The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) in Bulacan confirmed that the alleged oil slick found floating on the province’s coastline did not come from the Terra Nova tanker that sank off the coast of Bataan.
Manuel Lukban Jr., head of the Bulacan PDRRMO told The Manila Times that oil found floating in the Pamarawan area in the City of Malolos is said to have come from passing ships including ships carrying barges of the P740-billion New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project located in a 2,500-hectare property in Taliptip, Bulakan, Bulacan.
According to Governor Daniel Fernando, what the fishermen observed in the province’s coastline were minimal oil sheens and not oil slicks from the sunken Terra Nova.
“It’s not in Bulacan yet, I think it’s detoured to Cavite which should be to our province. Yun mga nakikita dyan sa Pamarawan na konti-konti ay ipinapa-test namin kung ito ba ay galing doon o galing sa mga waste ng mga barko na dumadaan sa Bulacan.”
“But, I will assure you that right now there is no oil slick in Bulacan,” Fernando said.
Lukban said the airport management, San Miguel Aerocity Inc., a subsidiary of San Miguel Holdings Corp. is taking action here to clean up the oil sheens.
This is also the statement of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) where based on the observation, only “very minimal and unnoticeable oil sheens” were observed on the shorelines of Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan and Cavite during the aerial survey conducted on Tuesday.
According to the PCG, no signs of oil spill were found except for very thin pockets.
Following the oil spill incident from capsized tanker MV Terranova, Fernando issues memorandum to local chief executives (LCEs) in the province and activates incident command post in Bulacan.
On Monday Fernando announced the issuance of the memorandum for the local chief executives in the province regarding the mandate for the immediate action in response to the potential oil spill threat along the coast of Bulacan from the capsized tanker MT Terranova in Limay, Bataan during the Joint NDRRMC – RDRRMC3 Emergency Meeting on the Oil Spill Incident in the Province of Bataan held at the RDC Hall, NEDA Region III, DMGC, Maimpis, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
In the Memorandum DRF-07292024 addressed to the LCEs of the Cities of Malolos and Meycauayan, Bulakan, Hagonoy, Calumpit, Marilao, Paombong and Obando, Fernando strongly advised that all fishpond operators should harvest their fish, crabs, shrimp, prawns, and other seafood as soon as possible before they become contaminated by the oil, as recommended by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Fernando has also activated the province’s incident command post a day after the reports on the oil spill incident headed by Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Officer (BENRO) Atty. Julius Victor C. Degala and PDRRMO Officer Manuel Lukban to oversee the ongoing monitoring and assessment of the affected areas.
“Ngayon po ay patuloy ang ating pagsasagawa ng mga aksyon at nag-create po tayo ng technical working group at nagtalaga po kami ng incident commander which is BENRO and PDRRMO para masubaybayan ang lahat ng mga nangyayari,” the governor said.
He also advised fishermen to avoid sailing on areas affected by the oil spill while fishpond owners with dikes should ensure that contaminated water does not enter their ponds and should keep the check gates or sluices closed.
Based on the report of Atty. Degala, the Philippine Coast Guard has also deployed 70 personnel and two pick-up trucks, one boom truck, one JAC Truck and one Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) stationed at the Staging Area at CGSS Obando and at Bulacan PDRRMO.
The PCG has also gathered 600 coconut logs, 11-25-meter segment fence booms, ten packs of oil snare booms, six bale of absorbent pads, and five bale of absorbent booms positioned at CGSS Obando.
In the meeting presided by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr., various agencies including the PCG, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other local government units provided their situation reports and the actions taken to prevent and mitigate the spread of the Industrial Fuel Oil (IFO) spilling off the fuel tanker, which poses health risks to both people and aquatic life exposed to the contaminated water.
“What is important is you do your report and everyday testing (water quality), ibigay agad sa mga gobernador, sa mga mayors – sa lahat. Napaka-importante noon,” the secretary said.
Recent reports said that the Marine Science Institute have observed some oil sheens and oil slicks near the waters of Barangays Taliptip in Bulakan; Tibagin in Hagonoy; and vicinity waters of Brgy. Pamarawan, City of Malolos.
