A marine conservationist on why the Mindoro Oil Spill is especially dangerous: 'The oil is very heavy and sticky'

It's been more than one month since the MT Princess Empress, carrying around 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil, sank in heavy seas.

No less than 30,000 families have been affected by it, some 191 persons have gotten sick from it, and fishing has been suspended in several areas, affecting livelihoods of fishermen.

It's reached as faraway as Palawan's Taytay town, with the oil spill heading toward Verde Island Passage, which marine conservationist Robert Suntay, on The Howie Severino Podcast, describes as the "center of the center" of marine biodiversity in the world. 

"I think maraming nakakaalam na 'yung tinatawag nating Coral Triangle, that's the most marine biodiverse area in the planet," he began. Six countries, including the Philippines, make up the Coral Triangle.

But in the middle of the Coral Triangle is an even more biodiverse area. "Only three countries are part of it. Tawag du'n Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape: Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia," he continued.

"Pero 'yung pinaka-bull's eye, the bull's eye, tawag nga ng scientists, 'center of the center' 'yun 'yung Verde Island Passage," he said. 

"Dahil sa napakakumplikadong agos in the Oriental Mindoro area, much of the spill itself has been concentrated there," he added.

While there are many cleanups, with teams from South Korea and Japan coming in to help, Suntay says this is no ordinary oil spill and as such, it requires no ordinary cleanup, too. 

"The particular kind of diesel fuel that's been carried, is very hydrocarbon infused. The oil is very heavy and very sticky. Ang hirap linisin. Talagang dumidikit sa bato, sa coral, sa buhangin, sa seagrss, sa mangroves," he began.

"To top it all off, very toxic yan sa human beings. It can affect our heart, our liver, our kidneys. It's even carcinogenic," Suntay continued.

Unfortunately, that just damage on the surface. "Ang mas nakakatakot pa, ang hindi natin nakikita," he said.

According to Suntay, the oil that's been floating in the water for more than one month is already being eaten by the larval fish.

"Yung bogong panganak na fish. So lahat yan, namamatay. Yung hindi namamatay, kinakain ng ibang fish...and eventually, tayo yung kakain nnun, diba? That's why we have this controversial fishing bans," he explained.

But even then, what of the long-term effects? 

"Even if say a month or two months from now, mabigyan na ng clearance to resume fishing, 'yung long term effects we don't know," he said. "Kasi 'yung nakain ng mga larval fish, 'yung nakain na ng ibang fish, we don't know what the long term effects of that are going to be."

Because the oil is still "just leaking out. There are no attempts to either plug the hole or suck out the oil," Suntay suspects the Mindoro Oil Spill will have more dire negative consequences than the Guimaras Oil Spill from 2007. — LA, GMA Integrated News