President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was urged to personally intervene and order government agencies to contain the oil spill from a sunken tank off Oriental Mindoro. Protect Verde Island Passage (VIP), a coalition of sectors, communities, and organizations that advocate the protection of the Verde Island Passage, called on Marcos to mobilize concerned agencies "to pour all efforts and resources" in containing the oil spill, which was reported to have reached Calapan. Citing a report from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) of Calapan, Protect VIP said traces of oil on the shores of Barangay Navotas were confirmed. Calapan is a major economic center of the Mimaropa region. “The only way to achieve the President’s hope to clean up the oil spill in four months is to compel government agencies to direct all resources for containment," Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Protect VIP Convenor, said on Friday, March 17. "We are also in support of the consensus raised during the Senate hearing for the need to assign an oil spill response chief. Mr. President, the VIP is a crucial contributor to the Philippine economy. You must move now,” Gariguez added. Gariguez, who is also the director of the Diocesan Social Action Center of Calapan, is seeking more concrete plans from the national government as worries over the sustainability of the current assistance have surfaced. “Even before the spillage has reached Calapan, we have been one with the entire province of Oriental Mindoro in responding to the needs of communities. But we can only do so much. We do not want the oil response to suffer the same fate of the sunken tanker – the captain must steer the ship towards safety and that someone should be the President,” he said. Gariguez pointed out that the government "is moving but not fast enough." "Half a month has passed already and the deployment of a remote operating vehicle (ROV) will not arrive until next week. In the short term, we need to identify who would compensate the affected residents and pay for the environmental damage to VIP," he said. Fisherfolk organizations in provinces surrounded by VIP have expressed worries on livelihood support and response, Gariguez added. According to the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), a sustainability think-tank and Protect VIP convenor, which deployed a team to survey the affected areas in Oriental Mindoro, the no-fishing ban imposed in the aftermath of the spill is causing widespread effects on the economy of Oriental Mindoro. “It’s not just fisherfolk – these barangays depend on the seas to bring in money for trade, transport, and tourism, and soon, the whole country would feel it too. The fishing sector in the VIP area, which includes Oriental Mindoro was valued at P11.8 billion in 2021 while in 2019, its tourism industry generated P3.5 billion," CEED Executive Director Gerry Arances said. "There must be decisive action to minimize the impact and demand accountability from the charterer and ship owner which seems to be heading towards a bailout based on how the Senate hearing last week went,” Arances stressed. Gariguez further said that in the long run, policymakers should not just look at oil spills from sunken ships, but also how to minimize the traffic of ships carrying poisonous cargo through this vulnerable area. Marcos said on March 8 that [the government is ready to aid affected residents](https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/8/marcos-vows-to-expedite-oil-spill-cleanup-in-mindoro) through the "cash-for-work" program, and vowed that the government will expedite the cleanup in Mindoro.