House probe sought on Sunken Empress

MANILA, Philippines — The chairman of the House committee on natural resources is seeking an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sinking of oil tanker M/T Princess Empress in the waters off Oriental Mindoro.

Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of Cavite on Monday filed House Resolution 829 so his panel could start an investigation in aid of legislation on the maritime accident that caused a massive oil spill affecting 10 municipalities in the province.

The Empress was loaded with 800,000 liters of fuel when it capasized in the waters off Naujan on Feb. 28.

“The oil spill might affect 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves and 6,000 hectares of seagrass as well as coat marine habitats and animals,” the resolution read.

A marine science expert said it would take decades before corals and seagrass recover from an oil spill.

Irene Rodriguez, associate professor at the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI), said at least 36,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass would be possibly affected by the oil slick from the Empress.

“For mangroves, it will take at least three to five years as mangroves are more resilient. For corals and seagrasses, it will take longer to recover, decades, unfortunately,” Rodriguez said in an interview with One News’ “The Chiefs” aired over Cignal TV/TV5.

She said the management of the Empress has tapped two companies in the Philippines to clean up the oil spill.

Rodriguez said the cleanup would require a larger operation compared to the 2006 Guimaras oil spill.

“The 2006 spill involved 500,000 liters of oil. We are now confronting 800,000 liters. In terms of response, we should be more proactive and involve different sectors of the society,” she said.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is providing an initial amount of P4 million in livelihood assistance for fishermen affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro.

The assistance will come in the form of post-harvest training and equipment, particularly 10 units of smokehouses for fish processing.

Raw materials for fish processing will be sourced from Occidental Mindoro and other areas not affected by the spill.

The Department of Health said residents living within 100 meters from the affected area, particularly the elderly and those with respiratory diseases, should be relocated.

It advised residents to wear industrial masks that were given to them, and not surgical masks. – Rhodina Villanueva, Danessa Rivera, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Robertzon Ramirez