How Filipinos are banding together to help fishers after oil spill

It has been a month since an oil tanker carrying 800,000 liters (210,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil sank off the coast of the Philippines’ Oriental Mindoro province, but many of the area’s fishing boats remain grounded.  

As authorities struggle to contain the oil leaking from the sunken MT Princess Empress, some 173,000 people in 163 villages are reeling from the effects of the massive spill. Many rely on the sea for income, and community needs currently exceed government aid – a family might receive food, for instance, but can no longer afford to send their children to school. 

Making matters worse is the uncertainty of the cleanup timeline. Some estimates say the province’s shores should be back in business within a few months, while others say coastal villages will continue to feel the spill’s impact well into 2024. 

Keeping fishing communities afloat during the cleanup will be a test of cooperation, say local government and civil society leaders, as will protecting the area’s biodiversity and seeking justice and accountability for the spill. To help address the need gaps, the county’s bishops’ conference has raised more than $50,000 through its social action arm, Caritas Philippines. They will start selecting beneficiaries this month, focusing on “still unreached communities and the poorest of the poor in hard-hit areas,” says Jing Rey Henderson, head of the research and advocacy office of Caritas Philippines.

“This particular mission is only possible through close cooperation among communities, the church, and civil society organizations,” he adds. “Together we can help those who badly need our assistance.”

Protecting the strait

When the prevailing winds brought leaked oil to the shores of Maidlang II village in mid-March, residents – mostly fishers – mobilized immediately. They improvised spill booms from cogon grass, rice straw, and coconut materials. 

“The goal is to protect the 60-hectare [150-acre] mangrove forest in our village,” says village chieftain Norie Labay. “If the mangroves will be destroyed, our livelihood and our first defense against harsh weather conditions will also be destroyed.”

The mangrove forest in Maidlang II is part of the Verde Island Passage (VIP), a strait that connects the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea beyond. The 1.14 million hectare passage has been called the “Amazon of the oceans” for its rich marine biodiversity and ecological importance. It is also one of the busiest sea lanes in the Philippines, being the main shipping route between the Port of Manila in the north and the Visayas and Mindanao in the south. 

This is where the MT Princess Empress went down on Feb. 28. 

Since then, the United States and Japan have both sent experts to provide technical assistance in containing the oil spill. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says the international support “is a big help,” and the government is looking to “clean up the oil in less than four months.” However, the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute estimates that clearing the spill could take six months to a year, and experts say the effects on marine life could last for decades.

The residents of Maidlang II, who were successful in preventing the oil from reaching the mangrove forest, are still making improvised spill booms to cover the village’s other 4 miles of shoreline. 

“There has to be cooperation,” says Ms. Labay. “While it is the duty of the government to resolve the problem, it is the responsibility of the village people to help protect the ocean.”

But as the cleanup drags on, villagers say they need more support. They’ve received food aid from various government agencies, but there is still no long-term livelihood assistance. There’s also been no push by authorities to penalize the ship’s owner and charter (RDC Reield Marine Services, Inc. and SL Harbor Bulk Terminal Corporation, a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation Shipping and Lighterage, respectively).

The Rev. Edwin Gariguez, social action director of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan and convenor of the Roman Catholic Church-backed movement Protect VIP, urged the Philippine government to “implement long-term solutions to protect critical marine and coastal biodiversity,” and to impose “strict liability to charterers in instances of pollution” under existing laws, such as the 2007 Oil Pollution Compensation Act.

In the meantime, he sees a need for government and civil society to rally around the province’s fishing communities, to expedite cleanup and help families navigate the crisis.  

Banned from their boats

In a previously busy fishing community of Pola, economic activities have been effectively brought to a halt after the country’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources recommended the suspension of fishing in areas impacted by the spill. 

About 80% of the town’s 35,000 people “rely on the ocean for their livelihood,” says Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz.

“For now, the municipal government can provide food assistance to those affected households and individuals. But people also need money to buy other things and to send their children to school,” she says.

The fishing ban is expected to continue until authorities are positive that marine species in affected areas are safe from contaminants. It’s a move to ensure the safety of the community, but leaves Pola’s small-scale fishers with few options. Aldrin Villanueva, president of the town’s fisher organization, says some have left the province to look for work.

“The majority of fishers in our town are small fishers with small boats,” says Mr. Villanueva. “We can only catch fish within the [now-contaminated] municipal waters.”

Fisher Christoper Apelo was out on his boat on March 2 when news broke that the oil spill had reached Pola, and everyone was advised to keep ashore. He has three children, and the eldest – a high school senior – has been pulled out of school and sent to Calapan to find work. 

“I get what my family needs in the ocean on a daily basis,” says Mr. Apelo. “That is the only job I have known since I was a kid. Without the ocean, I am nothing.”

That’s where the church in Calapan and Caritas Philippines hope to make a difference by providing cash assistance to affected students and families in the hard-hit towns such as Pola. They are more than halfway to the initial fundraising goal of $100,000, and will start distributing funds in May. 

Those who rely on the sea are also organizing to demand justice. In late March, more than 40 representatives of various fisher organizations in Oriental Mindoro formed the Koalisyon ng mga Mangingisdang Apektado ng Oil Spill (KMAOS), or Coalition of Fishers Affected by the Oil Spill. Dindo Melaya, convenor of KMAOS, says “close cooperation” among different fisher groups is necessary “if we really want our voices to be heard.” 

“We need to work together because it is not just a problem of one town but of the entire province,” he says.

KMAOS heads “Stop the Oil Spill, Save Our Seas” – or SOS – an alliance of various faith-based and civil society groups demanding accountability from the ship’s owner and charter. Formed on March 28, members include Protect VIP, Greenpeace Philippines, Mindoro State University, Caritas Philippines, and others. 

Lawyer Aaron Pedrosa, secretary-general of Sanlakas and board member of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, says his organizations are “willing to provide legal services if the affected communities are seeking to pursue a case.”

“It is only right that these companies behind this harrowing incident deliver reparation to communities and shoulder environmental rehabilitation requirements,” says Mr. Pedrosa. “We must hold these polluters to account for every negligence.”