Oriental Mindoro oil spill could affect 21 marine protected areas — DENR Gaea Katreena Cabico - Philstar.com

Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP MANILA, Philippines — The oil spill caused by a sunken tanker in Oriental Mindoro could affect 21 marine protected areas, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said as it formed a task force to address the situation. Authorities are rushing to contain an oil spill from MT Princess Empress, which sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro. The vessel was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel. Environmental advocates and locals fear the oil spill could threaten the already fragile Verde Island Passage (VIP)—considered by scientists as the center of the center of marine biodiversity in the world—and the livelihoods of people who depend on the marine corridor. Oriental Mindoro is one of the five provinces surrounding VIP. Environmental advocates and locals fear the oil spill could threaten the already fragile Verde Island Passage (VIP)—considered by scientists as the center of the center of marine biodiversity in the world—and the livelihoods of people who depend on the marine corridor. Oriental Mindoro is one of the five provinces surrounding VIP. According to a report of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau, the oil spill that stretches several kilometers could impact 21 locally-managed protected areas (LMMPAs). Potential risk areas including seagrass beds, mangroves, and dispersion pathways for spawned fish larvae have been mapped. The Philippine Coast Guard—the lead agency tasked with response operations in the affected area—will install spill booms to protect LMMPAs. The agency also formed a task force to address the situation and carried out water sampling in the towns of Naujan, Pola, and Pinamalayan. The task force, in cooperation with the PCG and the Philippine Air Force, will conduct an aerial surveillance in the coming days to further assess the situation. “[The DENR] has coordinated with experts in the private sector to immediately address the emergency situation and create a mid to long-term risk management strategy for the affected areas,” the department said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more