CLEANUP Personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sprinkle chemicals to break down the oil that leaked from the sunken oil tanker Princess Empress in this PCG handout photo on Thursday, March 2, 2023. The tanker sank in the waters off Naujan town, Oriental Mindoro, on Tuesday, February 28. —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
MANILA, Philippines — The municipality of Pola in Oriental Mindoro sustained the most damage from the oil spill that ensued in the province’s waters, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Friday.
PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the oil tanker that sank off Naujan on February 28 drifted to Pola town.
“Kahapon, base po sa observation namin, ito pong bayan ng Pola ang talaga pong naapektuhan,” Balilo said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
(Yesterday, based on our observation, the town of Pola mainly was affected.)
“In fact, ‘yung apat na bayan du’n ay ‘yun ‘yung parang naging catch basin nitong oil spill dahil na rin ‘yung barko ay na-drift du’n po sa tapat ng bayan ng Pola,” he added.
(In fact, the four areas there were like the catch basins of the oil spill because the vessel drifted towards Pola town.)
Balilo said several mangroves were affected in the province, especially in Pola. With the damage, the fishers cannot venture out at sea.
“Ang sabi po kahapon sa’kin ng mga fishermen sa Pola ay fishing season ngayon,” Balilo said.
(Pola fishers told me that it is fishing season.)
“Bukod po sa mga tourism na dapat pagkakakitaan nila, ang napakalaki pong bagay na nawala sa kanila ay ‘yung mga isdang mahuhuli sana nila ngayong panahon na ‘to kung saan ay dahil sa experience nila ay napakarami pong isda ang nahuhuli nila at nailalako po,” he lamented.
(Aside from tourism as their livelihood, the significant thing they lost is the several fish they were supposed to catch now.)
In the same briefing, Department of Social Welfare and Development spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said they would roll out a cash-for-work program for residents affected by the oil spill to assist them amid the turmoil in their livelihoods.
Fishers and the poorest of the poor are the priority of the program.
The PCG is continuing its oil spill clean up in Oriental Mindoro.