MOST of us are following the media coverage of a slow-moving disaster: the Oriental Mindoro oil spill. My attention was drawn to an appeal by Puerto Galera Mayor Rocky Ilagan to the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI). He asks that the UP-MSI be “responsible” in their projections, as they were driving away tourists bound for their beaches.

The peak season is already starting after all, and the locals are already anticipating the flock of customers in their towns. The institute, for its part, maintains that their projections are meant to help local government units prepare, and not be scared. Both sides have a point.

The fast facts tell us that the MT Princess Empress was supposed to carry 900,000 liters (240,000 gallons) of industrial fuel or black oil from SL Gas Harbor Terminal in Bataan to Iloilo. However, adverse sea conditions caused it to sink last Feb. 28, 2023. So now, its highly toxic cargo has been set loose, forming slicks in the sea and accumulating sludge on nearby shores.

Unfortunately, due to water movement and weather conditions, this deadly oil is bound to spread to nearby areas such as Batangas, Mimaropa and Western Visayas. And true enough, there are already reports about oil being detected in the Verde Island Passage. This is especially heartbreaking, as it is a world center of marine biodiversity that is also being pushed by various groups to vie for Unesco World Heritage Sites selection. Last March 23, the Philippine Coast Guard elevated its response to Tier 3, the highest, which requires national-level response and support from the international community.

It feels like yesterday when the Guimaras oil spill happened. It was in 2006 when the oil tanker MT Solar 1 spilled more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel into the waters and shores of the island. The tragic incident made it into history books as the worst oil spill in the Philippines. At that time, authorities said that the cleanup might take three years. About 20,000 fisherfolk had to stop relying on the only livelihood they had known, not counting the other families which also relied on nature’s bounty for everyday needs, and the animals and plants that were severely affected.

Thirteen years later, through strong will and great effort, Guimaras is finding itself back on its feet. Yet here we are again, 17 years after and just 300 kilometers away from the previous incident’s site, another toxin-bearing tanker sinks into the sea.

Are we to expect the ecological recovery from the oil spill caused by MT Princess Empress to take more than a decade, too?

More importantly, are we perpetually left to deal with problems in the long haul when these incidents could have been prevented in the first place?

Take, for instance, the case of MT Solar 1. The government probe held the owners, the skipper, maritime officials, and even Petron Corp. culpable for this ecological mess. If not for Petron “overloading the vessel that contributed heavily to the sinking of the ship,” if not for Capt. Norberto Aguro’s operation of the vessel despite having inadequate training, and if not for its owners’ non-compliance with policies and requirements to ensure the seaworthiness of their vessel — perhaps the spill would not have occurred.

As investigations into the MT Princess Empress reveal, a similar story of “if not for” is happening. According to Justice Secretary Boying Remulla, this vessel was a rebuilt scrap and was not intended to transport oil from the very beginning — though Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Hernani Fabia is apparently saying otherwise.

In another blatant disregard for sea policies, Marina claims that they did not issue any amendment to the certificate of public convenience (CPC) of the vessel’s owner. This means the MT Princess Empress should not have been sailing at all — especially with a deadly cargo.

It is hard not to think that lack of coordination, corruption, incompetence and neglect are often at the core of all these preventable disasters. It seems we did not bother learning from history.

One would think that, after the Guimaras fiasco, we would have stricter rules and regulations already in place to avoid such an incident from ever happening again. As an archipelago with a coastline of 18,000 kilometers and coastal waters of 266,000 km, the Philippines must have everevolving systems and mechanisms for strict regulation, readiness, risk mitigation and prevention of disasters like this in order to veer away from constantly scrambling for response.

This problem may not be resolved quickly. The public’s attention is welcome. But more than finding a scapegoat, we must fix how we govern. It is not too late to prevent the likelihood of a reprise of this incident by making sense of all the data we have gathered so far and not maligning scientists for speaking evidence-based facts and forecasts. I am reminded of Yuval Harari’s advice that when there is a deluge of information, “clarity is power.” The author of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century reminds us of the importance of the four Cs in pedagogy: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. “Most important of all, will be the ability to deal with change, learn new things, and preserve your mental balance in unfamiliar situations.” That is the responsibility of all sectors involved.

I can only hope that the Oriental Mindoro oil spill will be the last rude awakening for all of us.