PRWC
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joins the thousands of fisherfolk around Manila Bay in demanding a swift and decisive response from the Marcos regime to the oil spill following the sinking of the tanker MT Terra Nova last July 25 off the coast of Limay, Bataan. The government’s slow response is unacceptable as it threatens the livelihood of poor communities.
The Party calls on all fisherfolk in the coastal areas of Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan to unite and demand accountability for the oil spill. They must hold responsible and demand just punishment of the oil tanker owner and Philippine Coast Guard officials for transporting the oil amid rough seas.
They must also demand just compensation from Petron Corporation (the contractor of the oil shipment) for the damage caused by the oil spill to their livelihood. Petron Corporation has had a long history of negligence. Aside from this recent incident, it has been involved in at least three other oil spills, including the sinking of MT Solar 1 in 2006 (2.1 million liters of bunker fuel), MT Makisig in 2013 (500,000 liters of diesel spilled in the waters of Cavite), and MT Princess Empress in 2023 (900,000 of industrial fuel of the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro).
At the same time, they must link these urgent calls to their demand for a stop to the reclamation projects in Manila Bay which have deprived them of their fishing grounds. These projects have also contributed to worsening flooding in and around Metro Manila.
