Tolentino wants probe into Bataan oil spill

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino sought for further investigation into the oil spill resulting from the sinking of tanker MT Terranova that carried 1.4 million liters of fuel oil in Bataan.

A resolution filed on Thursday urged the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change to probe into the impacts of the oil spill on the marine ecosystem and the people living in affected areas.

It added that the oil spill has caused nearly P1 Billion worth of livelihood resources and has begun to pose a threat to nearby affected provinces.

“This is not the first time that the Philippines experienced a similar incident,” the resolution read.

“The oil spill poses a serious threat to the marine ecosystem, coastal communities, and livelihood sources in the provinces of Bataan, Cavite, Nasugbu in Batangas, and Bulacan,” Tolentino said.

He also emphasized the importance of finding the cause and ways to solve the oil spill.

“It is hereby resolved by the Senate of the Philippines, to direct as it hereby directs the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the oil spill from the sunken tanker MT Terranova that is causing damages to the marine ecosystem and biodiversity, among its other adverse effects with the end view of determining the cause of the said incident, the ways to combat the negative effects of the oil spill and recommending policy measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” the resolution read.

Following the oil spill, Bataan declared a state of calamity on Wednesday after more than 17,000 fishermen have reportedly been affected by the incident.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has also declared fish caught from affected waters as unsafe for consumption, affecting the livelihoods of fishermen in Region 3, CALABARZON and the National Capital Region.

It also stated earlier that the damages from the oil spill may reach up to P350 million and affect over 46,000 fishermen in Central Luzon, Region 4A, and National Capital Region. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News