The PTC Group

Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC) Shipmanagement, in cooperation with One Earth One Ocean (OEOO), donated 700 kilos of oil-absorbent wool to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to help clean an oil spill that recently affected Oriental Mindoro.

The donation was turned over by Capt. Ronald SJ Enrile, Senior Vice President for PTC Shipmanagement and Head of Talent Acquisition Group together with Capt. Florencio Jampil, Director for Business Development for Crewing and Shipmanagement, and Daniel Scheler, One Earth One Ocean (OEOO) Philippines Project Manager, on March 14 to Mr. Meynardo Axalan, Administrator of the Municipality of Pola, Province of Oriental Mindoro.

Daniel Scheler of OEOO demonstrates the use of the oil-absorbent wool.

The oil-absorbent wool PURE, developed by DEUREX, is an environmentally friendly hydrophobic material that can absorb spilled oil from the water.

The initiative is made possible through the collaboration of PTC CEO Gerardo Borromeo and DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga and will benefit 11 barangays that were severely affected by an oil spill off the coast of Pola town. The eco-friendly materials will help clean the oil slick which has now spread in the coastal areas of Pola and its neighboring communities.

Together with volunteers from the eleven barangays, Mr. Scheler, assisted by Capt. Enrile and Capt. Jampil conducted a short lecture and demonstrated how to use the oil-absorbent wool. This type of material does not absorb water and always floats on the surface even when on its full oil absorption capacity.

“A few hundred meters from the coastal area of Pola we saw an oil slick moving closer to the shorelines, so we prepared two boats and mobilized the volunteers who were trained. Together with Mr. Scheler, we made use of the oil-absorbent wool on the water surface. The material is effective as we were able to initially take off 300 meters of the oil slick, leaving no traces at all. You can even reuse the cotton wool repeatedly,” said Capt. Jampil.

The materials were left in the care of Pola LGU for distribution to the affected barangays. One resident commented “Masaya kami na meron ganitong materyales na naibahagi sa amin at magagamit sa pagtanggal ng langis sa dagat. Malaki ang naging epekto nito sa aming pangkabuhayan at kalusugan kaya’t malaking tulong ito para sa amin.”

“With all hands on deck, we continue to remain committed to building a sustainable future through the various programs that we develop and implement, including those that are under the Talent Acquisition Group (TAG)," said Capt. Enrile. "We hope to carry on the drive towards a better normal, promoting people, planet, prosperity, to move a sustainable world."

Keywords/Tags

PTC, One Earth One Ocean, Oriental Mindoro, oil spill, environmental cleanup, disaster response, marine conservation, corporate social responsibility, community outreach, environmental protection

PTC STORIES

PTC partners with One Earth One Ocean to help clean Oriental Mindoro oil spill