The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that the owner of MT Terra Nova, its insurer, and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) are willing to compensate those affected by the oil spill following the tanker’s sinking in Limay, Bataan.
“Ginamit naming template iyong Mindoro oil spill at ang magandang balita doon ay automatically lumabas iyong may-ari ng Terra Nova at saka lumabas iyong insurer nila at saka iyong IOPC,” Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said in a news forum on Saturday.
“Kinausap na iyong governor ng Bataan si Governor Abet Garcia, tapos iyong pangalawa iyong Governor Jonvic Remulla, naman ng Cavite at they identified roughly 21 inhabitants of Bataan and 31,000 inhabitants of Cavite as probable claimants ng compensation. And the owner, the insurer as well as the IOPC already signified their readiness to pay,” Vasquez added.
Thousands of fisherfolks had been affected by the oil spill incident that reached nearby waters of Bulacan and several municipalities in Cavite.
The DOJ stated that they have already coordinated with Bataan Governor Abet Garcia and Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla to identify the number of probable claimants of the compensation.
Previously, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. formed an Inter-agency task force that will focus on addressing the possible effects of the oil spill from the Motor Tanker Terra Nova.
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) was tasked to lead the task force together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as its members.
