By Janine Dumaguin
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, March 8, said that he directed government agencies to conduct cleanup operations and cash-for-work assistance to oil-spill affected residents in Oriental Mindoro.
Marcos said the program will aid residents who temporarily lost their livelihoods, through paying them in exchange for cleaning the coast.
The government is also monitoring popular tourist areas and fishing sanctuaries and will immediately conduct cleanup operations if a spill is detected.
“‘Yun ay talagang babantayan natin at kung mangyari na abutan talaga doon — pumunta sa lupa, sa shoreline ang langis ay talagang maglalagay, gagawa tayo ng programa para ng pag-cleanup para makabalik sa trabaho lahat ng tiga-roon,” Marcos said.
“But in the meantime, habang wala pa they are engaged in the cash-for-work program sa cleanup. Pag natapos na ‘yun, puwede na sila mangisda ulit. Puwede silang bumalik sa trabaho nila,” he added.
Marcos said he hopes the oil spill can be contained by the current efforts, allowing the situation in the impacted areas to quickly return to normal.
Meanwhile, authorities were able to identify the sunken tanker that had been leaking oil, which allowed them to estimate the spill’s location. – gb