Oil stains rocks on the shore of Brgy. Cabcaben in Mariveles, Bataan from oil spills believed to be from recent sunken ships nearby on July 31, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Oil stains rocks on the shore of Brgy. Cabcaben in Mariveles, Bataan from oil spills believed to be from recent sunken ships nearby on July 31, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN news

BATAAN OIL SPILL

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

Tolentino and Committee Chair Senator Cynthia Villar questioned the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as to why Motor Tanker Terranova, Motor Tanker Jason Bradley and Motor Vessel Mirola 1 were allowed to sail despite the bad weather.MTKR Terranova sank near the waters of Limay town in Bataan, MT Jason Bradley capsized while it was anchored in Mariveles, while MV Mirola ran aground on the coast of Mariveles.&ldquo;It appears that there is a semblance of laxity; negligence is really prevalent in our maritime industry,&rdquo; Tolentino said.PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said, however, that there was no prohibition on MT Terra Nova.&ldquo;At time they left Bataan, typhoon signal was not yet raised over that area so they were still allowed to leave,&rdquo; Gavan said.&ldquo;MV Mirola 1 did not seek clearance from the Coast Guard. Tumakas po &lsquo;yun. &lsquo;Di namin alam na umalis siya from Navotas,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;&lsquo;Yung Jason Bradley&hellip;hindi rin po siya dumaan sa Coast Guard.&rdquo;(MV Mirola 1 did not seek clearance from the Coast Guard. We did not know that it left Navotas. Jason Bradley also did not go through Coast Guard.)Villar doubts Gavan&rsquo;s statements, saying: &ldquo;Hindi kami naniniwala na makaalis without permission (We do not believe that they were able to leave without permission). Siguro pinabayaan niyo (You probably let it).&rdquo;&ldquo;They can with the vastness of our seas,&rdquo; Gavan insisted. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we are trying to develop our maritime domain awareness capability.&rdquo;Vicente Cordero III, President of Porta Vaga Ship Management, Inc., the operator of MTKR Terranova, said it was deployed after getting a verification from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) that there was no storm signal in Bataan.Gavan believes PCG regulations in allowing vessels to sail should be amended to adapt to new weather patterns and climate change.Tolentino agreed, stating: &ldquo;We have to rectify our weather forecasting notices. How to connect this with real time sail clearances as well as some of our insurance liabilities.&rdquo;Representatives of MT Jason Bradley and MV Mirola 1 were subpoenaed by the Committee for failing to attend the hearing despite being notified about it.&ldquo;PAIHI&rdquo;According to Gavan, they are still investigating allegations of &ldquo;paihi&rdquo; or oil smuggling.Cordero clarified that the two vessels seen near MTKR Terranova when the incident happened were just tug vessels.&ldquo;When it encountered engine trouble, we asked for assistance sa (to) tug boat owners along Bataan to provide assistance to help &lsquo;yung (the) vessel put it to safety,&rdquo; Cordero said.Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Administrator Sonia Malaluan said MTKR Terranova was compliant with all documentary requirements. MT Jason Bradley and MV Mirola 1, however, only have certificates of ownership and registry and lacks statutory and safety documents.According to Malaluan, they are investigating if MT Jason Bradley is the same as the vessel named Dorothy 1.Tolentino said MT Jason Bradley already has a warrant and seizure order.Malaluan explained that they do not have the means to monitor the activities of a vessel after it has gone through registration since they are still in the process of digitalization.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of challenge in MARINA, doing registration manually so we don&rsquo;t have a very good tool to monitor,&rdquo; Malaluan said.MARINA is also looking into possible accountability of its personnel and officials that could have led to the maritime incidents.<a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/8/14/philippines-begins-transfer-of-oil-cargo-from-sunken-tanker-1343">Philippines begins transfer of oil cargo from sunken tanker</a><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/2/class-action-suit-eyed-vs-owner-of-mtkr-terranova-over-oil-spill-2045">Class action suit eyed vs. owner of MTKR Terranova over oil spill</a><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/8/10/p45m-allocated-for-temporary-jobs-of-oil-spill-affected-fisherfolk-in-bataan-1556">P45M allocated for temporary jobs of oil spill-affected fisherfolk in Bataan</a>RELATED VIDEO:<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MM6hhOjX6_w?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe>

MANILA &mdash; A lawmaker believes government negligence led to the recent maritime mishaps in Bataan, particularly the oil spill.This was the assertion of Senate Majority Floor Leader Francis Tolentino during the hearing of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change on the said incidents.

A lawmaker believes government negligence led to the recent maritime mishaps in Bataan, particularly the oil spill.

A lawmaker believes government negligence led to the recent maritime mishaps in Bataan, particularly the oil spill.

Lawmaker blames gov't negligence for Bataan maritime accidents | ABS-CBN News

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Lawmaker blames gov't negligence for Bataan maritime accidents

Lawmaker blames gov't negligence for Bataan maritime accidents