Metro Manila, March 13 ------ The oil spill in Oriental Mindoro has affected over 137,000 people in Mimaropa and Western Visayas, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The DSWD said 30,042 families, or 137,230 individuals, from 121 barangays in MIMAROPA and Region 6 were affected by the slick, and the agency distributed P10,985,250 worth of food and non-food items to affected families. Moreover, the DSWD has started its cash-for-work program in affected areas in Mimaropa.
Under the program, the fisherfolk deployed to Barangay Batuhan, Pola, Oriental Mindoro to collect materials that will be used in making improvised spill booms and oil absorbents will receive the daily regional minimum wage every five days for 15 days. At least 70 fisherfolk were deployed. The DSWD also provided financial assistance to affected residents through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program. “Some 1,116 affected families, 740 of which came from Barangay Algeciras and 376 in Barangay Concepcion, both in the Aguyata town in Palawan, received P5,000 cash assistance with a total amount of P5,580,000,” the agency added.
As of March 9, nine of the 13 towns in Oriental Mindoro have been affected by the oil spill. These are Naujan, Pola, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay and Bulacacao. The slick also spread to 80% of the 34 marine protected areas in the province. The provincial government of Oriental Mindoro said the slick has affected the livelihood of over 10,000 fisherfolk in the towns of Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, and Mansalay.
Last week, the Philippine Coast Guard said the slick reached the shores of Taytay, Palawan, 159 nautical miles or roughly 300 kilometers from Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, where the tanker carrying 800,000 liters of industrial oil sank last Feb. 28. A cleanup drive in Oriental Mindoro began on March 10, a week since the slick spread throughout the province.
Experts from the University of the Philippines' Marine Science Institute projected the slick could reach northern Palawan. They said over 36,000 hectares of marine habitats are at risk due to the oil spill.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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