GOT any old bedsheets and towels?
A call for donations of old stocks of linen was made for Cebu’s hotels and restaurants to help counterparts in Mactan cope with the effects of an oil spill that has reached the coastal areas of the tourist island.
At least two Mactan luxury resorts have advised their guests to avoid the beach water that showed signs of an oil sheen Saturday afternoon.
“This is really a big problem for all of us,” said Regional Director Rowena Montecillo of the Department of Tourism.
“Anyone who has something to give like old linens, please donate them so that we could use it to filter oil and minimize the damage it could cause.”
Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan took precautions and asked guests to stay out of the water.
“We advised the guests verbally through the staff, especially those manning the beach like lifeguards. We’re happy that guests understand. We really take time to explain to them what happened. We have many activities within the resort which they can enjoy,” said Mia Sy, PR and marketing communication manager of Crimson Resort and Spa.
She said the staff used plastic PET bottles and discarded linen “to contain and filter the oil spill and keep it from coming nearer our shores.”
Lapu-Lapu City officials earlier gave tips on what to do to manage the oil spill.
Plantation Bay Resort and Spa PR manager Hannah Patalinjug said they noticed the oil spill late afternoon Saturday and immediately used old linens to mop up oil traces before they could reach the coast.
“We can smell it from the shore. Good thing our guests enjoy swimming at our lagoon more than the beach. Usually we have aqua sports in the beach area but that too had to be canceled due to bad weather so there’s not much damage on our part. Only that we are worried about our waters,” said Patalinjug.
The resort’s villas built over man-made saltwater lagoons are their main attraction.
She said the staff talked to guests about the situation.
At 5 p.m. Saturday, oil slicks were seen floating to the resort’s wharf and reached five meters from the shore.
“Now we only see small specks of oil but we are continuously monitoring the area,” said Patalinjug.
Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Metro Cebu Water District came to check the water and take photos, she said.
No oil spills were noticed in the beach in Shangrila’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa.
“The resort beach has not been affected and it’s business as usual,” said director of communications Mildred A. Amon.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely together with local authorities and are prepared to take appropriate measures as needed,” she said.
The Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) called on its members to donate their discarded linens to the Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Office which is coordinating cleanup efforts.
HRRAC vice president for hotels Cenelyn Manguilimotan of Parklane Hotel believes the effect of the oil spill was temporary and that it was important to help in the damage control efforts started by the Lapu-Lapu City government.
“We are closely coordinating with Lapu-Lapu City tourism office head Hembler Mendoza who asked for our help with linens and volunteers. This is the good thing we see because our members are really willing to help,” she said.
Manguilimotan said the effects were temporary and would not affect Cebu’s tourism that much.
“The more we help clean up our waters the more we can see this through quickly without risking our industry,” she said.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza convened the city’s crisis management committee and met with resort executives to get their feedback.
“We have given them tips on how to address possible oil sheen in their property. I also asked them to do their share in protecting their property,” she said. Lapu-Lapu city set up a two kilometer improvised spill boom they called a “chorizo” to be distributed to stakeholders for a coastal cleanup.
The spill boom is made of recycled plastic materials like sacks, plastic bottles and tied to a rope. The plastics made of polymer materials comes from the city’s material recovery facility (MRF). She said coastal residents should report any oil sheen to the barangay and can make their own improvised “sweeper”.
“I have also instructed the GM’s of the different resorts to use their discretion whether to allow swimming in the sea.”
The mayor said she formed a team to monitor the coastline and that oil sweeping operations are going on in some areas. /Aileen Garcia Yap, Reporter