According to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the tanker was so old that it had already been
, contrary to claims that it was a new vessel. He said the MT Princess Empress was not built to be a tanker from the beginning.“Ah, sa bago yan, it’s newly-constructed. Hindi new ha? Newly constructed,” he said. “Eh, kung bumili ka ano na yan, yung new ibig sabihin it’s being— ano na existing. Pero ito naman newly-constructed, new from scratch,” he later added.Meanwhile, during the meeting, Environment Undersecretary Ignatius Rodriguez said initial calculations show that an administrative fine amounting to P471,000 per day from March 1 until the oil spill is resolved may be imposed on RDC.
He said this is because eight out of 10 samples examined by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed contamination.The meeting was attended by Remulla, Justice Undersecretary and Committee head Raul Vasquez, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, MARINA administrator Fabia, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Coast Guard Admiral Artemio Abu, Relly Garcia of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and others.