Oil spill affects nearly 50K individuals
SEVENTY-SEVEN coastal barangays of nine Oriental Mindoro towns affected by the massive oil spill caused by the sinking of an oil tanker off Naujan town last February 28 have been placed under a state of calamity.
A resolution passed by the provincial council last Monday said the 77 coastal barangays are in the towns of Naujan, Pola, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao.
Gov. Humerlito Dolor, who chairs the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council, approved the resolution.
In a statement, the provincial information office “confirmed” the oil spill has reached the coastal barangays, affecting some 10,362 families or 48,885 individuals. It said biodiversity and ecology in 15 marine protected areas involving 763.53 hectares in four towns are also at risk.
The oil spill has so far reached the town of Caluya in Antique.
The Caluya town council also passed a resolution last Monday placing the town under a state of calamity. The town is about 70 nautical miles from where the MT Princess Empress sank.
Authorities, meanwhile, continued to exert efforts to prevent the oil spill from further spreading.
The MT Princess Empress, on its way to Iloilo from Bataan, sank after encountering engine trouble due to overheating, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
The vessel was transporting about 800,000 liters of industrial oil and 10,000 more liters of operational oil when it figured in the mishap.
Eight days after the tanker sank, some residents of coastal communities affected by the oil spill are now starting to suffer from dizziness and difficulty in breathing, according to the Department of Health.
In a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they have received reports of people experiencing difficulties in breathing as well as dizziness.
“We have recorded in Oriental Mindoro cases of difficulty of breathing, while one aggravated (his/her) asthma. This required the patient to be brought to the hospital,” said Vergeire. “There are also residents along the shoreline that experienced headaches and dizziness. All of these are, however, short term symptoms.”
Vergeire added they expect reports of vomiting, stomach ache, and diarrhea in the coming days.
“The symptoms the public can have will depend on their mode of exposure (to the oil spill),” she said and reiterated the agency’s call for vulnerable residents to temporarily evacuate.
“Those living within 100 meters from the affected areas cannot wear simple masks but rather industrial masks. We also need to relocate the elderly and those with respiratory ailments to areas farther from the oil spill,” she said, adding: “Those within 500 meters from the affected areas cannot drink their water. They have to be supplied with safe water by the local governments.”
HOUSE PROBE
The chair of the House committee on natural resources filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to look into the sinking of MT Princess Empress that caused a massive oil spill off Oriental Mindoro and nearby provinces.
Cavite Rep. Pidi Barzaga, in House Resolution No. 829, said the oil spill has affected 10 municipalities in Oriental Mindoro and could also reach other coastal areas, including Palawan, Antique and Romblon.
“Additionally, the oil spill might affect 20,000 hectares of coral reef, 9,900 hectares of mangroves, and 6,000 hectares of seagrass and could possibly coat the marine habitats and animals… which can clog the gills of fish and marine invertebrates… damage the feathers of bird and fur of marine mammals,” the resolution said.
The resolution cited the statement of the international environment group Oceana which earlier called on the government “to immediately implement mechanisms and actions to stop further damage on the marine environment, fisheries resources and livelihood in the affected Verde Island Passage which is the ‘center of the center of marine biodiversity in the world.’”
Last Monday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that it has found the possible site of the capsized vessel which is about 1,200 feet below sea level, a few days after the DENR deployed the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) BRP Hydrographer Ventura within the area of the oil spill site.
The DENR said the ship is located northeast of Pola, Oriental Mindoro but it is “believed to have moved southeast from its last known position where it completely submerged.”
DSWD HELP
More than P3.1 million worth of family food packs have been provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to communities in Oriental Mindoro and Antique affected by the oil spill.
This is on top of the P1.5 million worth of food and non-food items that were provided by the DSWD, local government units and some private partners to affected residents of Oriental Mindoro, Antique and Palawan, and the Cash for Work (CFW) assistance that would start next week in three provinces.
The CFW will be implemented in Bansud, Bongabong, Bulalacao, Gloria, Naujan, Pinamalayan, Pola and Roxas in Oriental Mindoro; Caluya in Antique; and Agutaya in Palawan.
“So, these two areas (Antique and Palawan), we are now working hard on making sure na may makakain iyong mga nakatira doon, whether it’s food packs or emergency cash transfers (So, these two areas (Antique and Palawan), we are now working hard on making sure that the people there have food to eat, whether its food packs or emergency cash transfers),” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
The DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) said a total of 15,861 families or 68,485 persons are affected in 96 barangays in Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique.
Gatchalian said the CFW program will last for about 15 days, with the beneficiaries set to receive wages based on the current regional daily minimum wage rate.
He said the department will continue to coordinate with concerned agencies and localities to ensure the needs of the residents affected by the oil spill will be sufficiently met.
ECONOMIC SUBSIDY
The fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) is seeking an immediate economic subsidy and livelihood support to fishing families affected by the oil spill.
“The effects of oil spill in fishing grounds are very grave. This will surely cause a drop in fish catch because of the destruction of coral reefs and mangroves that serve as home for fish. Both the local and national government should also prepare for a possible fish kill due to the contamination of water,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson, said in a statement.
Hicap added they are coordinating with members in Panay for damage and impact assessment of the oil spill to marine resources and coastal communities that will be submitted to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the DENR.
Pamalakaya also urged the government to order the owner of MT Princess Empress — RDC Reield Marine Services Inc. — to provide compensatory damages and shoulder the cleanup costs of the massive oil spill.
The BFAR said it has committed an initial allotment of P4 million to implement immediate and alternative livelihood assistance for fisherfolk while the provincial government enforces a fishing ban in affected areas.
In addition, BFAR, in partnership with the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, will also put into operation Kadiwa Oplan Isda, an existing project which supports fisherfolk by providing market linkages.
COLLISION
A landing craft and a motor tanker collided at the port of Amlan, Negros Oriental yesterday due to bad weather, the Philippine Coast Guard.
No one was hurt and no oil spill was monitored from the incident.
In a statement, the PCG said the incident occurred while one of the vessels, LCT Bato Twin 1, was maneuvering at the port.
“It hit MT Petro Helen due to strong wind and rough sea conditions,” the PCG said.
PCG said the port side railings of LCT Bato Twin 1 was damaged, adding the bow of MT Petro Helen was also damaged. — With Gerard Naval, Wendell Vigilia, Jocelyn Montemayor, and Jed Macapagal
