President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has mandated the creation of an inter-agency task force to tackle the oil spill from the sunken MT Terra Nova near Limay, Bataan.
During a situation briefing on the impacts of Super Typhoon Carina and the Enhanced Southwest Monsoon in Malolos, Bulacan, Marcos specified that the task force will include the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“I will direct… the Civil Defense will take the lead here. You put the teams together from the DENR, the Coast Guard will have their part,” Marcos stated.
The President instructed the PCG to evaluate the condition of the MT Terra Nova, while the DILG is to coordinate with local government units for a unified response.
“DILG of course, you will have to coordinate with the local executives to make sure that coordinated ang galaw natin,” he said.
The DENR’s responsibilities include conducting water and air quality tests in the affected area, while the DOH is tasked with monitoring the health and medical conditions of Bataan residents.
The DOLE will implement livelihood programs for those impacted, and the DSWD will provide assistance to the victims.
In the same briefing, Marcos, following DENR’s advice, directed the provincial governments potentially affected to install organic spill booms along coastal areas to prevent the spread of the oil spill.
“We will anticipate already the effects on the coastal areas, what they will need in terms of assistance. We can use the TUPAD… ‘yun ang immediate concern natin, is to have those booms made from indigenous materials, we have to deploy them as quickly as possible.”
Marcos also requested the task force to collaborate with Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor, who previously managed the response to the oil spill from the sunken Sierra Leone-flagged dredger MV Hong Hai 189 last year.
The MT Terra Nova capsized early Thursday, causing an oil spill that resulted in one fatality. The spill occurred 3.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point in Limay at approximately 1:10 a.m.