OVER 84 percent of the coastline affected by the oil spill in the waters off Oriental Mindoro due to a sunken oil tanker has already been cleaned up.
In a report to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said as of May 10, of the 74.71 kilometers of affected coastline, 62.95 kilometers, or 84.26 percent which covers the municipalities of Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay, Bulalacao, San Teodoro, Baco, and Puerto Galera, has been cleaned.
He said these areas were already declared “within acceptable standards for fishing activities.”
The area within the vicinity of the submerged ship is still not safe for fishing.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is expected to release the water test results and its corresponding advisory no later than May 15.
In February, MT Princess Empress sank in the vicinity of Tablas Island in Romblon while carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel.
Galvez said a total of 6,801 liters of oil waste and 300,603.60 liters of oil-contaminated waste were collected through the combined efforts of various agencies and organizations.
The Office of the Civil Defense also reported the arrival of a siphoning vessel from Singapore is expected by the end of the month while oil removal operations are set to begin in the first week of June, which is estimated to last for 30 days.
Galvez said the government has also provided a total of P516,873,483 worth of early recovery assistance to 96,256 residents affected by the oil spill in the province
“The National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Labor and Employment will identify alternative livelihood for the affected population,” said Galvez. (SunStar Philippines)