ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS ARE holding the San Miguel Corporation and the Marcos regime responsible for the oil spill from the sunken ship MT Terra Nova in Manila Bay. They should be held responsible for the damage caused by the oil spill to the community’s livelihood, the ecological system and the people’s health.

MT Terra Nova is a tanker contracted by Petron Corporation, a company owned by San Miguel Corporation, to deliver 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel to Panay island. The Philippine Coast Guard allowed it to sail despite rough weather. It sank a few kilometers off the coast of Limay, Bataan on July 25 and began leaking oil two days later.

This is the second major oil spill under the Marcos regime. Last year, the MT Princess Empress sank near Lubang, Oriental Mindoro, spilling its cargo of 800,000 liters of oil contracted by Petron for delivery. Nearly 25,000 fisherfolk today still suffer from the damage it caused along the coasts of Oriental Mindoro and adjacent provinces. Petron was also involved in the Cavite oil spill in 2016 (500,000 liters); and the worst oil spill in Guimaras (2.1 million liters) in 2006.

Oil that usually leaks from ships pose a danger to human health. It contains toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and lead. These cause skin and respiratory irritation and cancer. It also adversely affects the environment and ecosystem in the ocean and coast. In the long term, its chemicals affect fish reproduction which will greatly reduce fisherfolk’s catch long after the oil spill.

Once the oil spill spreads widely, it will devastate the livelihood of at least 29,000 fisherfolk in Cavite. The cost of damage to the livelihood of 46,000 fisherfolk in Central Luzon, Region 4A and the National Capital Region may reach ₱351 million. The oil spill threatens to damage mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs and fisheries.