A remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) deployed by a Japanese ship has located the MT Princess Empress that sank off Oriental Mindoro last February 28, which will pave the way for authorities to deal with the massive oil slick that has impacted livelihood and destroyed ecosystems in various areas.
“Finally, MT Princess Empress was found. It is the first time the sunken vessel was sighted through the ROV,” Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor said in his Facebook page yesterday.
“This is going to serve as (a) basis in coming up with a concrete plan (on) how to recover the oil that may be still inside (the sunken vessel) and how to cover the holes,” he added.
The ill-fated tanker, carrying 900,000 liters of industrial fuel, sank after it developed engine trouble on its way to Iloilo from Bataan.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the ship was located 7.7 nautical miles from Balingawan Point in Naujan town. A PCG official said the vessel was about 400 meters below sea level.
The ROV Hakuyo was deployed by the Japanese positioning vessel Shin Nichi Maru last Monday shortly after it arrived in the province.
The vessel was hired by the RDC Reield Marine Services Inc., the owner of MT Princess Empress, to help address the oil spill problem.
Dolor showed to media members some of the videos and pictures taken by the ROV during a press conference in Oriental Mindoro.
In a statement, the PCG said concerned agencies, including the owner of the sunken ship, will meet soon to discuss the next course of action.
Dolor said they expect the Japanese experts to submit a comprehensive report in three to five days.
“Some of the ways forward is to determine and analyze what’s inside the vessel, if there is a hole that needs to be covered, and what additional equipment is needed,” Dolor said.
Last Monday, PCG officials confirmed the oil slick has reached Verde Island in Batangas City.
US COMMITMENT
The United States government has committed to send naval units and humanitarian and disaster response teams to help clean up the oil slick that has affected parts of Southern Tagalog and Western Visayas, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said yesterday.
In his report to President Marcos Jr., Galvez said he spoke with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last Monday night, with Austin saying the US is committed to help in coordination with Japan and other countries.
He said Austin assured him the US will deploy naval units to help in the clean-up operation and send a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) team “to help and provide assistance in managing the oil spill.”
He said he mentioned to Austin that some of the exercise scenarios in the forthcoming Philippines-US Balikatan exercises will become “real life” and “actual HADR” as the operations would be relative to the oil spill.
Galvez said the Philippines will also continue to seek the expertise and technical support of other partner countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, in containing the oil slick.
Galvez said the PCG has been briefing foreign groups assisting in the ongoing clean-up operation while the Oriental Mindoro LGU has committed to provide daily subsistence needs (meals, medicines, and vitamins) of the PCG team conducting off shore oil spill control measures and provided the personal protective equipment (PPE).
Climate Change Commissioner Albert Dela Cruz Sr. has warned against the use of chemical-based dispersants to break down the oil and help clear the affected coastal waters, saying this could cause problems in the future by causing harm to the marine ecosystem.
Dela Cruz said dispersants will break the oil into smaller droplets which could mix with water and push it underwater, affecting the marine environment and ecosystem.
The government is also coordinating with the International Tankers Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPH) on the conduct of a massive clean-up drive, identification of the debris staging area, as well as the dumpsite.
Dela Cruz said that instead of using dispersants, a whole-of-nation and society approach should be pursued to clean the oil-spill affected areas and preserve marine biodiversity, especially in the Verde Island Passage area.
Calapan City, led by Mayor Malou Morillo, has produced more improvised spill booms made from rice straws, ropes, empty plastic bottles and sacks to protect the city’s waters.
AFFECTED FAMILIES
Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information (DSWD-DROMIC) showed that as of March 21, 32,661 families or 151,463 persons from 131 barangays in Mimaropa and Western Visayas regions have been affected by the oil slick.
A total of P46.34 million worth of humanitarian assistance from the DSWD, local government units, non-governmental organizations, and other partners, has been provided to the affected families.
The DSWD is currently implementing a 45-day cash-for-work program involving 7,198 families (including off-site), which started last March 6 while the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has started the 30-day Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program in Sibolo, Semirara, and Tinogboc in Caluya in Antique.
CRIMINAL LIABILITY
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday vowed there would be criminal liability for those who had been remiss in their jobs that led to the sinking of the MT Princess Empress.
Remulla made the statement after he visited Oriental Mindoro last Tuesday along with National Bureau of Investigation Director Medardo de Lemos and other officials to talk to local officials.
He said the DOJ has delivered subpoenas for “all the documents” that the department needs from other government agencies, such as the PCG and the Maritime Industry Authority, as part of its investigation on the incident and who should be held liable.
He said the DOJ also asked the Philippine Ports Authority to furnish documents on the ill-fated vessel before it sailed off.
“All the details of the oil spill, we want to get it because we think that there should be liabilities here, there should be criminal liability involved in this case,” he said.
He said the DOJ, in coordination with other concerned government agencies, are looking at possible legal actions to be taken against the owner/operator of the ill-fated vessel.
Remulla said the government is also looking at hiring remotely piloted vehicles (ROV) to speed up the clean-up of the oil slick.
Remulla said the clean-up drive should be “more aggressive” to prevent long-term effect and damage to the marine environment in the area.
TRACES OF OIL
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said preliminary findings from its studies in relation to the effects of the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro showed traces of petroleum products in water samples as well as low-level contaminants or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in fish samples.
The agency said the results of the analyses are not yet conclusive as far as food safety is concerned.
BFAR said in a statement yesterday that it collected water samples from different sampling sites from March 3 to 14. During the same period, the agency also collected fish samples from the municipalities of Naujan, Pola, Pinamalayan, Bansud, Gloria, Roxas, Mansalay, Bongabong and Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro.
Preliminary findings showed traces of oil and grease in water samples equivalent to 5 mg/L which is within the standard of 3 mg/L to 5 mg/L set by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources.
“The results of the analyses are not yet conclusive as far as food safety is concerned.
Further sampling and analyses are being conducted to establish time-series results on the effect of the oil spill on fish concerning food safety, taking into account the magnitude of the oil spill which has reached neighboring areas like Caluya, Antique and some municipalities of Palawan,” BFAR explained.
It added that it is still evaluating contaminant levels in water and fishery resources to determine if seafood is safe for public consumption and if fishing bans should be imposed or lifted by the local government units concerned.
In the meantime, the agency recommended the continued suspension of fishing activities in affected areas in Oriental Mindoro while separate tests on water and fish samples are also being conducted in Caluya, Antique, which has declared a fishing ban.
BFAR said it has allocated an initial budget of P6.4 million for livelihood and relief assistance to aid fisherfolk and their families cope with the loss of income due to fishing bans. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Ashzel Hachero and Jed Macapagal
