ILOILO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Antique provincial government are sending relief assistance to oil slick-affected residents of three island-barangays in Caluya town in Antique.
BUNKER fuel from a sunken tanker has reached the shores of a coastal barangay in Caluya town, Antique province. (Philippine Coast Guard Western Visayas)
“DSWD will always support them to ensure immediate relief and recovery of those affected,” said DSWD-6 (Western Visayas) Director Carmelo Nochete in a statement. “What we can do now is distributed 1,000 food packs,” added Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao in a separate statement. DSWD-6 has dispatched P541,000 worth of family food packs composed of 1,000 boxes for affected families. More or less 1,000 persons in Barangays Semirara, Sibolo, and Tambak are affected after oil slick from the sunken M/T Empress reached the coastal areas of Caluya on Friday, March 3. The DSWD-6 and the provincial government of Antique have to coordinate with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the local government of Caluya in distribution as the three are isolated island barangays and far from the mainland. Caluya Mayor Rigil Kent Lim has issued an executive order suspending all fishing activities in the areas where the oil slick was found.