Oil spill-affected Mindoro fisherfolk file class suit vs polluters, fight for right to compensation and justice

PINAMALAYAN – Fisherfolk of Oriental Mindoro filed a class suit before the Regional Trial Court on Tuesday, demanding accountability from culprits of the MT Princess Empress oil spill that befell the biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage (VIP) nearly three years ago today.

The complaint calls out the liability of MT Princess Empress shipowner RDC Reield Marine Services, Inc., charterer and San Miguel Corporation subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, insurer The Shipowners’ Club, and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC), based on the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007 (RA 9483). “Mag-tatatlong taon na pero naghihintay pa rin kami na harapin ng mga may sala ng oil spill na ‘yan.  Lubog na lubog na kami sa utang, dahil hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin bumabalik ang dating sigla ng dagat. Kung ikukumpara sa naging pinsala sa amin, malaking sampal ang kakarampot na bigay ng IOPC. Lalo pa sa ilan na wala talagang natanggap. Nakakagalit para sa aming mga mangingisda dahil hindi dapat kami nanlilimos para sa kabayaran na dapat para sa amin,” said Aldrin Villanueva, fisherfolk and president of Koalisyon ng mga Mangingisdang Apektado ng Oil Spill (KMAOS).  The same companies were sent three demand letters from 2024 to 2025 by the fisherfolk-led group, which the polluters failed to respond to. “The oil spill caused damage to the VIP to an extent that it still causes lingering impacts to this day. Fisherfolk and their supporters stood in front of the court to demand the delivery of justice that remained elusive in the last three years. Fisherfolk and coastal communities suffered billions in losses -- aid and compensation disbursed so far barely begin to address these damages, especially on the part of polluters. They must be held fully liable for their negligence, take comprehensive actions in rehabilitating the waters of the VIP, and end their polluting activities,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect VIP. Over ₱2.7 billion has been disbursed to affected claimants in the province as of September 2025. Meanwhile, independent study from think tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development reveals that the estimated economic and environmental damages of the spill amount to Php 41.2 billion.  San Miguel Corporation, the tanker’s charterer under its subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk terminal, announced a 215% net income increase from Php 13.5 billion from January to September alone. The conglomerate is also behind the massive gas developments in Batangas, one of the provinces encompassing the VIP. The fisherfolk petitioners had come before the Regional Trial Court on Tuesday to hold a symbolic action and peaceful program to call attention to their plight alongside the submission of the complaint, but were prevented from proceeding by local authorities. “We are reminded once more of how difficult it is for fisherfolk and other marginalized sectors to get their voices heard, even in fighting for basic rights. Meanwhile, companies whose destructive activities bring them harm report higher earnings year in and out – in stark contrast to the debt and livelihood loss that affected fisherfolk swim in to this day. SMC and other fossil fuel companies must be held into account for the ecological degradation they bring. At the same time, stringent policies must be put in place to stop a repeat of this catastrophic oil spill,” said Gerry Arances, Executive Director of think-tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED). In rejection of destructive fossil fuel developments in Mindoro island and the Verde Island Passage, which risk more disasters from the transport of toxic cargo, communities in Mindoro also inaugurated 37 pilot solar photovoltaic systems for Mangyan Tadtawan households and the Parish building of nearby Victoria town. “The oil spill in the VIP is among the many other disasters that prove fossil fuel is a bane to the environment. While we continue to demand justice for the oil spill-affected communities, we also call for a long-term solution to prevent such disasters to happen in the VIP and the whole of our oceans. This starts with moving away from dirty energy sources like fossil fuels and transitioning towards renewables. We see this solarization in Mindoro as a ray of hope, as we continue to fight for justice for communities affected by the oil spill and other destruction stemming from fossil fuel reliance,” Gariguez concluded.