BY Jed Macapagal and Victor Reyes
THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has recommended that fishing bans in municipalities affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro be continued, saying initial analyses on food safety in affected areas are not yet conclusive.
The agency said water samples collected and analyzed from the affected municipalities of Bansud, Bongabong, Bulalacao, Calapan, Gloria, Mansalay, Naujan, Pinamalayan, Pola, and Roxas in Oriental Mindoro as well as in Caluya, Antique from March 9 to 12 showed minimal levels of oil and grease that is within the standard set by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources.
Fish samples collected and analyzed from the same areas from March 4 to 5 showed that low-level contaminants or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which is deemed harmful to humans and other living organisms, may accumulate in the flesh of marine organisms over time.
BFAR said it is continuously analyzing and monitoring the affected areas to establish time-series results on the impact of the oil spill with regard to food safety.
“Succeeding analyses should be considered to ensure seafood is safe for public consumption. Rest assured that the Bureau is fast-tracking the laboratory analyses without compromising the accuracy of data, which serves as the basis for its recommendations,” the agency said.
BFAR also said it has been assisting local government units, especially the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro, in terms of relief and livelihood aid since the onset of the oil spill.
The bureau has so far allocated P4.4 million of livelihood assistance in the form of post-harvest technology packages that will benefit ten fisherfolk associations and cooperatives or 689 families.
About P1.5 million has also been earmarked for food assistance to 5,000 affected fisherfolk in Mimaropa while P580,500 was spent to help displaced fishing groups in Western Visayas.
BFAR also deployed monitoring, control, and surveillance vessels as well as personal protective equipment and other materials for clean-up activities while additional interventions are also being prepositioned based on rehabilitation proposals from the oil spill-hit areas.
PCG CLEAN-UP
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it is making good progress in the clean-up of fuel oil that spilled from the sunken MT Princess Empress off Naujan in Oriental Mindoro.
However, PCG deputy commandant for operations Vice Adm. Rolando Lizor Punzalan Jr. could not provide an estimate as to when they could completely clear the oil slick.
“Based on our accounting, our progress is at 60 percent. So this is a good progress in our effort to clear oil in the affected coastlines,” Punzalan said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
MT Princess Empress sank last February 28 after encountering engine trouble due to overheating. It was transporting more than 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil.
Officials said five of the eight cargo tanks of the vessel suffered structural damage and are already empty. The three other tanks did not suffer structural damage but are leaking oil.
Punzala assured the public that PCG personnel, in coordination with personnel from other government agencies, volunteers and residents, are working hard to address the problem.
“In the coming days, maybe we will have a clear picture as to when, more or less, we can hit what we call the endpoint that we are aspiring,” said Punzalan.
“But as of now, as I have said, our operations on the ground are continuing,” said Punzalan.
In a statement, PCG said it has collected a total of 13,383 liters of oily water mixture and 139 sacks of oil-contaminated materials during offshore cleanup from March 1 to 29.
In its shoreline cleanup, the agency said 3,937.5 sacks and 22 drums of waste have been collected in 13 barangays in Naujan, Bulalacao, and Pola towns in Oriental Mindoro during the same period.
Meanwhile, Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor said the oil spill has already reached the towns of Baco and San Teodoro.
Dolor said grease and oil have been detected in marine protected areas in Baco and San Teodoro.
“This means it’s no longer safe to swim and it’s not safe to fish (in these areas) for now,” Dolor said.
DSWD AID
Around P1.5 million worth of assistance has been provided to communities in Batangas affected by the oil spill, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
This brings the total humanitarian assistance provided to 163 barangays affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro and Palawan in Mimaropa, Batangas in Calabarzon, and Antique in Western Visayas to P76.58 million.
A total of 36,658 families or 172,928 persons have been affected by the oil spill.
DSWD said that its Field Office IV-A Calabarzon, in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of Batangas City, facilitated the distribution of 1,762 family food packs (FFPs) to affected fisherfolks and tourism industry workers in six barangays of Isla Verde.
Before this, DSWD prepositioned 9,000 food packs to the local government units (LGUs) of Nasugbu, Calatagan, Balayan, Lemery, Lian, and San Juan.
Data from the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) showed that 1,767 families or 7,740 individuals in six barangays in Batangas have been affected by the oil spill.
DSWD said it is now in the process of downloading funds to the local government units in Batangas province for the implementation of the 15-day work under the Cash-for-Work (CFW) program.
As of yesterday, DSWD said 10,417 beneficiaries of the cash-for-work program (CFW) from Oriental Mindoro and Palawan have received financial assistance amounting to P41.6 million while 800 people from Antique benefitted from the P5.053 million worth of financial assistance under the cash for Work program.
DSWD said it has also released P25.082 million in financial assistance under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), which benefitted 9,667 beneficiaries in Oriental Mindoro and Palawan. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
