The Philippine Coast Guard has asked for help from stakeholders and other government agencies in containing the oil spill that has been causing environmental and health concerns for citizens of Oriental Mindoro and said they cannot say if they can resolve the problem in a month’s time.
According to the PCG commandant, CG Admiral Artemio Abu, the approach for the retrieval of the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress should be science-based, and a whole-of-nation approach.
“I do not want to speculate. Based on our experience in the sinking of MT Solar 1, the approach should be science-based. So, we call for the whole-of-nation approach, as the PCG is just a component. Let’s do this as one nation and it’s not our job alone,” Abu told reporters.
He further asked for the help of the local government units of Oriental Mindoro in resolving the oil spill.
“We call for their understanding. The community is the one who can see what is happening in their locality so they can help in cleaning their areas. Let us do our part. If we can contain the slick in one month, no one can tell,” Abu said.
Also, he said the spread of the oil spill is so fast and admitted that it is beyond the control of the PCG.
“No one is in control of the situation. We cannot say where these slicks came from and are going, only nature can tell. So, what we did is ask for a national call for help,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday.
ROV deployed
Abu confirmed that the operator of the MT Princess Empress, RDC Reield Marine Services, has already rented a remotely-operated vehicle to locate the exact whereabouts of the sunken vessel.
“Accordingly, they have contracted an ROV with a yet undetermined date of arrival. They know the urgency of it, the sooner the better. They should get the most capable to prevent further oil spillage from happening,” he said.
Estimates reveal that over 36,000 hectares of mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrasses will potentially be affected by the oil spill, with reports showing that oil from the vessel has already reached the Visayan province of Antique, with fears of it going further south or Palawan province.
Environmental group Protect Verde Island Passage said at least 18,000 fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro alone have been robbed of their livelihood as fishing activities are forcibly put on hold.
Residents are also robbed of their seafood supply — a heavy blow for a province in which over 50 percent of households already suffer various levels of food insecurity.
“We thus join local residents in lamenting what would be a prolonged suffering of the local fishing industry — valued at P11.80 billion across the 5 provinces of VIP in 2021 — as impacts of the oil spill are expected to be felt for years to come,” the group said.
Meanwhile, a resolution has been lobbied in the House of Representatives to probe the oil tanker MT Princess Empress that sank last week but was later discovered in Pola, Oriental Mindoro, which remains a big red flag to the area’s rich marine biodiversity.
House resolution
The oil spill from the sunken vessel, which the Philippine Coast Guard determined was a mixture of industrial fuel oil, prompted House Resolution 829 to come to the surface.
The ill-fated oil tanker carrying a load of 800,000 liters of industrial oil submerged last Tuesday off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, due to engine trouble.
A thick black substance coated the marine area and nearby provinces like Palawan, and it has reached Western Visayas, with fuel traces discovered in Caluya, Antique.
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, the proponent of the resolution, raised concern that the scattered oil spill could coat marine habitats, clogging the gills of fish and marine invertebrates.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced on Monday that it had found the possible site of the capsized vessel, which is about 1,200 feet below sea level. Philippine Coast Guard has yet to confirm the information as of this writing.
It was discovered a few days after the DENR sent the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority BRP Hydrographer Ventura to the oil spill site.