Justice department assures no whitewash in oil spill case
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will resume its probe of the M/T Solar 1 oil spill today (Friday) to find out if officials of Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, Petron Philippines Inc. and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) could be held liable for the sea disaster.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation owned by Filipino and Japanese businessmen could be cited for violation of anti-dummy law.
A hold departure order was already in effect against the officials of said shipping company.
Earlier, the justice department filed a criminal complaint of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and damage to property against ship captain Norberto Aguro.
It was found out that Aguro was already aware that one of the tanker's compartments was already damaged while the ship was en route to Zamboanga. However, Aguro chose to push through with the risky trip instead of seeking shelter at Iloilo amid rough seas.
The initial findings were confirmed by some of the survivors. One of the survivors earlier told a radio interview that waters had already entered the ship when they sought shelter in Guimaras but after a brief stay in the island, the ship captain decided to leave the area and go on with the trip. The same survivor said at the height of the accident, the crew and the ship captain were arguing because of the latter's decision on what to do.
Gonzalez said Aguro's professional license has already expired and his Master Mariners's certificate is limited only to chemical tankers.
Petron's responsibility is also being looked into by probers. Initial result of the task force investigation showed that MT Solar 1 was overloaded when the accident occurred because Petron put additional personnel on board the tanker as convoy.
Only 16 persons are allowed on board but the ship contained 20 at the time of accident. The two persons who served as convoy survived in the sea mishap
MARINA's liability was likewise touched in the investigation currently being made by the justice department. Several MARINA officials may face charges for violation of ethical standards law for allowing a ship captain to practice despite an expired license.
The task force from the justice department was primarily created upon the orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to find out who was responsible and how to ensure similar accidents do not happen in the future.