Filipinos in New Zealand feel local wrath after oil spill

UPDATED 9:00 p.m. - Filipinos living in northern New Zealand are facing growing public anger after it was revealed that the ship "Rena" that caused a major oil spill in the city of Tauranga had an all-Filipino crew. “One cyclist asked if I was Filipino, and when I said yes, he just gave me the finger and cycled off," one Filipina resident said. The container ship, which carried 1,700 tons of fuel, hit the Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga Port last week. However, the Philippine Embassy in the capital city of Wellington said the encounters of hatred toward members of the Filipino community do not reflect the locals' general sentiments. In a statement released on Friday, the Embassy said they have gathered that "the reported negative reactions to the Filipino people there are few." The Embassy added that Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby cited "the inherent goodness of Filipinos" and that the all-Filipino crew said "they have been treated kindly and fairly by the New Zealand authorities." The statement also conveyed "our sadness over the unfortunate maritime accident." It leaked oil into the water and beaches in the area in what authorities called the “most significant maritime environmental disaster" in the area in decades. ‘Anti-Filipino feeling’ A Filipino, who asked not to be named, told the Otago Daily Times that she feels a “growing anti-Filipino feeling" in the Bay of Plenty, where debris of the Liberian-flagged ship have been swept by the waters. Daisy Pascuade Groot, who owns a business in Mt. Maunganui, added that the residents are redirecting the rage towards them. She said people are passing remarks like, "They must be relatives of yours." Meanwhile, OFW advocacy group Migrante appealed to New Zealanders not to blame the Filipino community. “The environmental disaster in Tauranga is a tragedy of the highest order. Fanning racial hatred against Filipinos who also care so much for the beauty of New Zealand would be another gross human disaster," said Dennis Maga, Migrante Aotearoa National Coordinator. "We do understand the intense feelings of New Zealanders over this disaster. We appeal for sobriety so that innocent Filipinos will not be subjected to racial hatred as already experienced by some Filipinos in Tauranga." Apology from ship owner Costamare, the Greek shipping company that owns the container ship “Rena" has issued a video statement apologizing to the people of Tauranga, who were affected by the oil spill. “We want to say that we are deeply sorry for the situation that has arisen and the threat you are now facing from fuel oil from the vessel washing up on the beaches in your beautiful part of the world," Costamare managing director Diamantis Manos said. Although the company assured the public that they will take responsibility for the incident, the Otago Daily Times said the company has not yet offered any payment. The report also quoted New Zealand Prime Minister John Key as saying the clean-up cost is estimated to reach $12.2 million. Most crewmembers back in PHL The Philippine Embassy has rushed the repatriation of most of the 24-member crew, who are all Filipinos. Eight crewmembers were sent home on Monday, followed by 11 others on Thursday. Only six members remain in Tauranga, including the captain and the navigational officer, who are both out on bail after being charged with “operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk." Meanwhile, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Raul Hernandez told reporters on Wednesday that the other four are only “needed there for the proceedings." “The Mediterranean shipping company has already provided a lawyer to the Filipino captain and, in fact, the ambassador has already talked to him and the lawyer said we are following the judicial process," he said. Reuters said the charge against the ship captain carries a maximum fine of NZ$10,000 ($7,800) or 12 months in prison. Hernandez added that the crewmembers’ relatives are given regular updates by Costamare. Clean-up drives As authorities report that Rena seems to have settled on the reef, a large number of people wanting to help have reportedly trooped to the coast, amid warnings to stay away. “This is our place, these are our beaches, it’s natural we want to save them, never mind bureaucrats," resident Jim Kohu told Reuters. Volunteers, including soldiers, scooped clumps of oil from the blackened beach. The Oiled Wildlife Response Unit also joined in, picking up dead seabirds and rescuing those that managed to stay alive. Penguins, whose previously white bellies have turned brownish because of the oil that coated them, are washed in the response unit’s makeshift camp. They are later taken at the oiled wildlife center to recuperate. In previous reports, Auckland University marine biologist Barbara Bollard-Breen said the incident may “not only affect some of our most pristine coastal areas… but also estuaries and already threatened marine habitats." - with a report from Reuters, VVP/HS, GMA News