MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government said Thursday that it has identified alternative fishing grounds for fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro affected by the oil spill.
In a release, DILG said its chief Benhur Abalos Jr. had recommended to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. the sharing of fishing areas to oil spill-hit fishers. It has been two months since MT Princess Empress, which was loaded with 800,000 liters of industrial oil, sank off Oriental Mindoro.
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Fishers from San Teodoro and Baco towns may do their fishing activities in the municipal waters of Paluan and Abra De Ilog in Occidental Mindoro, and Tayabas Bay and Mindoro Strait.
Those from Calapan City, Naujan, and Pola may catch fish in the municipal waters of Boac and Gasan in Marinduque, and in Tayabas Bay.
Meanwhile, fishers from Pinamalayan, Gloria and Bansud can fish in the municipal waters of Concepcion in Romblon and portions of Mindoro Strait.
Affected fisherfolk from Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay and Bulalacao may do their fishing activities in Tablas Strait and the municipal waters of San Jose and Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro.
However, the duration of fishing ground sharing is still uncertain, according to Abalos.
“As soon as the fish samples are okay and there is no more contamination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the affected areas of Oriental Mindoro, fisherfolk can already do their fishing activities in their own territorial waters,” he said. PAHs are a group of chemicals present in crude oil.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources last week recommended keeping fishing bans in oil spill-affected areas in Oriental Mindoro as results of its analyses were not yet conclusive as far as food safety was concerned.
Oriental Mindoro fishers affected by the oil spill—estimated to be more than 26,000—are losing around P19 million per day.
Fishers who were ordered to stay ashore participate in the government’s cash-for-work program, which provides temporary income.
The DILG also said that it will review existing policies on the management of municipal waters and urged coastal towns to include oil spill in their contingency plans.