The Philippine Coast Guard deploy an oil spill boom and skimmer with manual scooping around the suspected area of the sunken MT Princess Empress approximately 7.1 nautical miles northeast of the shorelines of Balingawan Port, Lucta Port, and Buloc Bay in Oriental Mindoro on March 14, 2023. Photo courtesy of Malayan Towage and Salvage Corporation/Philippine Coast Guard/File

MANILA -- Almost two years after the oil spill that hit Oriental Mindoro, fisherfolks finally received their compensation from the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) fund.

Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor announced that nearly all legitimate claimants, approximately 30,000 fisherfolks, have received compensation from the IOPC. 

“May mga inidividuals na nakatanggap ng as high as P700,000,” said the governor.

The oil spill caused by the sinking of tanker Princess Empress on February 28, 2023 severely affected the affected the livelihoods of residents in Oriental Mindoro, prompting compensation claims.

Meanwhile, the provincial government is also addressing the complaints of operators of large fishing boats, locally known as "pangulong," after their claim applications were denied. 

The IOPC reportedly did not approve the claims as their fishing areas were not affected by the oil spill.

But the pangulong operators insisted that they were unable to fish because they were barred from sailing by the Philippine Coast Guard. 

During a meeting called by Dolor with the PCG, the latter agreed to provide certificates to the pangulong operators. This will confirm they were not allowed to sail when the fishing ban was enforced due to the oil spill. 

"Sa meeting natin sa IOPC kino-consolidate natin lahat ng legitimate na claimants. 'Yun po ang inaaksyonan natin. 'Yun naman po may mga question yan po ay inaassess ng IOPC pero ang inaassure po ng IOPC at ng provincial government basta legitimate ang claimants at dokumentado ang claims, makakatanggap po" said Dolor. 

Meanwhile, around 300 individuals working in the tourism sector also started to receive compensation claims. 

It is expected that an additional 1,000 to 1,200 people in the tourism sector will receive compensation from the IOPC. 

It is estimated that approximately 35,000 to 40,000 individuals from Oriental Mindoro will receive compensation claims from the IOPC. 

“Ang Oriental Mindoro po ay nananatiling pinakamabilis na probinsya na nakatanggap ng compensation sa anumang oil spill sa buong mundo at nagpapasalamat tayo dahil hindi na naghintay ang mamamayan natin ng napakahabang panahon," said Dolor. 

It is also expected that the provincial government will receive compensation claims this year for all expenses related to the oil spill response. 

According to the governor, the initial assessment indicates that the provincial government will claim no less than P41 million from the IOPC. 

This does not yet include the damages to the environment, which are still being assessed, said the governor.

For those who have not yet submitted compensation claims to the IOPC, they have until March 1, 2026, to complete the requirements. 

MT Princess Empress of RDC Reield Marine Services sank near the waters of Balingawan Point in Pola, Oriental Mindoro. 

It was carrying nearly one million liters of industrial fuel that was supposed to be delivered to Iloilo from Bataan. From Oriental Mindoro, the oil spill spread and affected several parts of Batangas, Palawan, and Antique.