The National Bureau of Investigation has recommended new charges against the owners and crews of the sunken supertanker MT Princess Empress, as well as officials of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority.
The NBI filed the charges with the Office of the Ombudsman, recommending that the owners and crew be charged with violations of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The NBI’s investigation found that the owners of the tanker, RDC Reield Marine Services, had submitted falsified documents to the Marina in order to register the ship. It also found that the ship had been renovated in Navotas City, not newly built in Bataan, as had been declared to the Marina.
The NBI also recommended that 19 PCG personnel be charged with Grave Misconduct and Neglect in the Performance of Duty under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service. The PCG personnel are accused of failing to inspect the tanker before its voyage.
It was the second batch of charges filed against the individuals allegedly involved in the sinking of the MT Princess Empress. The NBI had previously filed perjury and falsification charges against the ship’s officials and owner.
The MT Princess Empress was carrying 900,000 liters of industrial oil when it sank in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, in December 2021.
The oil spill caused an estimated P58 million in damages and affected at least 42,000 families in the provinces of Bataan, Antique, Palawan, and Oriental Mindoro.