Solons seek full compensation for damages caused by oil spill

Lawmakers are calling on the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund to compensate in full all damages and related expenditures incurred by the Philippines in the August 11, 2006 M/T Solar 1 Oil Spill off Guimaras Island.

Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua, chairman of the House Committee on Ecology, and Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun lament that the Philippines has not received any compensation since the unfortunate incident happened.

"Cases were brought by the government to compensate for the damages incurred; and while the actual damages caused to the Philippines' biodiversity and natural ecosystem costs significantly more, the government only claimed the amount of 1326,570, 853.97, representing the expenses incurred in cleaning up the oil spill," they said.

They noted that IOPC offered to pay the Philippine government the amount of 1104,757,389 dispute.

"Over 12 years have already passed but the Philippines has not received any compensation, and to date, IOPC still offers to cover only 1104,757, 389.00," the lawmakers said.

Cua and Fortun filed House Resolution 2480 seeking full compensation from the IOPC Fund for the damages sustained and related expenditures incurred by the Philippines in the Guimaras oil spill.

"Over six municipalities, 46 barangays. 6,000 families, hundreds of small bays, peninsulas, coastlines and islands, and thousands of hectares of fishponds, marine reserves, coastlines, mangrove area, coral reef area, seaweeds plantation, and ecosystem were heavily impacted and directly damaged by the oil spill," Cua and Fortun said.

On August 11, 2006, the M/T Solar 1 sank in the Guimaras Strait, which caused over 500,000 liters of dirty fossil fuel to spill over the natural ecology of the region. in order to settle the