Former ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio condemned the recent coal spill disasters in Sorsogon and Zambales, warning of their catastrophic impact on fisher folk communities, marine ecosystem, and public health.
“As we are still conducting relief operation in Bicol in the aftermath of Severe Tropical Strom Kristine, we are now confronted with these environmental disasters that threaten the livelihood of our fisher folk and the integrity of our marine sanctuaries” Tinio said.
The former solon highlighted how the coal spill in Sorsogon has already resulted in fish kills and the death of marine life, while the Zambales incident has endangered the Masinloc-Oyon Bay Protected Seascape and Landscape, a critical marine sanctuary.
A barge that was carrying an unspecified amount of coal capsized in the waters of Barangay Buenavista, Sorsogon City during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine”.
Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), said the running aground of the coal barge in the Zambales fish sanctuary recently is a major disaster imperiling biodiversity and the livelihood of many communities.
“This incident spells another disaster in terms of protecting biodiversity and sustaining livelihoods of communities that depend” on the protected area,” she said.
The barge, carrying over 11,000 metric tons of coal, ran aground at the Masinloc-Oyon Bay Protected Seascape and Landscape, the first marine protected area in Central Luzon and considered one of the key biodiversity areas in the country.
“These incidents expose the inherent dangers of our continued dependence on coal. Not only does coal contribute to climate change when burned for energy, but its transportation also poses severe risks to our communities and environment. Our fish folk, who are ready struggling due to recent typhoons, are now faced with the prospect of long term damage to their fishing grounds,” Tinio said.
“We demand immediate action from the DENR, PCG, and other concerned agencies to contain these spills and conduct through investigation. The companies responsible must be held accountable and should provide compensation to affected communities,” he added.
Tinio also called for an urgent transition to renewable energy sources. “These disasters underscore the need to phase out coal dependency and shift to sustainable energy alternatives. We cannot continue putting our communities and environment at risk for the sake of dirty energy,” he concluded.
The SMC Shipping and Lighterage Corp. reported the coal barge sinking in Zambales.
A Philippine Coast Guard station head was quoted by the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) as saying that the barge came from Semirara in Antique and was on its way to La Union.
“At the height of Typhoon #KristinePH, the barge temporarily stopped at San Salvador Island. Masinloc sea patrol chairman reported that the barge bumped into coral reefs, spilling its cargo. San Salvador Island is classified as a marine sanctuary,” PMCJ said.
“It was also around this time last year when a vessel carrying 70,000 liters of diesel oil sank off the coast of Calatagan town in Batangas province and caused an oil spill along another protected area, the Verde Island Passage (VIP),” Nacpil noted.
The latest incident, besides damaging marine resources, “also highlights the dirty costs of transporting coal and the inefficiency of the fossil fuel system. We all know that when coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, is burned to generate electricity, they release planet-heating emissions. But coal is also dirty to transport. Transporting coal also causes air pollution and when transport accidents happen, they can lead to coal spills, which is toxic to marine life as well as to water sources and public health,” Nacpil said.
The PMCJ, meanwhile, also weighed in on the matter.
Zambales climate justice groups who live near the protected waters of Oyon Bay have raised alarm to the local and national government demanding accountability, immediate investigation, and prosecution, the PMCJ said Friday
Last October 18, climate justice groups from Zambales, together with the PMCJ, asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) to oppose the expansion of San Miguel Global Power (SMGP)’s Masinloc coal-fired power plant. They claimed the continued presence of the coal plants will continue to destroy marine biodiversity given that Masinloc-Oyon Bay is a protected seascape.
Masinloc-Oyon Bay was declared a Protected Seascape and Landscape (MOBPLS) under Republic Act No. 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, and became the first marine protected area in Central Luzon.
Image credits: Henry Empeño
