File photo shows fishermen processing dried fish at a fishing village in Rosario, Cavite. (INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — Fishing in Cavite may resume with the extraction of oil from the sunken Motor Tanker (MT) Terranova nearing completion, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday during the distribution of aid to those affected by the oil spill.
Oil spills from sunken or grounded vessels MT Terranova, MTKR Jason Bradley, and MV Mirola 1 recently affected parts of Manila Bay, and coastal areas of Cavite, Bataan, and Bulacan.
“I was just told by our Secretary Kiko [Francis Tiu] Laurel [of the Department of Agriculture] that you may already resume fishing. No more oil spills. They can get on with their livelihood,” Marcos said in Filipino during his speech.
According to Marcos, the government — through the Philippine Coast Guard and various agencies — has successfully contained the oil spill from MT Terranova.
“Our operation for the complete recovery of the oil from the said ship has also begun and we are expected to [finish] it as soon as possible,” said Marcos.
“The estimate of our Coast Guard, including the salvors, is in their view, in their calculation, it is two weeks, the time it will take for the oil to be absorbed from the ship,” he added.
Meanwhile, Marcos also reported that the government is already repairing and fixing the manhole and air vents of Jason Bradley as part of the preparation to make the ship float again for easier extraction.
On the other hand, seawater siphoning is also already being carried out for Mirola 1 while the holes in its hull were being covered.
Despite the welcome development, Marcos assured residents of Cavite that the government remains committed to finding a solution to the problems caused by the oil spill.
“We are also trying to give you renewed strength and hope to overcome this blow, meet [the needs of] more and more Filipinos, and boost the fishing industry of Cavite again,” Marcos said.
The government distributed P5,000 cash aid to selected beneficiaries from the cities of Bacoor and Cavite and the municipalities of Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario, Tanza, Naic, Maragondon, and Ternate.
Marcos also turned over a P161.5 million check to the provincial government of Cavite.