The island municipality of Caluya in Antique is under a state of calamity due to an oil spill that has affected its municipal waters, particularly the shorelines of its three barangays.
Resolution 31, series of 2023, passed by the Sangguniang Bayan of Caluya in its special session on Monday, March 6, said the oil spill has reached the shorelines of Sitio Sabang in Barangay Tinogboc; Toong, Banua Proper, and Sitio Balibao in Barangay Semirara, and Sitio Liwagao in Barangay Sibolo.
“The oil spill can lead to a possible widespread environmental and health hazards all throughout the islands of the municipality, which is detrimental to public health and economic well-being of the residents, most especially the fisherfolks, shell collectors, and seaweed farmers composing the majority and the marginalized sectors of our society,” part of the resolution noted.
Residents in the affected areas, including those in barangays Alegria, Sibato, and Imba, depend heavily on the affected waters for their livelihood, the resolution added.
“The municipality calls for immediate response and intervention from the national government agencies, technical experts, and stakeholders in providing the necessary intervention to prevent the widespread contamination in other islands of the municipality,” it said.
Department of Social Welfare and Development Disaster Response Management Division head Judith T. Barredo, in a conference on Monday afternoon, said those affected by the oil spill are mostly fisherfolk and areas near the shorelines at risk of fume inhalation, quoting the report of the local government.
The latest data from the Coast Guard District Western Visayas (CGDWV) showed that 6,298 families consisting of 22,020 individuals have been affected by the incident.
The CGDWV, in its situation report, said a total of 190 sacks of oily wastes were collected from the coastline of Sitio Sabang in Barangay Tinogboc as of 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
The clean-up operation, however, was temporarily stopped because of the high tide.
On the other hand, the Iloilo City government will send separate sets of personal protective equipment (PPEs), consisting of masks, gloves, hazmats, face shields, and goggles to the municipality of Caluya and the Philippine Coast Guard that they can use in the cleanup operations.
City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Donna Magno said the PPEs committed by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas when he met with the Regional Development Council Infrastructure Development Committee and other concerned agencies on March 4 are expected to arrive in Caluya on March 8.
She added that the city government is also waiting for the response of the University of the Philippines Visayas to convene the technical working group and conduct a pre-disaster risk assessment relative to the oil spill incident.
“The value of the study, that will tell us of possible scenarios for us in Iloilo City, province, and Guimaras to do anticipatory actions,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.PNA
