Concerned Lawyers’ Statement on the Oil Spill Tragedy Cha Cha: Rocking The Boat In Tempestuous Times

Sharing with you highlights of the March 17 Statement of concerned lawyers on the oil spill tragedy.

They raise issues that we ourselves are asking and demanding from government: the immediate and effective protection of our ecosystems/our people/communities, our right to demand transparent/impartial investigation of the oil spill, accountability of those responsible for the oil spill, science-based/coordinated action/response to this environmental catastrophe, for the present/future generations, and more.

Let us join hands together with our concerned lawyers to have the oil spill immediately stopped/effectively managed and press for comprehensive, immediate assistance for all affected.

“We, concerned Filipino lawyers as citizens, strongly condemn the lackluster response of the government in addressing the oil spill contamination ravaging our seas, biodiversity, health and income of affected coastal residents in Oriental Mindoro.

This grave evolving environmental catastrophe has caused significant harm to the sacred ecosystems in the area, has affected the lives/livelihood of local communities who depend upon fishing/tourism for their income (and) posing serious health risks compromising the well-being of the people, the elderly/the women/and the children.

The protection/conservation of the Verde Island Passage, an ecologically significant/and one of the most highly productive ecosystems in the Philippines, should be a top priority for the government.

The government must take immediate and effective measures to address this ecological nightmare and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future by ensuring that our laws/regulations are strictly enforced.

This is a disaster of national and international proportions; thus, we urgently call on President Marcos to take immediate action, thoroughly assess the impact area and contain the oil spill, declare a state of national calamity in the affected areas to provide necessary relief/assistance to the affected communities.

Whole-of-nation actions are needed to address the urgent needs of affected communities, including providing adequate compensation/short-term/long-term health care/rehabilitation measures.

We demand a thorough/transparent/impartial investigation into this disaster, hold accountable those responsible, including those in agencies who were in dereliction of their duties.

To date, there is still incomplete information as to who owns the oil, what kind of oil(s) is/are present in the vessel, and what are the harmful impacts of contamination, among others.

The public has the right to know what happened, who is responsible, what measures are being taken to address the extensive damage caused by the oil spill, including the posting of a bond on the part of the polluters to cover containment/ clean-up costs/damages estimated thus far, and what punitive actions will be pursued to deter tragic/avoidable instances like this in the future.

Furthermore, the critical role of quick/timely/science-based/and effective oil spill response according to existing laws and guidelines cannot be overemphasized.

Also, a coordinated approach is necessary to address this national crisis, already provided for in the Philippine Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Act of 2010 (Republic Act 10121) and related laws.

More importantly, the local government units/coastal communities deserve to be heard, involved in decision-making and fully supported as the state of uncertainty looms in the hearts of their constituents.

The continuing pollution of our waters and destruction of critical marine habitats are clear violations of the people's constitutional right to a clean, healthy, and balanced ecology, and those responsible must be held accountable for their actions, omissions and negligence.

The Philippine Constitution declares that the State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.

Even the United Nations General Assembly declared the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right.

We urge the government to take swift and decisive action to ensure that the right to a clean, healthy, and balanced ecology is upheld and protected for the benefit of present and future generations of Filipinos.”

You don't rock your boat when it is sailing in turbulent waters. But the honorable Rufus Rodriguez, aided by the ruling class of the House, and the honorable Robinhood Padilla in the Senate, obviously following the political headways from the Palace, are going ahead full blast. They are palpably being unmindful of the welfare, interest and predicament of the very people they are supposed to serve.

Any Charter Change, whether economic provisions or political, whether Con Con or Con Ass, is very bad to the country and very destructive to the people's interests, especially at these very difficult times. The country has P13.7 trillion debts, Inflation is at an all time high, budget deficits are huge, prices of prime commodities are sky-rocketting, trade deficits are worsening, unemployment is rising, poverty incidence is at its worst. The Philippine peso is diving to its lowest ebb relative to the US dollars and no direct foreign investments are coming, despite all the bragging. Unemployment rate is rising like crazy and more than five thousand workers are leaving the country each day to seek dirty, difficult, dangerous and degrading jobs just to avoid starvation in the supposed land of imported onions, sugar and rice.

The people are suffering. The trapos are callous, insensitive and impervious to the social and economic pains of the masses. They want to change the Constitution just to allow their foreign masters to own lands and exploit our natural resources, to put our ancestral domains at the mercy of foreign predators. Several global and macro-economic factors are still shocking and derailing the post pandemic recovery efforts of the Philippine economy. A confluence of internal factors also are preventing direct foreign investments from coming to our country. The foreign investors are opting to prefer Thailand and Vietnam and the more investment-friendly economies in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Their policy frameworks are more stable and predictable and their governments are less corrupt and less inept. Now, the Cha Cha wants to shake the very foundations of our government and state, at a very perilous time in our history.

The country is not even capable of defending our territories from the blatant incursions and gradual annexation by the bully, China. We need to dance to the music of America in exchange for protection of the West Philippine Sea. We need to allow American military troops to reopen bases in our country because we believe that their presence is a deterrence to any Chinese invasion. We do not realize that precisely because of such bases, we are increasing the risks of an attack by China and its allies. The Cha Cha proponents are pushing for such a draconian move that could further divide the nation and shake the political foundations of our institutions. The proposal is bad and the timing is even worse. We are facing an impending famine or food crisis and natural disasters are expected to come intermittently to devastate the economy of the whole nation.

The House railroaded the passage of the Con Con bill and happily the Senate is not warm to the proposal. There are so many more important and more urgent bills that are waiting for legislative action. But the House chose politicking instead of addressing the more pressing needs of the nation and the people. The obvious rush being bamboozled by the House leadership is expedly enjoying the blessing of Malacanang. The favorite cousin, Speaker Ferdinand Martin would not be moving at such an urgent sense of rush if the Palace did not covertly approve such a move. And if Senate President Migz Zubiri would refuse to dance with the Music of the Palace, he may wake up one day being replaced by Cynthia Villar or Francis Tolentino.

The House which refused to increase the SSS pensions of ageing pensioners and the aid to the impoverished seniors, instead allocated 18 billion pesos to fund the biggest political zarzuela of the decade, the Con Con, promising, as if they own the money, to give ten thousand pesos a day to every Con Con delegate. They cannot even instruct the Regional Tripartite Boards to increase the minimum wage law to 750 a day, and they promise ten thousands to people whom Chief Justice Reynato Puno calls the factotum of the oligarcs, or the dummies of the ruling class. Senator Robinhood Padilla, who is the new expert in Constitutional Law in the senate, is batting for Con Ass and for limiting the area of engagement only to economic provisions.

Will somebody credible enough tell these trapos to come down from their ivory towers and see for themselves the sufferings of the people. The masses cannot eat Cha Cha. Even if we overhaul our Constitution, the people will still be hungry and angry with these kinds of leaders we have. Cha Cha is going to destroy the land and further exacerbate the pains of the masses.