Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 6) — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday received criminal complaints against 35 respondents from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the owners of the MT Princess Empress in relation to the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro and other areas.
Among the respondents facing complaints for falsification of public documents, use of falsified documents, and perjury are seven incorporators and directors of the oil tanker’s owner RDC Reield Services Inc. (RDC), six crew members, and 19 coast guards of different ranks.
The DOJ said Marina officials are also facing complaints over their alleged involvement in the falsification of certificates.
“Peke yung certificate of public convenience ng MT Princess Empress,” DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said in a press briefing. “Nalaman natin na falsified yung mga documents. May mga sinubmit yung RDC na documents na wala sa record.”
[Translation: The certificate of public convenience of MT Princess Empress is fake. We found out that the documents were falsified. There were documents submitted by the RDC that were not on record.]
Other allegedly falsified documents were certificates on construction, tonnage measurement, ownership, and Philippine registry, according to the DOJ official
Clavano said Marina and RDC officials \”conspired for the purpose of illegally registering the MT Princess Empress with false documents.\”
\”The captains of the vessel are liable as they are considered as general agents of the ship owner. The PCG is liable as they conduct pre-departure inspections for domestic oil tankers prior to voyage. And first and foremost on their checklist is to check the validity of the CPC,\” he added.
The CPC is an authorization issued to a domestic water transport service provider to operate a vessel for commercial or public use, for which no franchise is required by law.
Clavano further pointed out that the MT Princess Empress sailed 18 times since December last year until it ran aground Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28.
\”Every voyage of the vessel is considered one count of the falsified document,\” he said.
The complaint was lodged by the National Bureau of Investigation Environmental Crime Division, along with Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz, following the conclusion of the probe into those responsible for the sinking of the oil tanker that carried 900,000 liters of industrial oil.
The DOJ said environmental and graft cases may be filed “in a few weeks.”
PCG, RDC respond
The Coast Guard only accepted the documents submitted to them by the shipping company, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo argued.
“Meron tayong presumption of regularity, kami naman ginawa lang namin ang dapat gawin under the circumstances [We have a presumption of regularity, we just did what we had to do under the circumstances],” he told the media.
Balilo said they will wait for the official copy of the complaint before they could further comment.
Meanwhile, RDC maintained that the MT Princess Empress is a “newly built vessel that fully complies with all the requirements and procedures” set by Marina.
