On March 24, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) – District Management Division (DMD)-North participated in the rapid assessment on the oil spill contamination in the municipal waters of Taytay caused by the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro.
As part of the Oil Spill Assessment Damage Taskforce in the municipality of Taytay, PCSDS worked together with other government agencies in looking into the scope and scale of the oil spill damage in seven (7) barangays of the said municipality recorded to have been largely affected by the oil spill contamination: Bgys. Calawag, Debangan, Casian, Biton, Baras, Bantulan, and Pamantolon.
The Oil Spill Assessment Damage Taskforce, composed of different government agencies, conducted interviews with the fisherfolks of the affected barangays on the extent of the oil spill damage on their livelihood; facilitated a biodiversity assessment and traced the scale of the oil sheen coverage on its coasts, seagrass, mangroves, and marine wildlife; and collated water samples and drone shots of the aforementioned affected areas.
The initial data of the initial Oil Spill Assessment will be then forwarded to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) and ultimately to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)- Environment Management Bureau (EMB) for study. This will be also useful in asking for remuneration for the damages caused by it.
Aside from PCSDS, the Oil Spill Damage Assessment Taskforce was also composed of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), Taytay Protected Area Management Office (PAMO), El Nido Protected Area Management Office (PAMO), Taytay Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO), Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Office of the Municipal Agriculture (OMA), Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Maritime Unit (PMU).
