Ayala’s AC Energy, kinasuhan ng PCG dahil sa oil spill sa Iloilo City

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | July 11, 2020

Nagsampa ng kaso ang Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) laban sa Ayala firm AC Energy dahil sa nangyaring oil spill sa Iloilo City kung saan 400 katao ang kinailangang lumikas.

Ayon sa PCG, nalabag ang Fisheries Code o Section 107 of Republic Act No. 10654. Ang sinumang lumabag sa naturang batas ay kinakailangang magbayad ng P300,000 to P500,000 bilang parusa at maaaring makulong ng 6 hanggang 12 taon.

Saad ng PCG, "Commander Joe Mercurio of the Coast Guard Station – Iloilo, together with the Coast Guard Legal Affairs Team, found sufficient evidence to prove the negligence of said thermal energy company, its President, John Eric Francia, and Power Barge Number 102 Plant Manager Roberto Gambito that led to the oil spill incident in Iloilo City on 03 July 2020.

“It also displaced hundreds of families or 400 locals who peacefully reside in the said areas when the incident occurred."

Anila, nag-“explode” diumano ang AC Energy’s Power Barge 102 nu’ng July 3 na nagdulot ng kontaminasyon sa ilang lugar ng Iloilo City, Dumangas at Guimaras, gayundin sa isang ektaryang mangrove forest.

Dagdag pa ng PCG, “Let this incident be a reminder to all industry stakeholders that even the slightest negligence can pose direct or indirect threat on the health and safety of the people, as well as living and non-living aquatic resources.”

Samantala, ayon sa Facebook page ng AC Energy, “Experts and volunteers have been working round-the-clock to clean-up and mitigate the environmental impact of the spill, rebuild the coastline and most importantly, allow the residents to go back to their homes.

“Apart from the coordinated efforts with government agencies and leading maritime service provider, Harbor Star, as well as the assistance of several industry players, hundreds of volunteers have stepped up to help remediate the effects of the spill.”