Seeking SMC’s "Conscience" – And Accountability – In The Mindoro Oil Spill Tragedy

On February 28, 2023, the MT Princess Empress, carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil from Limay, Bataan, to Iloilo, capsized off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, resulting in a catastrophic oil spill.

Investigations revealed the involvement of a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, in chartering the vessel responsible for the spill. I Photos: San Miguel Corporation / Presidential Communications Office

This incident impacted approximately 162.6 square kilometers of area and 74.7 km of shoreline, affecting the waters, marine life, and ecosystems in provinces including Antique, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, and Palawan.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that over 43,699 families or 200,244 individuals were affected in various provinces, with

Oriental Mindoro alone saw more than 99,000 people affected. The spill led to illnesses among residents, with symptoms such as dizziness and eye irritation reported. Moreover, the socio-economic losses and environmental damages were estimated to be around ₱41.2 billion.

The spill occurred in Tablas Strait, a crucial waterway serving as a major shipping route in the Philippines, affecting significant ecosystems and marine habitats.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported damage to up to 5,185 hectares of marine habitat in Oriental Mindoro and Western Visayas.

It was estimated that at least 21 marine protected areas were heavily impacted, with concerns raised by environmental groups about the long-term recovery of damaged ecosystems.

Investigations revealed the involvement of a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, in chartering the vessel responsible for the spill. Despite calls for accountability from various groups, SMC has been criticized for its perceived lack of response and accountability in addressing the tragedy.

The group Protect Verde Island Passage (Protect VIP), headed by Fr. Edwin Gariguez as the Lead Convenor, issued a strongly-worded statement in March of 2023 entitled, “POLLUTER MUST PAY: STATEMENT ON THE INVOLVEMENT OF SAN MIGUEL CORPORATION IN THE OIL SPILL IN VIP.”

The statement read:

San Miguel Corporation is one of the biggest conglomerates in the Philippines and has now earned notoriety as the culprit behind what is shaping up to be one of the biggest oil spills in the country’s history.

SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, a subsidiary of San Miguel Shipping and Lighterage, chartered RDC Reield Marine Services to ship the 800,000 liters of industrial carried by the tanker MT Princess Empress that sunk off the coast of Oriental Mindoro.

Frighteningly, the oil spill is projected to impact more areas of the Verde Island Passage including Batangas.

We condemn the silence of San Miguel Corporation in its role in the MT Princess Empress tragedy and for the audacity to cover up its involvement with a mere cleanup drive to address the oil spill…

SMC cannot be trusted with safety as long as it remains chained to the fossil fuel industry.

We hope that this time around, SMC will be called into account for its role in the MT Princess Empress oil spill, as stated in the Revised Rules on Prevention, Containment, Abatement, and Control of Oil Marine Pollution of the Philippine Coast Guard Memorandum Circular No. 01-2005.

With SMC as the charterer, it is generally considered as the owner of the vessel and the spiller. This puts on SMC the responsibility to pay up. SMC must pay at least PHP70,000,000 cash bond – PHP50 million for clean-up and containment and PHP20 million for damages and payment to impacted communities.

A subsequent statement in June 2023 stated, “San Miguel Corporation, a prominent corporate giant in the country and the culprit behind this devastating spill, still refuse to accept accountability for this tragedy.

To date, the people who have been affected by the oil spill continue to seek SMC’s ‘conscience’ and accountability in the tragedy."

They still ask: Does this company just insatiably continue to expand, accumulate wealth and fortune, and take on more businesses, without bothering to extend assistance to victims of tragedies which involve it in any way, and to own up to responsibility so as to pave the way for its undertaking of corrective measures?”

They have the right to ask that. And it is in fact a very legitimate and necessary question especially as SMC indeed takes on more businesses, including very socially-sensitive ones such as roads where hundreds of thousands of people traverse, airports, power plants, etc.