Marcos orders cleanup of oil spill in Or. Mindoro
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered concerned government agencies to mobilize expeditiously in their efforts to clean up the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro.
Marcos issued the order after Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonia Loyzaga briefed him on the situation and the plan of action of the DENR Task Force in cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard and National Disaster Risk Reduction Council (NDRRMC) upon arrival from her inspection in the area.
Loyzaga met with Naujan Mayor Henry Joel Teves and representatives from the Provincial Governor’s Office, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Philippine Coast Guard last Friday to assess the extent and potential impacts of the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress.
The BRP Hydrographer Ventura of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), an attached agency of DENR, on the other hand, departed from Subic at approximately 7:30 am last Saturday and is expected to arrive in the evening. It will use a multibeam survey to locate the sunken vessel.
The DENR is performing disaster forensics in collaboration with the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) to assess immediate actions to protect mangroves, seagrass, and over 36,000 hectares of coral reefs in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro, and Caluya, Antique that can be potentially affected by the oil slick.
Loyzaga disclosed that she is now conferring with the Secretaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to finalize arrangements on the augmentation for the cash-for-work scheme for the clean-up teams in the local communities.
DENR Task Force Commander Undersecretary Marilou Erni has convened an emergency coordination meeting and briefing which was attended by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Health (DOH). Each agency provided updates on its individual operations on site and the joint efforts on shoreline clean-up operations, site assessments, surveillance to determine the exact location of the sunken tanker, and protection of marine ecosystems among others.
The DENR Environmental Management Bureau MIMAROPA , on the other hand, continues its cleanup operations using locally available oil-absorbent materials. EMB is currently installing provisional spill booms made of cogon and sawali. These barriers are precautionary measures to prevent the oil spill from reaching the beach and mangrove areas of Pola, Oriental Mindoro.
The DENR is also coordinating with Semirara Mining and Power Corporation to help and assist in cleanup operations in Caluya, Antique.
Some members of the DENR Task Force MT Princess Empress, including Task Force Commander Undersecretary Malu Erni and Undersecretary Jonas Leones, were on site in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro to conduct site assessments and craft a localized plan of action for the area.
The DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau will conduct a concurrent site assessment of the 53-hectare mangrove area in Pola, Oriental Mindoro that may be potentially affected.
