DOJ: There should be criminal liabilities in oil spill incident
MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Tuesday that there should be persons held criminally liable over the oil spill from the sunken tanker MT Princess Empress.
Remulla said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be reviewing documents and court records related to the ship that sank near Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro and leaked oil into the sea to determine individuals that should be held accountable.
The DOJ has issued a subpoena for the documents it needs from different agencies as it begins its case build-up, Remulla said in a streamed press briefing.
“We think that (there) should be liabilities here. There should be criminal liability involved in this case,” Remulla added.
“The cleanup needs to happen, but the case buildup is happening at the same time,” Remulla said in Filipino.
DOJ is part of the government’s inter-agency task force monitoring developments related to the oil spill.
Remulla’s statement comes after his visit to Pola, Oriental Mindoro early Tuesday where he saw the oil spill and the situation of nearby communities affected by the leak.
Remulla has also called on the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to show up to the DOJ on Thursday after it began its investigation into the agency for allowing the sunken tanker to reportedly operate without a permit.
“MARINA has not been here. We're asking them to be here on Thursday with all the documents we're asking for,” Remulla said.
The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday reported that the oil spilled by the sunken tanker has reached the shores of Isla Verde along the marine biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage (VIP), which is considered by scientists as the center of the world’s marine biodiversity. — With reports from Gaea Cabico
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