Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga on Thursday said marine resources worth P7 billion were possibly exposed to the oil spill from the tanker that sank in the waters of Oriental Mindoro on 28 February.
Loyzaga, in an early television news program, said the DENR now needs to verify on the ground the possible damage caused by the oil spill.
“We have calculated what could be exposed by way of coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves, and fisheries. The possible exposure area for us is about P7 billion,” she said.
The oil spill occurred after the MT Princess Empress sank in 400 meters of water off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. The tanker was carrying 900,000 liters of industrial oil belonging to a San Miguel Corporation subsidiary.
Since then, oil has been leaking from the ship, spreading over an area of about 100 kilometers. The oil has contaminated coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests, and has killed thousands of fish and other marine life.
Environmental groups, including Protect the Verde Island Passage, have demanded that the owner of the MT Princess Empress, as well as San Miguel as the charterer and owner of the leaking oil, be held criminally and civilly responsible for the ecological disaster.
In previous statements, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, whose department is hosting an inter-agency group created to address the oil spill, said circumstances leading to the sinking of the tanker require that there be criminal accountability.