Mindoro oil spill has reached Palawan

The oil spill from a sunken tanker in Mindoro has reached the shores of Taytay, Palawan, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday.

SOME 14,000 needy fisherfolk and other individuals affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro are targeted as beneficiaries of the government’s cash-for-work to be implemented through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In another development, the PCG led a massive cleanup of the affected shore lies in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

In a Facebook post, the PCG said they received information from Barangay Casian captain Norbert Lim and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of Taytay that traces of oil were seen on their coastline.

PCG checked on the area and confirmed that the oil were from the oil spill in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

After an assessment, clean-up was started to protect the residents from any health concerns.

There is more than 159 nautical miles or 295 kilometers distance between shores of Barangay Casian in Taytay, Palawan and the water of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government sent eight disaster response team personnel to aid in the clean-up of the oil spill incident in Mindoro, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said.

A courtesy call was requested by the Japan Disaster Relief Expert Team to the Philippine Coast Guard to address the needs for oil spill response operations for the sunken oil tanker in Oriental Mindoro.

It will be led by Nihei Daisuke, Minister of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

The eight personnel of the Japanese disaster relief team is composed of two members of the embassy, five from the Japan Coast Guard and one from Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Additional equipment such as oil snares, oil blotters, and oil-proof working gloves also arrived together with the Japanese disaster relief team.

The PCG briefed the volunteers about the risk associated with the oil spill and the proper attire to wear, and handling of the spillage.

The Philippine Army, the Philippine Maritime Group, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Provincial Health Office, and the volunteers supported the joint simultaneous oil spill shoreline clean-up at Barangays Tagumpay, Misong, Buhay na Tubig, and Calima in Pola.

Approximately 30 bags of oil debris were collected during the initiative.

DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said the government will prioritize fisherfolk affected by the current fishing ban, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) members, and other indigent individuals.

“Mag-start ito ng March 15. Ngayon nasa validation and verification tayo ng mga isinumite na pangalan na maaaring mapasama sa ating programa,” said Lopez at a televised public briefing.

(It will start on March 15. We’re now validating and verifying the names submitted for the program.) “Maaari po natin itong i-extend kung talagang kakailanganin dahil ang mahalaga dito hangga’t di nagno-normalize ang situation ng ating mga kababayan ay naalalayan natin sila,” he added.

(We can also extend the program if needed. It is important for us to aid the residents until the situation in their area normalizes.)

Participants will receive P355 per day, the minimum wage in Mimaropa, according to the DSWD official.

“Bukod sa cash-for-work program, mayroon din po tayong emergency cash transfer sa higit 1,000 na indibidwal para sa Agutaya, Palawan, na apektado rin ng nangyaring oil spill sa parte ng Naujan sa Oriental Mindoro,” he said.

(Apart from the cash-for-work program, we also conducted an emergency cash transfer to over 1,000 individuals in Agutaya, Palawan, who were affected by the oil spill off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.) Macon Ramos-Araneta

Several provinces, including Oriental Mindoro, Antique, and Palawan, were affected by the massive oil leak from the submerged MT Princess Empress. The motor tanker sank on February 28 while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel. All 20 people onboard were rescued.

Lopez said the DSWD had already distributed P6.3 million worth of humanitarian aid to the affected provinces, apart from the food packs they have been distributing every four days.

He also said the agency allocated P2.1 billion worth of stockpiles and standby funds, of which P778.5 million is available in their main office.

According to PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, the cleanup drive was launched on orders of Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu.

Sen. Bong Go has asked the government  to hold accountable owner of ship-MT Princess Empress that caused oil spill in Oriental Mindoro and ensure the safety of affected communities.

He aires his  concern for the health and safety of those affected by the oil spill caused by the sinking of a motor tanker off Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro on February 28. He also noted that the impact of the spill extends far beyond just the affected individuals, as fish and other marine life could be contaminated by the oil, potentially harming anyone who consumes them and the ecosystem as a whole.

For her part, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda called on the concerned Senate committee, with the cooperation of all government agencies, to immediately conduct an inquiry on the environmental, health, and tourism impacts of the recent oil spill.

She raised alarm over the serious detrimental effects of the recent environmental disaster on dozens of designated marine sanctuaries.

She will filed a Senate Resolution to urged  a whole-of-government approach through the DENR), DOH, DOT,Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and other to addressing the adverse effects of the oil spill.

“I call on all our government agencies to implement speedy actions on the harms caused by the recent oil spill to reduce damage to our ecosystems and fishing grounds, to ease off its effects to coastal towns, which are reliant on fishing and tourism for income, and most importantly, to secure our kababayans’ health and safety,” said Legarda.

Earlier, Sen. Cynthia A. Villar filed Senate Resolution No. 537 to investigate the oil spill from the sunken tanker.

Villar’s proposed measure wants to inquire into the negative impact of the oil spill.

The ship was enroute route from Limay, Bataan to Iloilo with 800,000 liters of industrial fuel, when it encountered rough seas, developed, engine trouble that resulted to the ship’s sinking off the coast of Nauajan, Oriental Mindoro last February 28.

Although the DENR), the Philippine Coast Guard and the Office of Civil Defense have assessed  the oil spill incident, Villar noted no concrete action to contain it  has been initiated.

She cited urgent  call by the local government units concerned, the people affected and the environmentalists for the government to act swiftly to contain the old spill and avoid further damage to the environment, livelihood and health of the people, and the tourism industry.

Reports from UP-Marine Science experts showed the oil spill from could possibly affect over 36,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass across Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique.

Villar, chair of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources said the oil spill also threatens the marine biodiversity of the Verde Island Passage, considered by the scientist as the center of the world’s marine biodiversity.

She also said there  were already findings of dead fish, other marine lives and sea birds.

“The oil spill has likewise affected the tourist destinations in Oriental Mindoro, such as the Bihiya Beach, 3 Cottage, Long Beach K.I, Aguada Beach Resort, Oloroso Beach Resort, Munting Buhangin Tagumpay Beach Resort, and Buhay na Tubig White Beach Resort in Oriental Mindoro, and even threatens to affect Boracay, the country’s premiere tourist destination,” she said.

“Apart  from the environmental damage to the marine ecosystem, biodiversity, fisheries and tourism, the livelihood and health of the people in the area are already adversely affected by the said oil spill,” she added.