MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into a possible “conspiracy” related to the recent maritime disaster in Bataan, where three vessels leaked thousands of liters of fuel into Manila Bay.
“There are so many red flags dito [in this incident],” said DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
On Friday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla indicated that the DOJ is considering filing a class suit against those responsible for the oil spill. He also mentioned that the three vessels involved were “interconnected,” without providing further details.
Vasquez elaborated on Remulla’s statement, explaining, “‘Yan ang sinasabi kong red flag, pare-parehas na magkakadikit (That’s the red flag I’ve been talking about, they are all near each other).”
On July 25, the MT Terranova capsized and sank 3.6 nautical miles east off Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan, resulting in the death of one crew member. The vessel was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel.
Two days later, on July 27, the MTKR Jason Bradley sank off the waters of Mariveles, Bataan, while carrying 5,500 liters of diesel. It was also found to be leaking. Additionally, the MV Mirola 1 ran aground near the shore of Mariveles town, with oil seen leaking from its tanks.
“I think these are three to five nautical miles away from each other. We can draw a lot of conclusions from there,” Vasquez noted.
Authorities are questioning why the vessels sailed despite warnings of an approaching typhoon. “Maraming mga question pero ayoko pa sabihin sa ngayon kasi ongoing pa ang fact-finding… Maybe it’s conspiracy, maybe… who knows?” Vasquez said.
When asked if the DOJ is considering the possibility of a conspiracy in its investigation, Vasquez responded, “Titignan natin malamang… kasi makikita mo may mga red flags (We’ll look into it, of course… because there are red flags).”
Vasquez also mentioned that the “admissions” from the crew of the involved vessels raised concerns. He questioned the number of hours a vessel had been at sea, given its destination.
“Nung nagtatanong kami… sinabi na ganito lang ‘yung nalayag niya, ilang oras na siya. Bakit? Papunta siyang Iloilo eh, bakit ganun lang? (When we asked… they said they’ve been out at sea for quite some time already and yet the ship has not moved that much),” Vasquez said.
Asked if the sinking of the vessels was intentional, Vasquez replied, “Siguro, sa lahat naman ng investigation, we always look at the possibility na sinadya kasi mas mabigat ang liabilities eh (In all investigations, we always look at the possibility that it was intentional because the liabilities are heavier).”
“Kahit hindi sinadya ‘yan, still it could be a crime, ‘yung criminal negligence na tinatawag (Even if it wasn’t intentional, there could still be criminal liability),” he said.
However, Vasquez emphasized that “under presumption of innocence, we cannot make any conclusions at this point.”
The DOJ has tasked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with conducting a parallel investigation into the incident.