UP study shows oil trajectory to reach biodiversity center this week
The ongoing oil spill from MT Princess Empire might hit the ecologically rich coastal area of the Verde Island Passage within the week with the continuous release of industrial fuel oil from the sunken tanker.
The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute on Sunday showed the results of a recent simulation model on the oil spill crisis after the oil tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel sank last February 28 in the waters off Oriental Mindoro.
The simulation focused on the tanker’s location from March 10 to 16 and claimed that the non-stop discharge of oil from the alleged seepage area and the weakening of the northeast monsoon or “amihan” may lead the oil to flow northwards toward Verde Island.
The Verde Island Passage is a body of water between Batangas and Mindoro and it is acknowledged as a global center of marine biodiversity and home to endangered and threatened species.
The oil trajectory will also affect the coastal areas of Calapan, Verde Island, and some parts of Batangas, the UP MSI study noted.
The damage to the biodiversity in Verde Island Passage will influence tourism revenues, livelihood, and food security in the area, it said.
More than 137,000 people or 30,000 families living in the Mimaropa andWestern Visayas regions—nearly double than previously reported—have already been affected by the oil spill, the government reported Sunday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has already distributed P10.98 million worth of food and non-food itemsamong the 30,042 families—or 137,230 residents of 121 barangays of Mimaropa and Region 6, who were affected by the oil spill.
The DSWD also launched a cash-for-work program for fishers who arebanned from fishing in the polluted waters and will be deployed instead to help in the clean-up efforts.
The agency also said its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program would extend financial aid to the affected families.
“Some 1,116 affected families, 740 of which came from Barangay Algeciras and 376 in Barangay Concepcion, both in the Aguyata town in Palawan, received ₱5,000 cash assistance with a total amount of ₱5,580,000,” the agency said.
The sinking of MT Princess Empire has already threatened the source of income of over 10,000 fishers and their families in Pinamalayan,Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, and Mansalay, according to the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro.
As of March 9, the massive oil spill had also affected 80 percent of the 34 marine protected areas and nine of 13 towns of the province.
Meanwhile, a team of experts from Japan arrived in the country last week to help authorities with the ongoing oil removal and control activities, while the Philippine Coast Guard on Friday reported that the oil spill has reached the shores of Taytay, Palawan.
In other developments:
• Quezon Rep. Reynan Arrogancia said response systems and technologies to address oil spills would cost tens of millions of pesos, requiring a multi-year public investment program. Parts of the budget for this could be lodged with the Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he said. He added that Congress would need “a ballpark figure of how much all of it will cost.”
• Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) and the Department of Energy (DoE) are ramping up efforts to contain and recover the oil spill, which has reached the shores of Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique. The mining firm said it has devoted over 4,700 man-hours to the oil spill clean-up. It has also provided the responders from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Health with accommodation, transport services, and personal protective equipment,including hazardous material (hazmat) suits, N95 masks, boots, andsafety gloves. An oil spill containment boom has also been installed one kilometer from the shoreline to protect the reseeded giant clams in Semirara Marine Hatchery in Tabunan.