DSWD: Over 140K residents in Mimaropa, Western Visayas affected by oil spill

Over 140,000 residents in the Mimaropa and Western Visayas regions are affected by the oil spill from the sunken motor tanker in Oriental Mindoro, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the DSWD said 31,392 families or 141,988 individuals from 122 barangays in the two regions are in need of assistance.

The department said it has provided more than P18.4 million worth of humanitarian aid to the affected residents.

“The DSWD continues to coordinate with the affected local government units to ensure that the immediate needs of the affected residents are immediately addressed,” it said.

Apart from the financial aid, the DSWD said it distributed 21,152 family food packs to affected residents in Mimaropa, while around 6,600 food packs were also provided to families in Western Visayas.

Meanwhile, the government’s cash-for-work program continues to roll out in the municipality of Pola in Oriental Mindoro, the department said.

Distribution of aid in other towns including Bongabong and Bansud will commence on March 15 as the social preparation is still ongoing, DSWD added.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it has collected 931 sacks and 22 drums of oil debris during various coastal clean-up drives in Oriental Mindoro as of March 13.

The PCG said the collected oily waste materials were temporarily stored in identified storage areas which will then be hauled for proper disposal.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier said over 2,000 hectares of coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass can be potentially affected by the oil spill. Water samples from several areas in Oriental Mindoro likewise failed their water quality test.—LDF, GMA Integrated News