said, adding that private companies can appeal adverse administrative decisions to the courts. 

(If you resort to filing cases, it will take a long time. In cases like this [Mindoro oil spill], it should be an administrative process, it doesn’t go through the courts.)

“Time and again, and I have seen this in many environmental disasters such as the Marcopper mining disaster in Marinduque, at the end of it, bahala na si Batman (it’s up to Batman). Kasi nga may gap sa batas natin (Because we have a gap in our law) on corporate liability for the impacts,” he said. 

Although it may be difficult to pass such a law, La Viña said “we’ve never tried it” and it would need “champions” from both houses of Congress.  

Who owns the oil?

La Viña lamented the lack of transparency on the charterer of MT Princess Empress and the owner of the more than 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil the tanker was shipping from Bataan to Iloilo on February 28. 

He said “it’s ridiculous” that three weeks after the sinking of MT Princess Empress, the public still does not know the charterer of the tanker and owner of the cargo.  

Rappler reported on March 13 that it was a subsidiary of San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage Corporation, SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, which chartered the ship owner, RDC Reield Marine Services. But no government agency nor San Miguel Corporation (SMC), has publicly disclosed this information. 

The Philippine Stock Exchange, where SMC is listed and traded, has apparently not asked the conglomerate to comment on this information that has been reported by Rappler and a few other news outfits more than a week ago. No disclosure has yet been made as of posting. 

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) legal chief Sharon Aledo has merely acknowledged to Rappler in an email interview, as well as in public interviews, that MT Princess Empress left the SL Harbor Terminal. This private port is operated by SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corp. She said regulators were not informed about the charterer.

Ship owner RDC has also not disclosed the charterer citing its non-disclosure agreement. 

FAST FACTS: Things to know about RDC Reield Marine Services

Even though Philippine laws penalize mainly the ship owner, La Viña said there are “openings for liability” of the charterer and cargo owner. 

MARINA’s Aledo said in a recent interview that the charterer of MT Princess Empress should have undertaken “due diligence” of the ship owner, following reports that the ship did not have an approved amended Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) or license to sail. 

Oceana Legal and Policy Director Liza Osorio, in a recent Rappler interview, said the cargo owner could be held liable if it is shown that the oil was not properly packed. 

In the case of the Guimaras oil spill, a special Board of Marine Inquiry found the charterer and cargo owner, Petron Corporation, liable for overloading MT Solar 1 which contributed to the tanker sinking in August 2006. Petron Corp., which handles the fuel and oil business of SMC, appealed the ruling.

Insurance coverage not for poor

La Viña also lamented that while shipping companies and cargo owners can claim insurance for their losses, there is no insurance coverage for long-term impacts on the environment and people. 

He said private companies “should pay for the damage” and “insure themselves for it.” 

“This oil spill, this tanker, those who contracted it will not suffer kasi (because) insured. They would not have done this [contract] without insurance. There’s always a failure to have that insurance pay for the impacts, it’s only for loss of ship and cargo,” he said.

“That’s one of the problems. Kasi ang gusto ng company, kanila lang yun [insurance].” (The company only wants the insurance for itself.)

La Viña said this should change since it’s always the poor who suffer the most in environmental disasters. 

“Dapat baguhin na. Palaging holding the bag ay kapwa Pilipino mahihirap, fisherfolk, those in coastal areas dependent on fisheries, coastal tourism. LGUs [local government units] rarely get anything from the insurance,” he said.  

(That should change. It’s always the poor holding the bag, the fisherfolk, those in coastal communities dependent on fisheries, coastal tourism.) 

In the sinking of MT Princess Empress, La Viña said there was clearly “regulatory failure” by government agencies involved such as the Philippine Coast Guard but he said it was time that private companies also be held accountable. 

“Di na tayo natuto (We have not learned our lessons). Grabe ang regulatory failures ng ating gobyerno sa Mindoro (The regulatory failures of our government in Mindoro are grave),” he said. “Even after Guimaras, hindi pa natin (we have not) put into place the system to do it right.”

