Oil spill-affected Mindoro fisherfolk file class suit vs polluters, fight for right to compensation

Fisherfolk of Oriental Mindoro filed a class suit before the Regional Trial Court demanding accountability from culprits of the MT Princess Empress oil spill that befell the biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage (VIP) nearly three years ago today. 

The complaint calls out the liability of MT Princess Empress shipowner RDC Reield Marine Services, Inc., charterer and San Miguel Corporation subsidiary SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, insurer The Shipowners’ Club, and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC), based on the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007 (RA 9483). 

The same companies were sent three demand letters from 2024 to 2025 by the fisherfolk-led group, which the polluters failed to respond to. 

More details at https://www.protectvip.org/post/oil-spill-affected-mindoro-fisherfolk-file-class-suit-vs-polluters-fight-for-right-to-compensation