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Oil spill damaged 47 km coastal areas, 533 hectares of mangroves in Mindoro town —mayor


Oil spill damaged 47 km coastal areas, 533 hectares of mangroves in Mindoro town —mayor

The oil spill from sunken motor tanker Princess Empress has already damaged 47 kilometers of their coastal barangays, Pola, Oriental Mindoro Mayor Jennifer Cruz on Wednesday said. 

“'Yung 11 barangays natin na coastal area, 'yun ay 47 kilometers,” she said in a radio interview when asked about the extent of damage of the oil spill.

(The 11 barangays in the coastal area, that's 47 kilometers [damaged].)

“'Yung water area natin hindi ko alam kung gaano kalaki. Pero sobrang laki na ang damage dahil hindi makapangisda ang mangingisda. Hindi rin makasisid dahil namamatay na ang mga pusit. Ang mga turtles umaalis na rin,” she said in a radio interview,” she added.

(I cannot tell the extent of damage in the water area but it is already big because our fishermen cannot fish. They cannot also dive because squids are dying, and even turtles are leaving the area.)

According to Cruz, all the 533 hectares of mangrove areas have been affected by the oil spill.

Around 4,800 families were affected and half of them were fisherfolks, Cruz said.

In the tourism sector, Cruz said all the reservations at resorts have been canceled.

Due to this, Cruz said the local government unit (LGU) is planning a sustainable alternative livelihood for affected residents considering that the impact of the oil spill may last for years.

She said the Pola government only has around P600,000 quick response fund.

“Ilalatag nila sa akin by Monday at makikipag-usap ako sa fisherfolks natin. Ito ang hihingan namin ng budget para hindi kami laging nakaasa,” she said.

(They will present the plan to me on Monday and I will discuss this with our fisherfolk. We will ask for a budget for this so we would not just rely on other government agencies.)

Cruz said she is not expecting aid from the owner of the MT Princess Empress because they have yet to respond to the LGU’s concerns and considering the alleged lack of permit of the vessel to claim insurance benefits.

According to Cruz, the MT Princess Empress owner now only has 10 days left to respond to their concerns or else the local government will file a case against them.

Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor earlier said that almost a hundred thousand residents in the province have now been affected by the oil spill.

Dolor added that 122 residents in the province became sick because of the effects of the oil spill. Some of them had respiratory-related symptoms, while others experienced vomiting and diarrhea.

He expressed hope that the oil slick would no longer reach their other coastal barangays as only 13 out of the 77 areas declared under state of calamity have direct contact with the spill.

Motor tanker Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank due to strong waves on February 28. All 20 people on board were rescued.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the motor tanker sank 400 meters into the ocean, which was too deep for divers to reach.

An expert estimated that it would take six months to 1 year to finish the cleanup for the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, Cruz earlier said. —KG, GMA Integrated News

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