The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has taken steps to ease the impact of an oil spill off the town of Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, on April 3.
“In incidents such as these, our goal is to always protect the ecosystem, the biodiversity it hosts and the people in the area,” Secretary Roy Cimatu said.
He says the agency’s Environmental Management Bureau in Region 10 has been working in coordination with the local government of Jasaan and the Philippine Coast Guard to prevent further contamination of the coastal communities.
The oil spill resulted from the sinking of the m/vs Racal IV that was docked in a shipyard in the coastal town of Jasaan for five years.
Based on the initial investigation led by EMB-Region 10 director Reynaldo Digamo and his team of technical experts, three tons of bunker oil had contaminated one square kilometer of the bay, affecting barangays Lower Jasaan, Upper Jasaan, Luz Banzon, Kimaya and Solana.
Officials also noticed a “faint odor” from the spill that persisted particularly along the coast of Barangay Luz Banzon, which was severely affected by the incident.
Accumulated oil debris was also seen in mangrove trees and docked boats, thus affecting the livelihood of the fisherfolk in the affected villages.
Digamo says PCG-Region 10 has commissioned Far East Fuel Corp., a registered transport, storage and disposal facility, to remove and transport the collected oil and oil-contaminated materials.
“We have already coordinated with the owner of the vessel and the local government unit, the PCG and the fisherfolk residents near the area to prevent further contamination,” he said.
Citing the assessment of the PCG-Region 10, the EMB-Region 10 reported that 80 percent of the spilled oil had been removed.
Digamo says the EMB-Region 10 will conduct an in-depth investigation on the incident.