Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pledged continued assistance to residents of Oriental Mindoro following the oil spill that has caused damages and losses that are expected to reach PHP 1bn ($20.4m). Marcos recently visited Pola, Oriental Mindoro to assess the damage caused to fishing livelihoods in the region, and thanked the international community for their assistance with the best methods to reduce the impact of the oil spill, which began on 28 February. The MT Princess Empress, carrying nearly 800,000 litres of oil, sank in the waters on this date leading to a fishing ban in the area. The United States has since provided $20m worth of assistance to the province to help with the response.
