To assist in the containment of the oil spill caused by the sunken M/T Princess Empress, a Japanese dynamic positioning vessel (DPV) outfitted with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has arrived in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The deployment of the ROV was overseen by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director and OCD administrator, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Heronimo Tuvilla, Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor, and the OCD-Mimaropa.
Tuvilla, the incident commander, previously met with Calapan City Mayor Malou Morillo, Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz, Dolor, and members of the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, and Security (CIQS) group to discuss ongoing oil spill management operations, including the entry and deployment of the Shin Nichi Maru.
In addition, officials assessed the oil spill in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.
On the same day, NDRRMC Memorandum No. 19, Series of 2023, was issued for the establishment of a national task force for oil spill management in Mimaropa and Western Visayas.
Meanwhile, OCD chairs the task force, which is co-chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and PCG.
The Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are also members.
The Department of National Defense has also taken the initiative to seek French and American expertise and technical assistance.
Meanwhile, the oil spill had already impacted 32,661 families in Mimaropa and Western Visayas as of Monday.
The affected families received a total of PHP28.3 million in humanitarian assistance from the government, local government units, non-governmental organizations, and other partners.
