The Department of Justice (DOJ) is now conducting an investigation and case preparation for the possible complaints to be filed against RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro water.
DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed that they already hold a written statement from a person knowledgeable about the incident.
"Hinahanda, alam mo 'yan, tawag namin diyan case buildup. We are sorting out all the evidence so that we can file the proper complaint, we can collate all the data necessary to build a case," the justice secretary explained.
"This will be filed by the legal office of the Department of Justice and we intend to do this by Tuesday, and sana tapos na by then ang ating pag-aaral. We will go over the weekend to study this case," he added.
The DOJ is investigating different angles including environmental damage, health risks, damage to biodiversity, and other related effects.
Meanwhile, Remulla said that the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) findings showed that the vessel is already 50 years old, which contradicted the owner’s claims that it was a 2-year-old vessel, and has undergone rehabilitation two times.
MT Princess Empress, which carried 800,000 liters of industrial, sank on February 28 near the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro in the MIMAROPA region.
