MANILA: Agri Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee on Wednesday filed a House resolution calling for a probe into the impact of oil spill from the sunken MT Terranova off the coast of Limay, Bataan to the environment and livelihood of around 19,000 fisherfolk and residents of Bataan and Bulacan.
In his House Resolution No. 1825, Lee also seeks for urgent interventions and assistance to help the affected communities and identify possible accountability among those involved in the incident.
On July 25, the Terranova with some 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil sank 3.6 nautical miles east of Limay, Bataan.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) earlier estimated that in a worst-case scenario, the oil spill could affect 11,000 fisherfolk in Bataan and 8,000 in Bulacan, with an income loss of PHP83.8 million and PHP63 million per month, respectively.
‘Thousands of fisherfolk are on the brink of losing their livelihood for months due to the oil spill,’ Lee said.
He urged for the swift identificatio
n of the affected communities for assistance and alternative source of livelihood for them before the government declares a fishing ban in Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite and other affected areas.
While the solon recognized the fast response of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in putting up containment to fend off the tide of toxic slick and the government’s immediate creation of an inter-agency task force, he said the country, being an archipelago, should be genuinely capacitated in mitigating effects of oil spills.
Aside from having a clear mechanism, Lee also urged that there must be enough reliable and modern equipment to address cases of oil spill in the country.
‘We should not always rely from other countries to help us at this aspect,’ he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency