THE possible site of the sunken MT Princess Empress has been detected at about 1,200 feet or approximately 400 meters below sea level in the Northeast of Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

This was revealed Monday in a press statement issued by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, saying that the BRP Hydrographer Ventura deployed in the area has detected the said site but the sunken vessel believed to have moved Southeast from its last known position where it completely submerged.

Loyzaga, however, said that this report still requires verification through the deployment of a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) which will allow them to complete visualization should the currents and weather permit.

“We are now preparing to access an ROV in order to fully determine where the vessel actually is and to completely model the way the oil will be spilling from the vessel,” Loyzaga added in her statement.

She further disclosed that the DENR continues its interventions as the agency has three parallel workstreams in response to the oil spill.

These interventions include the conduct of disaster forensics in cooperation with the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) as an attached agency of the DENR and the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) in support of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG); and cleanup, mitigation, and remediation which involves a multi-agency effort including national government agencies such as DSWD, DOLE, DILG, and DOH because this involves the protection of communities and ecosystems.

Loyzaga added that there is a need for actual protection activities since these habitats, ecosystems, and the communities themselves require anticipatory action, protection, and regeneration where possible.

“We reported this to the President immediately as soon as the analysis was released yesterday evening, and we have been given the approval to share this with the general public,” Loyzaga added.

She disclosed that they are closely coordinating with local government officials and with UP-MSI on the possible use of this information in the modeling for the spread of the oil.

“We look forward to seeing an updated model from UP-MSI and to share that with the general public but, most of all, with the local governments and the communities that will be affected,” she stressed.

At the same time, the DENR continues to be in close touch with local communities through the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENROs) and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices (PENROs), and the operations teams that are on the ground now in Mindoro Oriental and Antique.

“We have been closely coordinating with the different departments, and we are grateful for the efforts of DSWD, DOLE, DOT, DOH, DA-BFAR, and DND-OCD. We look forward to continuing to support the efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard since they are the lead in this particular effort,” Loyzaga disclosed.

“The DENR is here to assist in any way that we can. We have been receiving offers of service, goods, and technical expertise, and we thank the private sector, especially those that have recently come forward. Those that have offered support include the different energy companies, Shell, Prime Energy, and Petron, as well as First Gen, and the Ayala Group. We are very grateful to all those who have expressed their willingness to assist in this effort,” she added.