Oil spill heads for Verde Island Passage

MANILA, Philippines — The oil spill from the sunken oil vessel off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro is threatening to reach the Verde Island Passage due to a weakening amihan, the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) warned yesterday.

In its latest bulletin, UP-MSI noted that with continuous release of oil from the alleged seepage

location, most of it would end up along the Naujan coast and Pola Bay in Oriental Mindoro.

“Some of the oil may flow northwards towards the Verde Island Passage by March 16, affecting coastal areas of Calapan, Verde Island, and some parts of Batangas,” said the UP-MSI.

Verede Island Passage, the body of water between Batangas and Mindoro, has the highest concentration of coastal fishes, corals, crustaceans, mollusks, seagrasses and mangroves. The VIP is also home to endangered and threatened species including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, whale sharks, manta rays, dugongs, humphead wrasses, giant groupers and giant clams.

“The oil spill threatens the global center of marine biodiversity located in the Verde Island Passage,” the UP-MSI said.

“Damage from the oil spill may affect biodiversity, including endemic species only found in the Philippines as well as species yet to be discovered, tourism revenues, and food security in the area.” it added.

Fish production likely down in Q1, Q2 – Pamalakaya

Meanwhile, fisheries output in the first half of the year is feared to decrease following the oil spill, prompting fishermen in affected areas to ask government for economic support and measures to counter a looming crisis.

In a statement, fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the impact of the oil spill will likely bring fisheries production down in the first and second quarters of the year.

The oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress, which started off Oriental Mindoro and has reached the provinces of Palawan and some parts of Panay Island, has already adversely affected the livelihood of fishermen in these areas.

“Fish production will certainly fall in the current and next quarter of the year if fishing is not immediately restored due to the continuous oil spill,” Pamalakaya national chairperson Fernando Hicap said.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said some 13,000 fishermen have been affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro alone.

Palawan, which has a significant number of fishermen and contributes to the country’s fish production, has also been devastated, the Federation of Free Farmers said.

The FFF cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which noted that Palawan and Oriental Mindoro contributed 86.79 percent and 2.57 percent to the regional fisheries production, respectively, in the second quarter last year.

The two provinces’ shares in that period translated to 59,895.53 metric tons in local fisheries production.

The FFF noted that there are more than 1,200 fishermen in Semirara Island in Antique who have been unable to fish for more than a week now, as reported by the Save Antique Movement, an environmentalist alliance to which Pamalakaya-Panay belongs.

“In this regard, we call for thorough preparation from the government following the possible impact of the oil spill on fish production. Importing fish to fill the possible shortage should not be the government’s solution, because it will further damage our local production and fishermen,” Hicap said.

“At the same time provide economic support to the fishermen affected by the oil spill, while strengthening the capacity of small fishermen in other areas to meet possible shortages in the affected provinces,” he said.

Earlier, Pamalakaya urged the government to prepare a contingency plan for potential ecological disturbances such as fish kills due to oil spill that adversely affects mangroves, coral reefs and sea grasses.

Seaweed farms suffer

As it stands, seaweed farms in Barangay Calawag, Taytay town, Palawan are already suffering from the oil slick, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported over the weekend.

“When the farmers examined their seaweed farms, the oil slick was attached to the seaweed,” PDRRMO Palawan head Jerry Alili said in a radio interview, noting that traces of the oil were first recorded two days ago in Barangay Casian, also in Taytay.

“Close to one drum was recovered during the cleanup drive, together with the Philippine Coast Guard and the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). More oil slick was discovered in Barangay Calawag, close to three or more drums of oil were removed as the slick reached close to four kilometers long,” Alili noted.

He said the local government is closely monitoring the situation as the next areas after Taytay are the municipalities of Araceli and Dumaran, Palawan.

He said the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) conducted water analysis to determine if the marine resources in the area are still safe for human consumption.

“We are constructing an improvised oil spill boom, using coconut husks around the seaweed production areas to protect the farms from the oil slick,” said Alli.

The DENR-EMB Region 4-B, Philippine Coast Guard and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office installed spill booms and absorbent booms along Calimawawa and Casilagan Rivers and the coast of Barangay Misong in Pola, Oriental Mindoro in hopes of containing the oil spill.

The DENR added that simultaneous sediment collection and coastal cleanup were conducted to reduce the impact of the spilled oil to the marine environment in the municipality of Pola.

DSWD provides aid, jobs

The Department of Social Welfare and Development led by Secretary Rex Gatchalian has started to provide cash-for-work (CFW) program to the affected residents of the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro.

As part of the CFW program, a total of 70 fisherfolk were deployed last March 10 in Barangay Batuhan, Pola to collect available materials in the community that will be used in making the improvised spill booms and oil absorbent.

Each beneficiary will receive the daily regional minimum wage every five days, for a total of 15 working days.

This was done by the DSWD through its Field Office Mimaropa in coordination with the DENR.

The DSWD also provided financial assistance to the affected residents through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation.

Some 1,116 affected families, 740 of which came from Barangay Algeciras and 376 from Barangay Concepcion, both in Aguyata town in Palawan, received P5,000 cash assistance with a total amount of P5,580.

Also, the distribution of family food packs and other non-food items to other affected communities is still ongoing.

As of March 11, the DSWD reported that a total of 30,042 families or 137,230 persons from 121 barangays in Regions 4-B and 6 have been affected by the oil spill. – Danessa Rivera Elizabeth Marcelo, Delon Porcalla