The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said fish production will likely drop in the first half of the year due to the effects of the oil spill.
The group said the oil spill that started off Oriental Mindoro has reached the Palawan and some parts of Panay Island which account for a big percentage to national fish catch.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Pamalakaya said Palawan and Oriental Mindoro contributed 86.79 percent and 2.57 percent to the regional fisheries production, respectively, in the second quarter of 2022. This is equivalent to 59,895.53 metric tons of fish for the period.
“Based on BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) monitoring, there are around 13,000 fisherfolks affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro alone. Palawan is now also affected which has a significant volume of fishermen and contribution to the national fisheries production. Meanwhile, the island of Semirara in Caluya, Antique has more than 1,200 fishermen who cannot go offshore for already a week, said Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson.
Meanwhile, Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) and the Department of Energy have been working with the Philippine Coast Guard , Office of Civil Defense , Department of Health, local government units, and impacted residents in Semirara Island since March 4 to clean up and contain the oil spill from the sunken tanker in Oriental Mindoro.
The hazardous waste first reached the shores of Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique afternoon of March 3.
The oil spill currently covers almost 3 kilometers of shoreline stretching from Sitio Sigayan and Sitio Toong of Barangay Semirara and Sitio Sabang of Barangay Tinogboc, affecting 341 households who mainly rely on fishing for livelihood.
Responders from the multi-stakeholder group have so far recovered 4,590 kilograms of oil-contaminated wastes.
An oil spill containment boom has also been installed 1 kilometer from the shoreline to protect the reseeded giant clams in Semirara Marine Hatchery in Tabunan.
Meanwhile, the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED), said the no-fishing ban imposed in the aftermath of the spill is causing widespread effects on the economy of Oriental Mindoro.
“The fishing sector in the VIP (Verde Island Passage) area, which includes Oriental Mindoro, was valued at P11.8 billion in 2021. The impact is felt more than just by the fisherfolks.
This trickles down to other sectors including tourism which in 2019 generated P3.5 billion.
Even ordinary people who own sari-sari stores, tricycle drivers who transport tourists and resort workers have their livelihoods on pause now as their waters are poisoned by the oil spill,” said Gerry Arances, CEED executive director, in a separate statement.
Arances said the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines warned that the oil spill can spread further which can worsen the economy due to the loss of a whole sector’s revenue.
MT Princess Empress carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil, sank in the waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, causing a massive oil spill that caused the provincial government to declare a state of calamity for 77 coastal barangays.
The vessel is owned by RDC Reield Marine Services -Jed Macapagal