In an opinion piece published by Rappler in 2019, Coast Guard deputy chief Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela said they were always held accountable and “publicly crucified” in the event of maritime disasters while the ship owners escape accountability.

“Ironic as it may seem, it is because of this PCG mandate that the public has forgotten the shipowners who were given ‘Certificate of Public Convenience’ as a license to operate and have this responsibility. The PCG’s performance of the predeparture inspection takes away this burden of responsibility from the shipowners,” Tarriela wrote. He also said the Philippines is the only country that still requires its coast guard to conduct pre-departure inspections of domestic vessels.

RDC has said that MT Princess Empress has a $1 billion Protection & Indemnity (P&I) coverage, but doubts have been raised on whether it can claim it due to reports of the vessel was “colorum” or unlicensed. 

Environmental groups and public officials have decried the likely long-term damage to the country’s rich natural resources, especially in the biodiverse Verde Island Passage. La Viña said environmental groups have long been urging the government to ban oil tankers from crossing this body of water.

FAST FACTS: Verde Island Passage, the ‘Amazon of the oceans’

Appeal to San Miguel

Instead of filing cases in court, La Viña advised the local governments and citizens affected by the oil spill to instead seek a “negotiated agreement” with SMC president Ramon Ang, if it is proven that a SMC subsidiary chartered the vessel and owns the cargo. 

He noted that SMC is a “big company” with “good CSR [corporate social responsibility].”

[OPINION] Time for San Miguel president Ramon Ang to speak up on Mindoro oil spill, show ‘malasakit’ 

“Mr. Ang is very supportive of this [CSR], baka malaki yung kanila makukuhang (they might get a fast) settlement,” La Vina said. “It should be a negotiated agreement para mabilis (so it will be fast). Pero kailangan ng mabilisan ang (But the damage assessment should be rushed) rapid assessment.”

On Monday, March 20, Oriental Mindoro Governor Humberto Dolor told ANC Headstart that all their LGUs agreed that they will be filing “just one solid case” on behalf of all LGUs against the ship owner. 

“Before we file anything, we want to make sure that the evidence will warrant conviction,” he said. 

He said they plan to file a civil case but a criminal case is also an option. 

Dolor said they were worried that their legal action would take a long time, similar to what happened in the Guimaras oil spill.

“Coming from experience, ang nagpapatagal ay (what delays it are) multiple claims. That’s why we agreed we will claim as a group, as a province, in one claim. Pag nagdoble doble, magpapatagal ito (If it’s multiple, it will cause delays),” he said. “It will take 10 years, we don’t want that to happen. We don’t want years of agony. We want to go back to normal. they have to pay for the daily losses that we have,” he said. 

Dolor said they were still waiting for a complete assessment of the damage to the environment, people, companies, and LGUs before filing a class suit. – Rappler.com

Why it’s important to contain the Oriental Mindoro oil spill ASAP

“So far, we have recycled more than 5 million plastic bags, but this is just the beginning,” TileGreen co-founder Khaled Raafat told Reuters. “We aim that by 2025, we will have recycled more than 5 billion plastic bags.”

At the company’s factory, on the outskirts of Cairo, workers carry large barrels loaded with mixed plastic waste to be melted down and compressed.

The resulting tiles are sold to real estate developers and contracting companies for use in outdoor paving.

Egypt is one of the worst polluters in the Mediterranean region with around 74,000 tons of plastic waste entering the sea per year, according to a 2020 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a non-profit organization.

Plastic waste is often discarded in the street or disposed of in informal dumps or burned.

The North African country, which hosted the United Nations COP27 climate summit last November, has in recent years banned the use of single-use plastics in several provinces.

Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad told Reuters at COP27 that the government was working with supermarkets to ban single-use plastics by mid-2023 and was aiming to ban them nationally by 2024. – Rappler.com