Altermidya
Environmental groups said San Miguel Corporation (SMC) must be held accountable on the latest oil spill, calling the giant company the “number one destroyer of Manila Bay.”
The Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment and AKAP KA-Manila Bay saidSMC has again created another environmental disaster on Manila Bay and its communities in the sinking of Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel.
The groups said the tanker was operating for SMC through its subsidiary Petron when it sank and began leaking oil.
The sunken ship is owned by Shipowner Shogun Ships Company Incorporated that was chartered by San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage Corporation subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation.
MT Terra Nova sank off the coast of Mariveles, Bataan last July 25 when it was being towed back to port after encountering rough seas during Typhoon Carina.
Oil from the sunken tanker has been spreading on a large area of the country’s most important bay, affecting fishing and coastal communities across Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan and Cavite provinces, as well as Metro Manila.
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the oil spill could result in over PhP350 million in damages to fishing families, affecting more than 46,000 fishermen in Central Luzon, Region 4A, and the National Capital Region.
Bataan province has already imposed a fishing off its coast following the disaster.
The Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday said it has completed capping of MT Terra Nova’s leaking valves and may soon start siphoning the remaining industrial fuel from the stricken ship.
Reclamation too
The environmental groups said the oil spill is an addition to SMC’s crimes on Manila Bay in addition to the controversial construction of the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) off Bulacan.
The NMIA has led to the widespread displacement of hundreds of families and the destruction of critical habitats essential for climate and ecology, the groups said.
The extensive reclamation and associated dredging in Manila Bay by SMC and other reclamation projects have resulted in the destruction of mangroves and in water pollution, causing a significant decline in the fish population.
“Fishermen’s earnings have dropped by up to 90% due to reclamation. Typhoon Carina has exacerbated flooding in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces due to extensive reclamation,” Kalikasan and AKAP KA-Manila Bay campaigner Jonila Castro said.
“Reclamation, dredging, and the oil spill have worsened the destruction and constriction of fishing grounds in Manila Bay. People in Bataan have long complained about the foul smell coming from SMC’s factories in the province, and fishermen also see the dumping of waste by oil refineries into the sea as another reason for the decline in their catch,” Castro, state abduction survivor, added.
Castro and Jhed Tamano survived abduction by the Philippine Army in Orion, Bataan due to their anti-reclamation activities. Both regained freedom however when they bravely revealed their abduction in a government-organized press conference.
“It is clear that SMC and Ramon Ang are committing ecocide and are oppressors of the people, they must be held accountable. Crimes against nature and communities should not go unpunished. Climate justice is social justice,” Castro further said.
In addition to private corporations, the environmental groups said the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government should also be held accountable for covering up and protecting big businessmen like SMC’s Ramon Ang.
“Despite the problems caused to nature and the people, it allows destructive projects and businesses of capitalists to continue. The welfare of people’s livelihoods and nature are sacrificed for the super-profits of Ramon Ang and his accomplices in the government,” both groups said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
