DENR creates TF Naujan Oil Spill
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has created Task Force Naujan Oil Spill to further assess the extent of the oil spillage caused by the sinking of MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro.
The task force was created after an emergency meeting convened between the DENR, Philippine Coast Guard, Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor, and Naujan Mayor Henry Joel Teves.
DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga has designated Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Marilou Erni as Task Force Commander. Erni previously served as the corporate ground response coordinator during the Guimaras oil spill in 2006.
Other members of the Task Force include Undersecretary Jonas Leones, Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna, Assistant Secretary and concurrent Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Director Gilbert Gonzales, Assistant Secretary and concurrent Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) Director Marcial Amaro Jr., Regional Executive Director Lormelyn Claudio, and representatives from the local government units: Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENR) Officer Alma Gibe and City Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) Officer Rodel Boyles.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), particularly its Marine Environmental Protection Command, is the lead agency tasked with response operations in the affected area.
In its report, the PCG confirmed that the MT Princess Empress, which carries 800,000 liters of industrialized fuel oil, haas submerged.
With known coordinates, the PCG will install spill booms to protect the locally-managed marine protected areas.
The Task Force, in cooperation with PCG and the Philippine Air Force will conduct an aerial surveillance in the coming days to further assess the situation.
As of writing, the oil spill has reached an area six kilometers long and four kilometers wide.
The DENR-EMB conducted water sampling in Naujan, Pola, and Pinamalayan.
A DENR-BMB report stated that on a maximum of 40-kilometer radius from 5NM East of Balingawan Port, 21 locally-managed marine protected areas (LMMPAs) can be potentially affected due to oil spillage. It has mapped potential risk areas including seagrass beds, mangroves, and dispersion pathways for spawned fish larvae.
Loyzaga, meanwhile, committed the DENR’s full support and assistance to Governor Dolor, Mayor Teves, and the other local governments affected.
The DENR has already coordinated with experts in the private sector to immediately address the emergency situation and create a mid to long-term risk management strategy for the affected areas. By CORY MARTINEZ & ZAIDA DELOS REYES
