A CRAB covered in oil creeps across the sand as Philippine fishermen wearing white protective suits, rubber gloves and respirator masks scrape toxic sludge from the rocks along the shore.
Four weeks after a Philippine tanker called Princess Empress – loaded with 800,000 litres of thick oil – sank off the central island of Mindoro, the vessel is still leaking.
More than half the oil has been discharged and dispersed over hundreds of kilometres of waters famed for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world.
Experts estimate that the two main slicks northwest and southeast of the tanker could span 162sq km.
It took two days for the spill to reach Buhay na Tubig, a remote village in Pola, one of the island’s worst-affected municipalities.
Some villagers got sick after oil smeared the shoreline, turning rocks black and leaving dark globs on the beach.
Authorities have banned fishing and swimming indefinitely, leaving thousands of fishermen wondering how long they can survive.
For more than two weeks, Arvie Anonuevo, 32, and other fishermen have spent four hours a day cleaning up oil in exchange for a daily wage of 355 pesos (RM28.50) from the government – a little over half what they used to make from fishing.
The fishermen use trowels and sheets of thin, absorbent material to clean the rocks.
By the following day, however, even more oil has washed up on the shore.
The government estimates at least 5,000ha of coral reefs, seaweed and mangroves have been affected.
Mangroves can suffocate if oil covers their roots, while corals – breeding grounds for many fish species – can die or struggle to grow and reproduce if exposed.
It will take at least six months to clean up the spill but the recovery could be years long, said Irene Rodriguez, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.
One of the worst spills in the Philippines was in 2006, when a tanker carrying two million litres of oil sank off the central island of Guimaras.
Rodriguez said that over 500,000 litres of oil leaked into the sea then. This time, she hoped “it can be contained as soon as possible”.
“If (the oil) is not removed properly and not treated properly, this will have a significant impact,” said Rodriguez.
Seven out of eight cargo tanks have leaked. Of those, four are already empty.
About 60% of the oil carried has spilled into the sea, said the Philippine Coast Guard.
Rough seas initially delayed the deployment of floating barriers to contain the spill.
Oil has been found as far away as the western island of Palawan, more than 350km from where the tanker sank.
Pola Mayor Jennifer Cruz is worried about how families will make ends meet once government assistance dries up.
“These are people who live hand to mouth,” Cruz said, warning that it could be a year before fishing is allowed to resume.
Anonuevo is already struggling, having used half the money earned from the first week of cleaning rocks to pay off debts from buying food for his family and petrol for his motorbike.
Fellow fisherman Marlon Fabrero, 46, said he is considering pulling one of his four children out of school to cut expenses.
“Where would I get the 50-peso (RM4) daily allowance for each of them?” he asked. — AFP
