MITIGATION EFFORTS. Residents participate in cleanup operations in Gloria, Oriental Mindoro in this undated photo. The Department of Social Welfare and Development is finalizing the budgetary requirements to fund the extension of the cash-for-work program for 15 to 45 days more in areas affected by the M/T Princess Empress oil spill. (Courtesy of DSWD)
MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is finalizing the budgetary requirements to fund the extension of cash-for-work (CFW) program from 15 to 45 days in the areas affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro province as directed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
A total of 19,895 individuals in Oriental Mindoro and Antique province are named beneficiaries of the CFW program to provide temporary employment to families, mostly fisherfolk, who lost their source of income due to the incident.
The affected residents, as identified by the affected local government units (LGUs), were deployed to participate in various CFW activities such as collecting locally available materials for making improvised oil spill boom and absorbent; establishing barangay or backyard gardens; mangrove rehabilitation; conducting community clean-up drives; and assisting in the loading and unloading of family food packs.
Cash compensations were given to program participants by the DSWD in exchange for the work rendered to meet their basic necessities such as food, and water, among others.
Each CFW participant receives an amount equivalent to the daily regional minimum wage – PHP355 per day in Oriental Mindoro and PHP450 per day in Antique – for the first 10 working days.
The DSWD has so far disbursed PHP3.1 million to cover the first batch of the implementation of the program in the municipalities of Bulalacao and Pola in Oriental Mindoro, and Caluya in Antique.
DSWD is already processing the downloading of funds to LGUs in Batangas province for the implementation of the CFW program intended for 2,000 beneficiaries, who will be deployed for 15 days of work.
The oil spill has reportedly reached Batangas City and the towns of Mabini, Bauan, Lobo, San Luis, San Pascual, and Tingloy.
Through the CFW program, the DSWD is able to offer a short-term intervention aimed at providing temporary employment for individuals affected by the incident.
Liability
On Friday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said they “expect things to unravel” on the culpability of RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of M/T Princess Empress that sank on Feb. 28 and caused the spill.
The Maritime Industry Authority has ordered the firm to stop the operations of its three remaining vessels.
“We expect documents to be submitted and from there, we will validate. The National Bureau of Investigation has interviewed the crew members already,” Remulla said at a press briefing at the Department of Justice in Manila.
“We have to work on the facts more so that we’ll know what direction there will be. We subpoenaed documents also. Most of them have to do with the ship’s construction and other details of the last voyage of the Princess Empress.” (PNA)
