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Oil spill in Philippines leaves dozens ill
Kaieteur News – On the heels of Philippines officials dealing with the aftermath of an oil spill, that was as a result of a fuel tanker sinking, the mayor of one of the towns have confirmed that residents are falling ill.
The Philippines is a country located in Asia. It is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and consists of over 7,000 islands that are broadly categorised under three main geographical divisions.
CNN’s Kathleen Magramo reporting from Hong Kong stated that Jennifer Cruz, mayor of the coastal town of Pola, which has been heavily affected by the spill, told CNN affiliate CNN Philippines on Thursday that more than 50 residents had fallen ill, with symptoms of cough, dizziness, eye irritation and fever.
Coast guard personnel clean up the oil slick in Pola on March 8, 2023 (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
“In the span of nine days, it’s getting worse. The stench from the oil is getting stronger as the weather is also getting hotter,” Cruz told CNN Philippines. “More people are also getting sick. I also was not able to visit one of the affected areas because I started feeling unwell due to the smell.”
Kaieteur News had reported that fuel tanker, MT Princess Empress was carrying over 200,000 gallons when it sank off Oriental Mindoro southwest of the capital Manila last week, discharging its cargo of industrial fuel oil into the waters around the province threatening the country’s marine rich economy.
Philippines authorities have declared a state of calamity for nine towns and banned swimming and fishing as they battle one of the region’s worst ever disasters.
CNN reported that photos from Pola show black pools of oil floating in the water and drifting onto the shore against a lush backdrop of palm trees, while response teams pick up fuel-stained debris by hand. It was stated that the island province of more than 900,000 people is reeling from the impact of the disaster as beach resorts say guests have canceled bookings just weeks before the peak Holy Week holiday season.
“The oil has reached our beachfront property and it’s sticking to the sand,” said Marino Enriquez, operations manager of the Blue Star Beach Resort in Pola. “Some people also feel unwell from the strong smell of the oil that’s been washing ashore for days now.”
Notably, the scale of the environmental impact is yet to be determined, according to authorities. According to information from the Philippines Environmental body, officials are concerned about the oil slick affecting marine protected areas as well as the island of Boracay, the country’s most important tourist destination.
On the other hand, the Philippines Coast Guard has reportedly located the sunken fuel tanker. The Coast Guard had reported that the vessel encountered engine trouble on Tuesday February 28, due to overheating and drifted due to rough sea conditions. However, it is not clear what caused it to sink, but all 20 crew members were rescued by a passing vessel before it went down.
Kaieteur News had reported that sunken vessel has put at risk several municipalities and over 36,000 hectares of the country’s coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass. This is according to Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Reuters reported, Carlos Primo David, under-secretary at the environment ministry, said it was crucial authorities find the tanker soon, as there could still be a large volume of oil inside. “If we can recover it that will help us a lot in containing the spill,” he said in a media briefing, adding, “Bear in mind that the cleanup will be more difficult if more oil reaches coastal areas.”
Environment Secretary, Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said a rapid assessment was being undertaken of coastal and marine habitats that could be impacted. “The possible contamination might actually affect the viability of these systems,” Loyzaga warned in a recorded message.
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