According to an environmental scientist, the national government should invest in technology and response drills in order to reduce the effects of future environmental disasters like the Mindoro oil spill.

The environmental science professor at Mindanao State University Iligan-Institute of Technology, Hernando Bacosa, said that the government must learn from the Mindoro oil spill which has affected over 12 towns and provinces.

In a news forum last Saturday, Bacosa said that we have to invest in technology like the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) from Japan and organize ourselves as a strong force to respond to oil spills.

If there are earthquake drills maybe once or twice a year, there should also be oil spill drills wherein we know what to do. If we can deploy technology, at least we know. Bacosa added.

The country is short in technological capability to seal the leaking tanks, Bacosa said in the recent case of the M/T Princess Empress.

The investment should be first in the list of the country since it is an archipelagic nation and home to some of the world’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems.

Aside from being a science professor in the University, Bacosa also heads the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) support for the Mindoro oil spill and said that the national government should push on researching more ways to contain the slicks at the onset of an oil spill.

Bacosa said that when this kind of event happens, the science and technology team has to be ready to respond since it can happen anytime, given that we have 7,100 islands.

The DOST is currently funding a study to develop local materials that can segregate oil.

The program is still on the developing stage and the materials are not ready yet to deploy.

Bacosa added that the DOST is investing in this kind of technology and they need support to commercialize, sustain and sell it to other countries in order to make new jobs.