Two more Oriental Mindoro towns report presence of oil, grease

The local government of Oriental Mindoro is now preparing to declare a province-wide State of Calamity as more coastal towns report presence of oil in their area.

According to Cedric Castillo’s report on “24 Oras” on Wednesday, water samples from the municipalities of Baco and San Teodoro show a presence of oil beyond the allowable standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“May presence na ng grease and oil, more than the highest standards allowable by DENR,” said Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor.

(There is a presence of grease and oil, more than the highest standards allowable by DENR.)

Dolor said a fishing ban and swimming ban will be imposed on the affected communities to ensure the safety of residents.

The oil spill came from Motor Tanker Princess Empress, which was carrying around 900,000 liters of industrial fuel, when it sank due to strong waves on February 28. All 20 people on board were rescued.

More than 170,000 residents in four provinces are impacted by the leak, of which over 17,000 are fisherfolks who are appealing for aid. Over 61 tourism sites were affected by the oil spill with around 1,000 tourist workers adversely affected.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the oil leak affected the coastline of Oriental Mindoro stretching to more than 20,000 kilometers. The PCG added that at least 60% were already cleaned up.

“Helpful ang environment. Helpful ang natural forces natin like the heat of the sun. So ang tinatarget natin talaga is the thick layers of oil. And that is where out operations are focused,” said PPCG Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Rolando Punzalan Jr.

(The environment and the natural forces like the heat of the sun were helpful. What we’re targeting is the thick layers of oil and that’s where our operations are focused.)

“Meanwhile, all available booms na malilikom natin from different stakeholders will be brought to the area. It is already a whole of nation approach eh,” he said.

(Meanwhile, all available booms that we can gather from different stakeholders will be brought to the area. It is already a whole nation approach.)

Punzalan also said authorities were able to prevent the oil leak from spreading in Verde Island in Batangas and in Puerto Galera.

Apart from the PCG and the coast guard personnel from Japan, South Korea and the US, the French government also extended help for the cleanup operations. 

The PCG expects the US Navy to deploy a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the sunken MT Princess next week which is situated at a depth of nearly 400 meters.

The agency also said the ROV might be used for the bagging activities, targeted to remove the remaining oil from the vessel’s tankers.

Meanwhile, the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds will station claims offices in various localities affected by the oil spill next week. The claims caravan in Oriental Mindoro started this week. -- Sundy Locus/BAP, GMA Integrated News