Over 4,000 people file insurance claims for oil spill damage — OCD

FLUSHING OUT OPERATION Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, in this photo posted on April 11, use low-pressure pumps to flush out remaining oil sludge in mangrove areas in the coastal village of Tinogboc, Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique, one of the areas affected when tanker MT Princess Empress sank off Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28 while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel. —PCG FACEBOOK PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Over 4,000 individuals — mostly fishermen — have submitted insurance claims due to the massive oil spill damage, which ensued after a vessel submerged in Oriental Mindoro, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said on Thursday.

“Doon sa mga nagsubmit na ng claims, mahigit 4,000 yun. Ipo-proseso na yung kanilang claims dahil sila ay direktang napinsala o naapektuhan,” said OCD administrator Ariel Nepomuceno in a press briefing in his headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

(More than 4,000 have already submitted their claims. Their claims will be processed because they are directly affected by the oil spill damage.)

Those individuals who are filing claims are mostly fishermen and those in the tourism sector who are residents of Calapan, Baco, Naujan, and Pinamalayan towns in Oriental Mindoro, according to Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Julius Yano.

When asked what sectors do the 4,000 claimants belong, Yano said: “Mostly fishermen, pero mayroon din na nanggaling sa tourism industry, ‘yung mga may-ari ng resort.”

(Mostly fishermen, but they are also coming from the tourism industry, like owners of resorts.)

The country is eligible to receive more than $280 million as compensation from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund, according to Yano.

Yano also said most of the claimants should submit their claims three years after the incident, but he also pointed out that this could be extended up to six years.

The Philippine Coast Guard, who are mainly in-charge with the oil spill response, is under the DOTr.

Oil spill ensued after MT Princess Empress sank on February 28 in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro after having engine trouble due to rough sea condition.

The spillage reached as far as Verde Island in Batangas, and Taytay town in Palawan.

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