Oriental Mindoro oil spill

The National Bureau of Investigation files before the Department of Justice a complaint over the Oriental Mindoro oil spill. Among those named as respondents are officers of the RDC Reield Marine Services owned by the Cabial family, owners of the sunken oil tanker. — The STAR/Marc Jayson Cayabyab

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has recommended to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos the sharing of fishing grounds with affected areas due to the oil spill incident in Oriental Mindoro last February.

In a statement, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. says the department and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources “will adopt a cluster approach to ensure that all affected fisherfolks will have a place to go and congestion in one fishing area will be avoided.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco advises tourists that Oriental Mindoro also hosts a wealth of tourist attractions that they can enjoy, besides swimming and water sports.

Adventure-seeking tourists for example, can hike up Mt. Malasimbo, enjoy the scenic Tamaraw waterfalls–just one out of the many breathtaking waterfalls in Oriental Mindoro, explore the Puerto Galera Mangrove Conservation and Ecotourism Area, and visit the Iraya Mangyan Village to immerse in the rich and colorful culture of the Iraya Mangyan.

“The Department of Tourism (DOT) notes that while the joint statement of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) advised against consumption of water in affected areas of Puerto Galera and which the DOT also relayed to the public, the DOH in a subsequent announcement advised against partaking in recreational water activities in the said affected areas though without attributing the contamination directly to the recent oil spill. Therefore, we wish to highlight the plethora of offerings that this beautiful town and Province has to offer particularly to nature lovers and adventure seekers,” says Frasco.

The Philippine Coast Guard says their agency and the Department of Science and Technology are collaborating as the government investigates the Oriental Mindoro oil spill.

“The PCG-DOST collaboration aims to improve investigation through laboratory analysis in oil biomarker fingerprinting through the DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute and confirm the suspected source of oil that reached the coastlines of Oriental Mindoro, Antique, and Palawan,” the PCG says in a statement.

The two agencies conducted oil sampling in offshore and shoreline operations to verify oil weathering characteristics. Collected samples shall be used to “identify the specific bacteria present in the environment, culture local superior oil-degrading bacteria, and monitor the fate of oil to provide clues for future oil spill events under Philippine conditions.”

The Inter-Agency Committee on Oil Spill holds a meeting at the Department of Justice on the situation of the leak from the sunken tanker off the waters of Oriental Mindoro, state-run PTV reports.

The Philippine Coast Guard reports that the agency joined a re-survey in Pola, Oriental Mindoro as part of the Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique.

During the program, PCG personnel “documented and verified the shoreline oiling conditions, spill's impacts on miles of affected shoreline, clean-up effectiveness, and final evaluation of shorelines to ensure they meet clean-up endpoints,” it says in a statement Sunday.

International aid continues to come in nearly a month into local efforts to contain an oil spill in Oriental Mindoro that has threatened livelihood in coastal areas as well as the vulnerable marine habitat of the Verde Island Passage.

The US Embassy in Manila announced on Friday that the US Agency for International Development will provide an additional P10 million in support to oil spill monitoring and response.

Part of the funding will be used to train fisherfolk affected by a fishing ban in waters affected by the spill to help with coastal habitat assessments as citizen scientists. — AFP

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines says the Korean government has sent a team from its coast guard to help in the clean-up efforts in oil-affected waters.

It adds that the Korean government will also provide:

• 20 tons of sorbet pads and snares
• 1,000 meters of solid flotation curtain boom
• 2,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor says MT Princess Empress that sunk off the waters of the province late February has been found.

In a Facebook post, he says it was located through the ROV aboard a Japanese vessel.

The University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute says in its March 18 bulletin that oil spill trajectories show that Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro may end up with “most of the oil” on March 2- to 22.

The Protect Verde Island Passage coalition is calling on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to intervene and make sure government agencies move to contain an oil spill in Oriental Mindoro that has reportedly already reached Calapan.

“The only way to achieve the President’s hope to clean up the oil spill in four months is to compel government agencies to direct all resources for containment. We are also in support of the consensus raised during the Senate hearing for the need to assign an oil spill response chief. Mr. President, the VIP is a crucial contributor to the Philippine economy. You must move now,” said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Protect VIP Convenor.

Gariguez, who is also the Director of the Diocesan Social Action Center of Calapan, is seeking more concrete plans from the national government as worries over the sustainability of the current assistance have surfaced.
 

At the Senate environment panel inquiry into the impacts of the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro from MT Princess Empress, the Office of Civil Defense says 68 areas have been affected by the incident.

It adds 122 people have fallen ill, 108,162 people in 118 barangays in Oriental Mindoro and Palawan have been affected.

Also, 13,588 fishermen have also been hit by the oil spill. — Xave Gregorio

Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko confirms that they will dispatch a Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) Expert Team to the Philippines, "in view of the amicable relations between Japan and the Philippines, on humanitarian grounds and for marine environment protection."

The team of experts is due to arrive on Friday and will help Philippine authorities, especially the Philippine Coast Guard, to look into the extent of damage of the oil spill and provide guidance on ongoing oil removal and control activities.

The JDR Expert Team consists of 8 members:

• 2 members from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines
• 5 members from the Japan Coast Guard, 3 of whom belong to the National Strike Team, an expert unit in oil removal
• 1 member from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Equipment such as oil blotters, oil snares, and oil-proof working gloves will also be sent to the Philippines.

Follow the latest updates on the oil spill from sunken MT Princess Empress off the coast of Oriental Mindoro.

Photo courtesy of Philstar.com/EC Toledo.