Cordova may sue over oil spill; 500 hectares of mangroves hit

Cordova town is in crisis mode after leaks from tons of fuel from the sunken passenger vessel St. Thomas Aquinas of 2Go Travel swamped its coastal barangays, damaging  mangroves and  threatening tourism.

Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy yesterday threatened to file civil and criminal suits against the shipping companies involved  in the Aug. 16 collision of two ships.

He entered the Talisay Fish Port yesterday morning to look for representatives of 2Go Travel and Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp.   to ask for help in containing the oil spill. He also threatened to take legal action.

“Our town has no supply of seafood which tourists really want to eat when they’re in Cordova,” said Mayor Sitoy.

He said the oil spill has affected the harvest of  “bakasi”  or sea eel which is a local delicay. There may be  no celebration of the “Bakasi Festival” this year, he said. The fishing grounds in Cordova already has an estimated damage of P600 thousand.

Palace assistance

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda called Mayor Sitoy yesterday to ask for the  damage  cost of the oil spill to the town and promised P1.5 million aid.

Cordova has declared a state of calamity in the town and will allocate  at least P1.5 million from its local calamity fund to provide  food and other needs of the fisherfolk, said the mayor.

Salvaging

2Go Travel said  salvor company Malayan Towage and Salvage Corp. (MTSC) has been hired to contain the oil spill.

“Until we find the source of the oil, we will continue with the chemical dispersals as mitigation measure,” said Noel Kimmayong, of the MTSC.

Kimmayong said they are using a chemical which breaks down  oil molecules into simpler forms to lessen its impact on the environment.

“These are eco-friendly chemicals that are being regulated by the Philippine Coast Guard,” said Lito Salvio,  assistant vice president of 2GO.

The company said it will retain the services of  four Japanese technical divers to reinforce local divers from the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard.

“There will also be a Japanese salvage master who will help contain the spill. This Japanese salvage master has helped before in massive global oil spills,” Salvio said.

An expert from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited will also be flying in to help assess the situation.

The MV St. Thomas Aquinas was carrying  20,000 liters of diesel, 120,000 liters of bunker or crude oil and 20,000 liters of lubricant oil  but no  hazardous materials.

“MV St. Thomas Aquinas carried mostly agricultural products from Mindanao,” Salvio added.

Clean-up

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 is assessing  ten barangays with mangrove plantations.

As of 5 p.m., more than 500 hectares were affected by the oil spill, said DENR 7 spokesman Eddie Llamedo.

This includes barangay Bangbang, Buagsong, Day-as, Catarman, Poblacion and Alegria.

DENR 7 is pushing for a community-based  coastal cleanup.

Last Sunday night, Salvio  met with Coast Guard Commander for Central Visayas Commodore William Melad, the Environmental Management Bureau-7 team together with director William Cuñado and the Marine Environmental Protection Unit (MEPU) of the Coast Guard where they presented their assessment.

DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Isabelo Montejo identified three priority barangays such as Gabi, Day-as and Catarman.

A team from the Coastal Marine Management Division of the Protected Area, Wildlife and Coastal Zone Management Services was created to assess the extent of damage in  Cordova and Lapu-Lapu City.

Montejo also ordered close monitoring of  the 1,028-hectare Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, an international wetland.

The Central Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will send at least five platoons of soldiers to help in the clean-up of the coastal areas affected by the oil spill./Joy Cherry Quito, Santino S. Bunachita, Michelle Joy  L. Padayhag and Gabriel C. Bonjoc and Jhunnex Napallacan