Philippine fishermen struggle as oil spill keeps them ashore

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 went down.

Some oil has also drifted north to the Verde Island Passage, between Mindoro and the Philippines’ main island of Luzon.

The passage is near the top of the Coral Triangle, an area of water spanning down to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor that is called the “Amazon of the Seas” because of its rich marine life.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the vessel’s insurers were looking for experts to patch the leaks and remove the oil.

Several countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, are helping the Philippines respond to the disaster.

The owner of the tanker said anyone affected by the spill could seek compensation.

Financial help can’t come fast enough for many of the fishermen, who would normally turn their hands to picking bananas or coconuts to supplement their incomes.

But banana trees were damaged by a strong storm last year and the next coconut harvest is months away.

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 told AFP, warning 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 was considering pulling one of his four children out of school to cut expenses.

“Where would I get the 50-peso daily allowance for each of them?” he asked.