Fishermen wearing personal protective equipment take part in a clean-up operation from the oil spill of the sunken tanker Princess Empress along the shore in Pola, Oriental Mindoroy. Jam Sta. Rosa, Agence France-Presse/file
MANILA – The Philippine government should invest in its own technology to contain future oil spills, an expert said Saturday, as the country races to clean up the ecological disaster.
Hernando Bacosa, an environmental science professor, said similar incidents could happen in the future given that the country is an archipelagic one.
“We have to invest on technology and kapag ganito po, kapag may ganiyang nangyari then dapat ready na iyong ating science team, ready na iyong ating technology to respond kasi nga it could happen anytime lalo na talagang 7,100 islands tayo,” Bacosa said in a media forum.
“We have to invest po sa [ remotely-operated vehicle] na galing ng Japan and then we have to organize ourselves as a strong force po respond to oil spill... So, kung may earthquake drill tayo kahit siguro ones or twice a year mayroon tayong oil spill drill na alam natin ang gagawin kung anuman, kung maka-deploy ba tayo ng ganitong technology; at least alam natin,” he added.
He also hopes that other countries could bring more technology to contain the Mindoro oil spill after the ROV that Japan brought could not siphon oil from the sunken tanker.
Bacosa also urged neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia– both what he considers as oil-producing countries – to help contain the oil spill.
So far, Japan, US, and South Korea have committed to help the Philippines contain the oil spill.
The MT Princess Empress was carrying some 800,000 liters of industrial fuel when it capsized in rough seas off Oriental Mindoro on February 28.
The oil spill from the sunken tanker has reached parts of Palawan, while Oriental Mindoro has been placed under a state of calamity.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said that the government targets to finish the clean up in less than 4 months.