To protect the health and safety of the public, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla prohibited the catching and selling of all marine products in the coastal areas to prevent oil contamination.
LUCENA CITY — To protect the health and safety of the public, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla prohibited the catching and selling of all marine products in the coastal areas to prevent oil contamination.
Remulla formalized the declaration in his Executive Order No. 38-Series of 2024, a copy of which was posted on social media by the Provincial Information Office (PIO) on Thursday night.
The post stated that EO No. 38 is an “order declaring a no-catch and no-sell zone in the coastal areas of the province of Cavite due to the adverse impact of the Bataan oil spill.”
READ: Oil spill reaches Cavite; PCG seals ship’s valves
“The province of Cavite has taken proactive measures to mitigate its impact on the coastal waters of the province and the fisherfolk communities in the nine coastal cities and municipalities of the province – City of Bacoor, Cavite City, Noveleta, Rosario, Kawit, Tanza, Naic, Maragondon, and Ternate,” the PIO said.
On July 25, MT Terranova carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel sank off Bataan.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the oil from the sunken tanker spread across Manila Bay and reached parts of Cavite.
On Wednesday, the Cavite provincial government, through Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 3228-2024, declared a “state of calamity” in the nine municipalities.
Declaring a state of calamity allows local governments to quickly access emergency funds and implement relief operations for affected residents.
As of the 2024 data, Cavite’s fisherfolk population is more than 25,000 across the nine coastal cities and municipalities, the PIO said.
The PIO reported that simultaneous clean-ups were conducted in the coastal cities and municipalities, “which revealed wastes covered with oil, the presence of sheen observed on the water, and traces and smell of oil in the shoreline.”
The PCG personnel also installed fabricated spill booms in the Ternate area “to prevent or, at the very least, slow down the possible spread of the oil spill.”
On Wednesday, the Department of Health (DOH) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region reminded residents of Cavite province to exercise caution in their consumption of marine products to avoid health risks due to possible oil contamination. INQ