Mindoro oil spill reaches Palawan town

MANILA, Philippines — The oil spill from the motor tanker MT Princess Empress, which sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro, has reached Taytay town in Palawan, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

“Umabot na sa baybay-dagat ng Barangay Casian, Taytay, Palawan ang epekto ng oil spill,” the PCG told reporters in a Viber message yesterday. “Nang makumpirma ito, agad na sinimulan ng PCG ang assessment at paglilinis para maitaguyod ang kaligtasan ng mga residente.”

PCG personnel visited the affected area after receiving reports from barangay officials and the Taytay Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.

Barangay Casian is around 295 kilometers away from the waters off Naujan in Oriental Mindoro.

PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said four barangays in Pola town were severely affected by the oil spill.

”Dahil na rin iyong barko ay nag-drift sa tapat ng bayan ng Pola,” Balilo said during yesterday’s public briefing.

He said the oil spill has affected seven towns in Oriental Mindoro.

Meanwhile, the installation of an oil spill boom covering 1,363 meters in the waters off Barangay Tinogboc in Caluya, Antique has been completed, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported yesterday.

The oil spill had also reached Caluya town.

The DENR said the Environmental Management Bureau office in Western Visayas, concerned local government units and other agencies helped in the installation of the oil spill boom.

“At least 20 drums of oily wastes in Barangay Sibolo were collected,” the DENR said.

Simultaneous coastal cleanup drives were conducted in Pola and Naujan yesterday.

Japan disaster relief team arrives

As this developed, an eight-member Japan Disaster Relief (JDR) expert team arrived in  the country yesterday.

Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhito said part of the team are five Japan Coast Guard personnel, three of them belonging to the National Strike Team, another from an expert unit in oil removal and a member of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

In line with the request of the Philippine government, Koshikawa said oil blotters, oil snares and oil-proofing gloves are also set to be transported to the country.

”The Japanese government is ready to consider providing additional supplies once the JDR expert team confirms the need for more material and equipment,” he said.

Senate probe set

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda is set to file a resolution calling for a Senate  inquiry into the incident.

Legarda expressed concern over the detrimental effects of the oil spill on marine sanctuaries, including mangroves, reefs and seagrass beds as well as on tourism and the health of residents in the affected areas.

“I call on all government agencies to implement speedy action on the harm caused by the recent oil spill to reduce damage to our ecosystems and fishing grounds, to ease off its effects to coastal towns, which are reliant on fishing and tourism for income, and most importantly, to secure our kababayans’ health and safety,” she said.

Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel when it sank of the coast of Naujan town on Feb. 28. –  DM, Paolo Romero, Michael Punongbayan