The oil spill that hit the waters of Oriental MIndoro and other nearby areas has so far caused around P7 billion in environmental damage, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) bared on Thursday, April 27. “P7 billion is the potential damage [to the environment by the Oriental Mindoro oil spill],” the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) told reporters. “The total area extent of the three ecosystems (mangrove areas, seagrass beds, and coral reefs) that fall within the oil spill trajectories across the three provinces is estimated to hold an economic value of around 7 billion,” it continued. The BMB noted that this estimation includes the overall area of all the three habitats in the affected provinces. “The actual value of the habitats affected by the spill will rely on ground validation, thorough habitat impact assessments and further economic valuation exercises. This will be determined once the oil spill has been permanently contained and terminated.” According to the DENR, the P7 billion estimate does not include the P3.8 billion damage to fisheries reported by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). “As of latest data natin regarding oil spill ang damage to agriculture is more than P3 billion na po. Iyan po ay running hanggang sa may langis na tumatagas pa po ( Per our latest data on the oil spill, the agricultural damage is over P3 billion. That’s the running estimate as long as there is still oil leaking),” Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Joint Information Center chief Diego Agustin Mariano said during a Laging Handa briefing, Thursday. He said the government is continuously providing assistance to affected fisherfolk in the form of cash and food, among others. The motor tanker Princess Empress's sinking off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, on Feb. 28 caused the oil disaster. Some 800,000 gallons of industrial fuel were being transported by the tanker, per the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). As advised  by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), fishing bans still remain in affected areas in Oriental Mindoro. In BFAR's Oil Spill Bulletin No. 3 released Wednesday, April 27, the bureau cited results of oil and grease examination in water samples obtained from affected areas in Oriental Mindoro on April 10 showed significant increases in levels from prior analyses. Earlier, the BFAR said the country’s fisheries sector is losing P5 million per day due to the oil spill.