Aid rolled out for 1,600 Cavite fishermen affected by oil spill

CONTAINING THE DAMAGE A tugboat hired by Shogun Ships Co., owner of the MT Terranova, on Saturday joins the Philippine Coast Guard in its efforts to contain the spread of the oil leak from the sunken tanker in the waters of Limay, Bataan. —Richard A. Reyes

LUCENA CITY, QUEZON, Philippines — The provincial government of Cavite and other agencies have begun providing assistance to fisherfolk affected by the oil spill from a tanker that sank on July 25 in the waters off Bataan.

On Saturday, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department of Agriculture distributed food packs to 1,612 fishermen in Noveleta town who had been registered for government assistance.

“Today’s distribution is just the beginning of our comprehensive relief and recovery plan for the affected fisherfolk of Cavite,” BFAR officer-in-charge Isidro Velayo Jr. was quoted as saying in a social media post by the agency’s Calabarzon office.

READ: Fishermen struggle as Bataan oil spill disrupts livelihoods

“We are committed to providing continuous support and working closely with local communities to restore their livelihoods and ensure sustainable recovery,” he added.

Velayo also said livelihood restoration initiatives and environmental rehabilitation efforts, were being planned and would be carried out in the coming weeks.

The Cavite government said it began providing food packages on Thursday, with 2,196 beneficiaries in Cavite City receiving the aid that day and another 2,867 on Friday.

Affected residents in the municipalities of Kawit and Rosario town also received food assistance.

MT Terranova, which was carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel, sank off the waters of Limay town in Bataan on July 25, during the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Carina” (international name: Gaemi)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the oil from the tanker spread across the waters of other provinces surrounding Manila Bay, including Cavite.

State of calamity

On Wednesday, the provincial government declared a state of calamity in two cities and nine towns—Cavite City and Bacoor City, and the municipalities of Noveleta, Rosario, Kawit, Tanza, Naic, Maragondon and Ternate.

A declaration of a state of calamity allows the concerned local governments to quickly access emergency funds and implement relief operations for affected residents.

To protect the health and safety of the public, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla prohibited the catching and selling of all marine products to prevent oil contamination.

According to the Calabarzon Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC), an estimated 352,179 residents in the coastal barangays of Cavite were affected by the oil spill.

Some “25,145 fisherfolks were also affected with an estimated loss of income amounting to P17,952,775 per day and predictably in 22 days, a total of P394,961,064,” the RDRRMC said in a report.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Saturday said it would pursue a full probe on the July 25 sinking of the Terranova and of the MT Jason Bradley two days later also in Bataan.

Containing the oil spill

“But for now, we are focused on our mission, which is to prevent [the further spread of the] oil spill,” Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said at a press conference on Saturday.

He said the DILG is coordinating with the PCG in containing the oil spill, after it had confirmed that oil continues to leak from the Terranova at a rate of 1 liter per hour.

The PCG said it has placed a second layer of booms on the waters of Limay and also tapped private vessels to help stabilize the booms and monitor the spread of the oil spill. —with a report from Krixia Subingsubing