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Strengthen gov’t laws and policies: Sen. Cynthia A. Villar wants to strengthen government laws and policies that safeguard the environment and communities as she presides over the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change hearing. Villar conducted a hearing on Senate Resolution No. 1084 filed by Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino to investigate the issue of oil spill from M/T Terra Nova that capsized in Limay, Bataan in July and the alleged “paihi” or oil smuggling. During Wednesday’s hearing, August 14, 2024, Villar said the objectives of the committee is to determine and understand the impact of the incident, assess the effectiveness of the response efforts, and identify any gaps that need to be addressed; to determine whether there is truth to the “paihi” allegation to ensure transparency and accountability; and to consider long-term measures to prevent both oil spills as well as illicit activities like “paihi” from occurring in the future. “Our responsibility today is to ensure those at fault, if any, are held accountable and to strengthen our laws and policies to better protect our environment and the communities that depend on it,” Villar said. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)