Covered with black sheen, the shores of Talibayog village in Calatagan, a town in northern Philippine province of Batangas, has been marred by oil spill since Sunday, local television ABS-CBN reported on Tuesday.

The oil must have come from the cargo vessels that passed waters in the area, said Rodrigo de Jesus, Calatagan chairman said.

What made matters worse are the newly-planted mangroves that absorbed the oil. The mangroves will die a few days from now, according to de Jesus.

Aside from these, fishermen are worried because they have been deprived of any catch because of the oil spill.

Residents also complained that they are having difficulty in breathing due to the strong smell of the spilled oil from the vessels.

After the incident happened, the Philippine Coast Guard sent a team to conduct inspection on reported oil spill. The initial investigation revealed that an area of 80 meters by 12 meters has been affected by bunker fuel oil scattered in the mangrove area of Batangas.

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