Romualdez asks solons of areas hit by oil spill to help fisherfolk

ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT An aerial image from environmental group Greenpeace taken around 4 kilometers off Hagonoy, Bulacan, shows the oil slick from a tanker, which sank on July 25 in Bataan due to bad weather.—NOEL CELIS/GREENPEACE

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has asked lawmakers from districts affected by the oil spill at Manila Bay to coordinate with the government and assist in the provision of social aid to fisherfolk.

In a statement on Tuesday, Romualdez said lawmakers should assist in the aid distribution as time is important for the country’s fisherfolk, particularly those from Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Cavite.

“We should not wait anymore for their appeal for help. We would ask the people what assistance they need from us and the government,” Romualdez said in Filipino.

“The livelihood of our fisherfolk is at stake. We must act quickly to mitigate the damage and provide the necessary support,” he added.

According to Romualdez, the government can make use of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program and the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) to help those affected.

“We will tap all available resources, including the Tupad and AICS programs, to provide immediate relief and support to our fisherfolk,” he said.

MT Terra Nova was carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel when it sank off Bataan during the onslaught of Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon last July 25. It eventually resulted in an oil spill that reached several areas.

READ: Tanker with 1.4M liters of oil sinks off Bataan; ‘working fuel’ leaks

On Sunday, another tanker sunk off Mariveles, Bataan. According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), MT Jason Bradley had fuel leaks and an undetermined amount of diesel.

READ: Another fuel tanker sinks in Manila Bay

Romualdez urged lawmakers to assess the damage caused by the oil spill with the help of local government units, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the PCG, and other concerned agencies.

With the PCG saying that fishing in areas affected by the oil spill may be unsafe, around 11,000 fisherfolk in Bulacan, 8,000 in Bataan, and thousands more in Pampanga and Cavite may be affected.

Fisherfolk in Bulacan and Bataan have an estimated combined monthly income of P83 million and P63 million per month, respectively.

READ: Coast Guard: Fishing in Manila Bay unsafe due to oil spill