The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has banned all vessels, except cargoes, within two kilometers from the shoreline of Manila Bay to prevent further water pollution.
DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said vessels crossing the two-kilometer periphery shall be penalized.
He said only vessels delivering sand would be allowed to dock near the bay’s shoreline following a spill of liquid waste in the area of the Manila Yacht Club from m/v Sarangani.
Meanwhile, Cimatu assured the public that the owners of the m/v Racal IV that sank off the town of Jasaan would take full responsibility for the oil spill incident in Misamis Oriental last April 3.
The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau in Northern Mindanao has already demanded the shipowners to foot the full cost of damages brought about by the incident.
“The incident should serve as a lesson for business owners to take full responsibility for the damages brought about by their operations near the country’s rich ecosystems,” Cimatu said.
Reynaldo Digamo, EMB region director, met with vessel owners
Sherwin Doctora and Lord Sanny Salvaña, along with the Philippine Coast Guard and the local government of Jasaan.
“It was agreed upon in the meeting that the owners should
compensate all the expenses, including the cleanup activities, as well as the transportation of the contaminated debris to the accredited treatment, storage, and disposal facility,” Digamo said in his report.