Empress oil leak slows down

MANILA, Philippines — There is “good progress” in the response to the oil spill from the sunken tanker Princess Empress following bagging operations conducted by remotely operated vehicles from Japan and the United States, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Oil discharges from the Princess Empress have started to slow down as the leaking areas decreased from 23 on March 20 to 11 on April 2, Vice Admiral Rolando Punzalan Jr., PCG deputy commandant for operations, said.

“Eleven na lang yung visible na may discharge and intermittent… Nag-slow down na yung discharges. It gives us ample time to continue with shoreline cleanup and determine the next phase,” Punzalan said.

He said the next steps after bagging operations are siphoning and hot tapping.

Despite the threat of the oil spill, Oriental Mindoro’s top tourist spot Puerto Galera remains open, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco reiterated as she visited the area yesterday.

Frasco joined a scuba diving activity in La Laguna Point, a popular diving spot in Puerto Galera.

She said Puerto Galera remains “unaffected” by the oil spill from Princess Empress.

Frasco said her visit to the beach spot aims to encourage more tourists to continue visiting the destination and show support for the local government and tourism stakeholders of the town.

Data from the municipal tourism office showed that 18,757 tourists visited the island during the Holy Week break.

Pola mayor slams one-time claim offer

Meanwhile, Mayor Jennifer Cruz of Pola, Oriental Mindoro questioned the one-time offer of the insurers of Princess Empress for those affected by the oil spill.

In a radio interview, Cruz said she advised her constituents against filling out claims forms.

“I advised them not to sign as it was stated that once you apply for a claim, you can no longer apply if the effect of the oil spill will last for six months. I asked my constituents to read the provisions before signing as it is a one-time offer. You cannot file another claim,” she said.

Cruz said the insurance company has yet to respond to her query on the impact of the claim on the filing of cases against the owner of the sunken vessel.

In another radio interview, Center for Environmental Concerns Philippines Research coordinator Jordan Fronda issued a warning that the oil slick may reach other areas in Luzon and the Visayas.

“Based on our projection, the oil spill will persist until the sunken vessel is emptied. It is possible that the oil slick will reach major islands of Luzon, and even in the Visayas because of the volume of the oil,” Fronda said. – Bella Cariaso, Ghio Ong