Talisay sanggunian files case against Chinese ship

CEBU, Philippines - More than two years after the incident, the Talisay City government has decided to step into the picture and file a civil complaint against the Chinese marine vessel that ran aground in its marine sanctuary on March 5, 2009.

City Councilor Bernard Odilao, chairman on council committee on environment, said the city exhausted all diplomatic avenues to settle the case with MV Majuro and its local agent here but were ignored.

"Nagsige na ta og pada og notice nila pero wa may response, so mao ning ni-decide ang council nga mu-file og legal action against MV Majuro," Odilao said.

The council through Resolution No. 2011-21-9 allows Mayor Socrates Fernandez and city lawyer Owen Algoso "to file a civil complaint in the proper court" against the owner, the captain, and the local agent of the vessel.

The council has also allocated P1,300,000 for the filing fees and litigation expenses.

In March 5, 2009, MV Majuro, with captain Cheng Guangming at the helm, ran aground in the city's Lagundi Reef and destroyed about 3,800 square meters of this three-hectare marine protected area, as assessed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

"Formal demands have been sent to the owner, the captain and the local agent of the vessel for them to compensate the City of Talisay for the damages sustained by the Lagundi Reef, but until now, they have refused and to date still refuses to heed the valid demands of the city," read the approved resolution.

Odilao, who authored the resolution, said the city has been left with no recourse but to file the complaint in court "to compel" those liable "to compensate the city for the damages the ship had caused the corals and other marine life at the Lagundi Reef. (FREEMAN)