Pola, Oriental Mindoro — The municipality of Pola in Oriental Mindoro commemorated the second year since the February 28 sinking of an oil tanker that led to a devastating oil spill in the Verde Island Passage by inaugurating a community solar-powered water pump project, as testimony to the residents’ hope for a future free from the polluting impacts of fossil fuels.
In 2023, the tanker MT Princess Empress sank off the coasts of Oriental Mindoro while carrying 900,000 liters of industrial oil, leading many municipalities in the province to declare a state of calamity and freezing the livelihood of thousands due to the imposition of a fishing ban. Pola was among the hardest hit municipalities, earning the label of the oil spill’s ground zero.
“Ang tubig ay buhay para sa aming mga mangingisda at mga residente dito sa isla. Ang pagsulong sa solar pump project na ito ay tanda rin ng paninindigan namin na huwag hayaang masira ang mga katubigan namin. Sa patuloy naming paglaban para sa hustisya mula sa oil spill, patuloy rin ang pag-asa naming maprotektahan ang karapatan ng bawat isang taga-Mindoro sa malinis na kapaligiran,” said Aldrin Villanueva, President of Koalisyon ng mga Mangingisda Apektado ng Oil Spill (KMAOS).
The community renewable energy project was installed in Barangay Batuhan in Pola, with cooperation between fisherfolk and local leaders and the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED).
“The 2023 oil spill is a tragic reminder of how detrimental it is for our country to continue relying on polluting sources of energy, at a time of increasing ecological and climate vulnerabilities and at a time when sustainable alternatives in the form of renewables already abound. This project is a testament to the transformative power of renewables for our people, and of our hope for a full shift to sustainable energy in more and more communities and municipalities,” said Atty. Avril De Torres, Deputy Executive Director of CEED.
As commemoration to the tragedy and alongside the inauguration, Pola Mayor Jennifer ‘Ina’ Cruz declared the municipality of Pola as a fossil-free renewable energy municipality, seeking to prioritize the shift to renewable energy sources and to ban toxic cargo, such as fossil fuels, from entering the town’s municipal waters.
“Dalawang taon na ang nakalilipas, pero dama pa rin namin ang marka ng oil spill. Patuloy na pasan ng mga residente ng Pola ang epekto ng trahedyang ito,” said Mayor Cruz.
“Idinedeklara ko ang Pola bilang isang fossil-free at renewable energy na munisipalidad, na inuuna ang development ng renewable energy at nagbibigay ng insentibo para sa adapsyon nito. Ito ang ating pangako sa pagtatayo ng mas malinis, malusog, at matatag na kinabukasan ng ating karagatan at mga komunidad nito. Hindi natin hahayaang maulit muli ang ganitong klaseng sakuna sa ating bayan,” she added.