Deadly cargo

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

It took a few days before it was discovered that the sunken MV Princess of the Stars was carrying tons of highly toxic pesticide.  The presence of endosulfan in the capsized vessel, which had the potential to be a major environmental disaster, effectively stopped rescue and recovery operations and at the same time drastically affected the livelihood of fisherfolk after fishing in the area was immediately banned.

Now, almost a full month after that fateful day when Typhoon “Frank” pummeled the seas of the country, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has raised an alert after discovering that MV Ocean Papa, a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Antique, was carrying 16 metric tons of toluene di-isocyanate, a carcinogenic toxic substance.

The owner of the cargo ship told the DENR and the Coast Guard that it was unaware of its deadly cargo because it was not marked properly.  They apparently only learned of the nature of the cargo when an importer of the substance sought permission from the DENR for another shipment because of the lost cargo of the MV Ocean Papa.

The shipment of toxic substances is not illegal, but in this case, the cargo was not properly identified and the only people who were aware of the toxic nature of the shipment did not even bother to notify the proper authorities that a potential environmental disaster had to be addressed when the MV Ocean Papa sank. If that act of omission and negligence is not criminal, it is certainly morally repugnant.  Whoever hid the true nature of the cargo from the shipper and the authorities must be held accountable for endangering human lives and the fragile environment. Furthermore, because the geography of our country makes us dependent on interisland shipping to move all kinds of cargo, toxic or otherwise, the government agencies involved must exert a more concerted effort to ensure full compliance with existing laws and regulations when it comes to the shipment of toxic cargo.*