ILOILO CITY – The island town of Caluya in Antique province has been placed under a state of calamity after an oil spill reached its shore.
The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Caluya approved Resolution No. 2023-31 in a special session on Monday, March 6, 2023, placing the island under state of calamity due to oil spill that emanated from a sunken M/T Princess Empress.
Bunker fuel from a sunken tanker is seen reaching the shores of a coastal barangay in Caluya town, Antique province. (Philippine Coast Guard)
The oil spill spread to four island barangays (villages) in the town and affected the fishing communities.
Around 25,733 residents or 7,198 families from the coastal of Barangays Alegria, Semirara, Sibolo, and Tinogboc have already been affected by the oil spill.
This prompted the local government of Caluya to call for ‘an immediate response and intervention from national agencies to avoid widespread contamination.’
The scope of contamination getting greater is all the more likely since the area is geographically isolated from mainland Antique province.
The most affected is Semirara, home to the country’s mining reserve, with 17,817 residents affected.
The oil spill also affected 3,713 residents in Barangay Alegria; 3,575 residents in Barangay Tinogboc; and 628 residents in Barangay Sibolo.
Since the weekend, Caluya Mayor Rigil Kent Lim ordered for the suspension of all fishing activities where bunker fuel is found.
Aside from affected livelihood, local officials are also worried that marine resources might be damaged too by the oil spill caused by an oil tanker that sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro province on Feb. 28 and reached Caluya last March 3.