Ty: Seek compensation for Rizal river oil spill

House Deputy Minority Leader and LPGMA Rep. Arnel Ty asked yesterday the government to ensure that Rizal province residents who were affected by the September 8 oil spill in the Tagbak River should be compensated.

“We have legal guidelines imposing strict liability for oil pollution damage, and ensuring prompt and adequate reparation for affected people, including fishermen and farmers who depend on the tributary for livelihood and irrigation,” he said in a statement.

“If they suffered consequential loss of earnings, they should receive repayments,” Ty, who speaks for the minority in the House committee on aquaculture and fisheries resources, said.

He urged the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the local governments of affected barangays “to see to it that the victims are compensated and that the tainted waterways are reasonably restored at the polluter’s expense.”

Ty said the compensation of the affected residents should be pursued following the Sept.7 incident’s “damage to human health.”

The Tagbak River in the Rizal towns of Morong and Teresa drains into Laguna Lake, the country’s largest freshwater hole.

Solid Cement Corp., the Philippine subsidiary of Mexican multinational building materials firm CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V. (Cemex), said the slick came from a leaking fuel storage tank at its plant in Sitio Tagbak, Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City.

“Heavy downpour caused the leak to quickly reach the Kaynaog Creek leading to the Tagbak River,” said Chito Maniago, Solid Cement’s communications director.

“The safety of the community and the environment is our priority. We are on top of the situation to immediately resolve this incident. We will provide updates as soon as available,” he said.

Ty reminded the party accountable for the spill to pay for the clean-up operations as provided for by the Clean Water Act of 2004 and the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007.