By Christine Fabro
The number of oil spill-affected families and fisherfolk continue to rise two months after the motor tanker (MT) Princess Empress sank off the waters of Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro.
Latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that 193,436 individuals and 24,698 fisherfolk are affected by the oil spill, with fisheries damage amounted to over P3.8 billion.
“A total of 40,897 families or 193,436 persons were affected,” the NDRRMC stated in a report.
Of this, the majority of affected individuals were recorded in Mimaropa with 153,173 individuals affected by the oil spill.
Meanwhile, a total of 22,083 liters of oily water mixture were collected during offshore operations, and 5,340.5 sacks of oil contaminated debris and 22 drums were also collected during shoreline clean-up activities in Oriental Mindoro.
To date, approximately 47 kilometers (km) of shoreline were affected in Oriental Mindoro.
Of this, 36.24 km of shoreline were cleaned since day one. – gb
