CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC)- Calabarzon (Region 4-A or the Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, and Quezon area) is taking proactive measures as the oil slick from the sunken MT Princess Empress in the sea of Oriental Mindoro threatens to reach Verde Island Passage and other parts of Batangas province.

PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) personnel and volunteers collect debris covered with oil during a clean-up on the coast in Pola, Oriental Mindoro days after an oil spill from a sunken tanker. (AFP)

RDRRMC chairperson and Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)-Calabarzon regional director Maria Theresa R. Escolano said emergency preparedness and response efforts of the council have been activated to “Alpha.”

This requires member-agencies and Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils to implement preparedness measures, undertake resource inventory, and closely monitor the situation, Escolano added.

The RDRRMC-Calabarzon’s Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment report showed that the oil slick might reach Verde Island and some parts of Batangas depending on the wind direction in the coming days.

Escolano assured that they are ready to deal with the impact of the oil spill in Batangas. Residents were advised to stay calm and stay tuned for announcements by the RDRRMC and local government.

She said that the RDRRMC Emergency Operations Center is also on “blue alert” status to focus on the threat of oil slicks in the sea in the region.

The University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute had earlier warned that the oil slick could reach Verde Island Passage and other parts of Batangas due to the change in wind direction caused by the weakening of the ‘’amihan’’ or northeast monsoon.

The Verde Island Passage separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro and connects the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea beyond.

The strait has a large number of fish, corals, seagrass, and mangroves.

It is also a refuge for endangered and threatened species, including the critically endangered species hawksbill turtles, whale sharks, manta rays, sea cow or “dugongs,” hump head wrasses, giant groupers, and giant clams.