Justice Undersecretary and Oil Spill Inter-Agency Committee head Raul Vasquez on Friday stated he needed the federal government to assert its International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) over the injury attributable to the Oriental Mindoro oil spill by January 2024.
“Personally, ako gusto ko mag claim ng January, ng government man lang, whoever they are… kahit partial lang,” Vasquez stated in an ambush interview following a gathering of the committee.
According to Vasquez, the nation might declare $280 million from the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC), a global physique that gives monetary compensation for oil air pollution injury.
Vasquez, nonetheless, stated the federal government should doc the long-term results of the oil spill because the IOPC has sure protocols and necessities within the making of claims and eventual funds.
“Today’s hearing is actually meant… to enable the affected LGUs and the concerned national government agencies to formalize and to make assessments, computations, and documentations of their respective claims of reimbursement,” he stated.
“Everything that the government spent, potentially, could be used to make a claim for reimbursement or refund,” he later added.
Vasquez stated they are going to first examine if the nation can get the partial reimbursement claims of nationwide authorities companies, adopted by native authorities models.
Representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had been current throughout the Friday committee listening to.
Local authorities models attended the listening to via Zoom.
The Justice Undersecretary stated the nation should get its claims inside three years after the February 28, 2023 sinking of the MT Princess Empress.
“Kapag tinulugan mo kasi ang claims mo, mawe-waive ‘yan,” stated Vasquez.
He added that LGUs requested for his or her assistance on how you can compute their claims.
“We undertook to go around the affected provinces — Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, and Antique, and Batangas — in order to have a meeting… with all of them in order to inform them what to look for and what to document,” he stated.
“The guidance that we gave was they should not temper the claims,” he added.
This is why he believes it’s unlikely for the nation to get its claims this yr.
“I think malabo. Kasi mag co-compute pa lahat-lahat eh. Pero, I would like to believe na maybe a month from now? Kasi tatadtarin ko ‘yan ng meeetings, just to remind them,” Vasquez stated.
“So, we will be setting another meeting perhaps a month from now and sa month na ‘yan siguro meron nang ballpark figure assessments ‘yung lahat ng agencies or some of the agencies, and we can move forward,” he added.
According to Vasquez, the IOPC goes round Mindoro to get the person claims of affected residents.
“Ang number one lang dapat masabihan sa mga pobreng kababayan natin ay wag silang tatanggap ng P5,000, P10,000… tapos may waiver ka na… so kailangan din talagang iikutan namin yan,” he stated.
Cases
Meanwhile, a graft case stemming from the oil spill is pending earlier than the Office of the Ombudsman whereas a falsification case is pending earlier than the National Prosecution Service.
According to Vasquez, the DOJ is looking for to file one other“major” case.
“We have to be very careful with that dahil non-bailable nga,” he stated.
“May potential na susunod pa. Kasi kung makikita naman namin na medyo tagilid, wag na. Wag mo na pilitin,” he later added.
According to Vasquez, there was additionally a P370 million administrative penalty that could be imposed towards the proprietor of the MT Princess Empress.
Vasquez additionally stated the DOJ has created a Maritime Disaster Task Force that goals to analyze all maritime incidents prior to now 10 years.
“Right now we have opened the stage for the revival of these cases, at least man lang on the fact-finding side. At kung may makita kaming basehan para mag file ng kaso, mag fa-file kami ng kaso,” he stated.
MT Princess Empress sank off Najuan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28 whereas carrying 900,000 liters of commercial gasoline. — DVM, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
