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Probe on authority's negligence: Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino noted how laxity and negligence in the government’s regulation of the shipping industry could have led to the massive oil spill from the ill-fated MT Terranova last July 25. During the hearing of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change on Wednesday, August 14, Tolentino said stricter regulations and better protocols could have prevented the oil spill, as well as the sinking of two other vessels with questionable registration documents. “The government is the one who created the problem and the government is also the one looking for the solution. This is a circuitous calamity induced incident and the blame should always be attributable to the government itself,” Tolentino said. It was the senator who filed Senate Resolution No. 1084, which seeks to investigate the disasterl and determine its effects to marine ecosystem and biodiversity, and the livelihoods of 42,000 fisherfolk in Bataan, Cavite, Metro Manila, and neighboring provinces. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)