To sum up:
+ Lingering impact: Fishermen still struggling in Pola, Oriental Mindoro a year after an oil spill.
+ Compensation delay: Some residents are still waiting to get paid from the International Oil Pollution Compensation with less than half of the over 4,000 beneficiaries compensated.
+ New spill threat: A local official is alarmed by recent, unexplained oil slick.
Metro Manila, Philippines – A year after a devastating oil spill hit Pola, Oriental Mindoro, the fishing town still grapples with the lingering impact.
While waiting for compensation, some people struggle to make ends meet with their livelihood still recovering from the disaster.
In the meantime, another potential calamity threatens the town’s full recovery as people have observed unexplained oil slick in Pola’s waters.
Domino effect
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus, Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz lamented the difficult situation of fisherfolk. For a community largely dependent on fishing for livelihood, Cruz pointed out the domino effect on the community.“Paano babangon nang diri-diretso? Walang mahuli ang mangingisda na kamukha ng huli before na nangyayari sa’tin. So kung wala iyan, paano iyong manininda natin sa palengke? Paano iyong ambulant vendor?,” said Cruz. [Translation: How can we fully recover? Our fishermen haven’t had a good catch since the oil spill. If there’s nothing to catch, what happens to our market vendors then? How about the ambulant vendors?]
A February 2024 report from Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development said the oil spill left P41.2 billion worth of damage to the ecosystem and coastal communities. The advocacy group said this was way higher than the government’s estimated damage at P5.1 billion.
A number of people are banking on the local government for help. Unfortunately, the calamity has stretched out Pola’s coffers.
“Noong nawala na [ang ayuda], balik na namin kami sa problema. QRF na naman namin, bibili kami ng bigas. Oh eto muna ah. Pasensya na kayo, walang pera ang local government,” said Cruz. [Translation: When the aid from national government and non-government organizations ran dry, we went back to facing our problems. We had to use our Quick Response Fund again to buy rice. We tell our residents: please bear with us, our local government has no money.]
Compensation
A year after the crisis, Cruz said thousands of residents are still waiting to receive full compensation.
Based on figures provided to NewsWatch Plus, less than half of over 4,000 beneficiaries have been fully compensated by the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) – a London-based organization handling tanker oil spill claims.
Cruz said over 3,000 people have been interviewed to process the claims, while some have received the first tranche of compensation.
“Sa IOPC, sana mas mapabilis iyong response. Kawawa naman iyong taumbayan. Hindi naman nila kasalanan ito e. Hindi rin kasalanan ng national, ng local government. Iyong pagbilis pa ng response, iyon na lang hinihintay natin na, mabilis na ayuda,” the mayor said.
[Translation: The IOPC needs to speed up its response. The people are suffering, and it’s not their fault. It’s not the fault of the national or local government either. We’re just waiting for quicker aid.]
The IOPC has vowed to compensate victims of the Mindoro oil spill in 2023.
The international body said together with the tanker’s insurer Shipowners’ Club, eligible claimants were paid in February, a year after the oil spill. The IOPC said it also compensated other residents in nearby towns at the end of 2023.
New spill threat
While still suffering from the crisis, Cruz fears an oil spill of unknown origin is still affecting some coastal areas.
She said people in at least three barangays have reported an oil slick. These are Buhay na Tubig, Kabilang Ibayo, and Puting Cacao. They are clueless about the source. “Speculations, meron kami. Parehas iyong amoy, parehas iyong itsura ng oil, ang speculation namin ay galing pa iyan sa before, na Princess Empress,” said Cruz. [Translation: We have speculations. The oil smells and looks the same as the spill from the MT Princess Empress before.]NewsWatch Plus is trying to reach out to the owner of MT Princess Empress, RDC Reield Marine Services, for a comment.Cruz said these incidents happen occasionally, the last on July 15. She said they have coordinated with the coast guard and the provincial government, and that some tests have been conducted.“Natra-trauma na kami dito ‘e kasi hindi namin alam kung galing ba talaga doon sa tanker na lumubog before or may bago,” said Cruz. [Translation: We are traumatized. We don’t know if this is from the tanker that sank before or there’s a new source of the spill.]
