Marina executives fired over MTKR Princess Empress oil spill

Disaster at sea In this photo taken on March 16, 2023, a team of experts from the Japanese Disaster Relief Organization helps the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) control the oil spill from the MT Princess Empress tanker that sank in the waters of Oriental Mindoro. —PCG Photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation has ordered the dismissal of a top executive of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) over the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro caused by the sinking of the MTKR Princess Queen last February.

In a letter to Marina Administrator Sonia Malaluan released to the media on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Marina District 5 Director Jaime Bea “has committed gross misconduct, gross dereliction of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service in his responsibility for causing this incident.”

“Shipwrecks have happened before and no one was held accountable. This time, all parties, private and public, will be held accountable. There will be no exceptions,” Bautista said.

read: DOJ backs investigation into Mindoro oil spill

He ordered Malaluan to immediately execute Biya’s dismissal order.

“The rule of law, good governance and best practices must prevail across the sector and its agencies,” he said.

He said Bea’s role in the sinking was to sign and approve the certificate of title/Philippine registration for the MTKR Princess Empress, which was in direct violation of the established rules and procedures regarding the registration of drifters.

“Director Bea also failed to maintain the integrity of the domestic shipping sector’s processes and failed to implement the provisions of the Citizens Charter, which allowed Marina Regional Office V Engineer Joe Buban to process documents that were beyond the scope of his duties,” he said.

He said Biya’s actions caused “millions of pesos in losses to the government in its response” while also damaging “Marina’s image and integrity.”

On February 28, 2023, the MTKR “Queen Princess” tanker sank in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, causing an oil spill in the waters of Antique, Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, and Palawan.

According to the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, the environmental damage caused by the oil spill is estimated at PHP7 billion.