A thick layer of oil can be seen across the water’s surface approximately four kilometers from the coastline in Tibaguin Island, Hagonoy Bulacan. The oil spill from capsized tanker MT Terranova which was carrying 1.4 million liters of oil is now affecting the municipal waters of several areas. Noel Celis, Greenpeace handout

MANILA — The oil spill from a tanker that sunk in the waters of Bataan last week was "not as massive" as the one in Oriental Mindoro last year, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Wednesday.

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"Itong oil spill sa Bataan hindi po ito kasing massive nung katulad nung nangyari sa Mindoro. Yun lang po siguro ang ipagpasalamat natin," BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera told Teleradyo Serbisyo, citing their ground "assessment and evaluation."

The disastrous oil spill from MT Princess Empress that sank in the waters of Oriental Mindoro last year resulted in "P41.2 billion worth of damages to the ecosystem and the dependent coastal communities," according to sustainability think-tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) in its  report published earlier this year. 

• PH authorities laud breakthrough in Oriental Mindoro oil spill after ROV locates sunken tanker

The Philippine Coast Guard deploy an oil spill boom and skimmer with manual scooping around the suspected area of the sunken MT Princess Empress on March 14, 2023. The ship was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank near the Verde Island Passage, one of the most biodiverse marine habitats in the planet, on Feb. 28, 2023. Malayan Towage and Salvage Corporation/Philippine Coast Guard

The PCG as of Tuesday said the oil spill from MT Terra Nova remains under control after they successfully plugged the leaking valves of the tanker.

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The tanker was carrying over 1.4 million liters of oil cargo when it sank near the waters of Limay town in Bataan on July 25 due to bad weather.

• Tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of oil capsizes in Manila Bay

FUEL SUBSIDY

The BFAR also announced that the affected fisherfolk are set to receive P3,000-worth of fuel subsidy.

"Isa po sa nakalatag na intervention ng BFAR ay yung fuel subsidy sa ating apektadong fisherfolk. Ito po, kung di ako nagkakamali, P3,000 per individual. In the form of fuel po, parang may conduit kaming mga gasoline stations," Briguera said.

• DA eyes fuel subsidy for fishermen affected by Bataan oil spill

Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel earlier said the fuel subsidy would help fishermen venture outside their traditional fishing areas affected by the oil spill. 

The BFAR said imposing a fishing ban was left to the discretion of local government units.

"Sa BFAR ang nakatoka sa amin yung pag-aanalisa ng fish sample, marine habitat, at yung ano mang mga technical nformation na makukuha namin at ibibigay sa LGU at sila ang magdedesisyon kung magpapatupad ng fishing ban," Briguera explained. 

In its last Bataan Oil Spill Bulletin, the BFAR said all fish samples from Bataan passed their sensory analysis.

• Fish samples from Bataan still 'passed' sensory test amid oil spill: BFAR report

"Yung mga isda naman hindi sila ganon ka vulnerable sa oil spill, unlike crustaceans," Briguera said.

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