STORY: Residents of Pola, a town located on the eastern side of the island of Mindoro, expressed concern Wednesday amid a massive oil slick that is currently washing up on local shores. The island is south of the capital Manila and many people usually like to vacation here. Marino Enriquez, Resort Manager: “Our tourism is severely affected because people cannot swim. They are forbidden from swimming because it can have harmful effects on their skin. That’s why both local and international tourists stop coming here.” Rocela Lasak, Resort Caretaker: “The impact is massive because there are no more guests who want to vacation or relax. Nobody rents our bungalows because swimming in the sea is forbidden. Nobody wants to book because it stinks and the Sand full of oil.” The tanker MT Princess Empress suffered engine failure at the end of February and subsequently sank in rough seas. It is believed that the ship is around 350 meters below sea level off the east coast of the island of Mindoro. It had loaded around 800,000 liters of industrial oil. The investigations by the Philippine Ministry of the Environment are still ongoing. Meanwhile, local residents and Coast Guard teams are trying to clean up the fuel fuel as best they can. Experts assume that corals, fish and shore areas are threatened by the oil spill in an area of around 36,000 hectares.