BALANGA CITY (PIA) — National government agencies, local government units (LGUs), and advocacy groups are urging the public to donate coconut husks, rice straws, sawdust, and other indigenous materials to create alternative oil spill booms to help mitigate the oil spill in Bataan.
The sinking of Motor Tanker (MT) Terra Nova near Limay town, which contained 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil, caused the oil spill.
Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III emphasized that each LGU in the province must implement preparedness measures to prevent or lessen the oil spill’s potential impact in their respective areas.
“If you have your reports or updates specifically on your preparation of alternative oil spill booms and identification of priority areas including main rivers, mangroves, and fishponds in your areas that will possibly be affected by the oil spill, kindly submit to us,” Garcia said.
He assured that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) committed to providing personnel to train LGUs in creating natural spill booms.
Additionally, DENR will supply shredders to each LGU to aid in the creation of spill booms.
Municipal and city disaster risk reduction and management offices in the province are already collecting and preparing indigenous materials to create spill booms and readying communities for the oil spill’s potential effects.
Each LGU is also preparing assistance for potentially affected communities.
Garcia earlier reported updates on the containment efforts for the oil spill incident at a joint National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council – Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council emergency meeting in Pampanga.
“As of the latest report, 14 valves have been sealed, so we still need to seal 10 more,” he noted, referring to the valves on the sunken vessel.
He explained that the salvage company Harbor Star is working on sealing the remaining valves and that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has approved a plan to safely siphon the oil.
“The plan is to safely siphon 50,000 liters per day, and we need to siphon a total of 300,000 liters to lighten the vessel,” Garcia detailed.
He emphasized focusing on containment and retrieval efforts rather than calculating the amount of oil leaked.
Additionally, the governor mentioned reports of another sunken vessel, MTKR Jason Bradley, in the waters off Barangay Cabcaben in Mariveles.
This second vessel, carrying 5,500 liters of diesel, sank to a depth of nine meters, resting on the muddy bottom 600 yards away from the shore on July 27.
PCG has met with the salvor company, which has been given a special permit to proceed with salvage operations, expected to take around two weeks.
Coast Guard Station Bataan Lieutenant Commander Michael John Encina emphasized the importance of siphoning the sunken MT Terra Nova.
“We need to siphon around 300,000 liters for it to float, according to our expert. The intention is to siphon it, float the vessel, salvage it, and prevent further oil spills,” he added.
PCG is coordinating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the DENR to identify areas affected by the oil spill from the sunken vessel.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is monitoring the impact on marine life and conducting sensory analysis of fish samples from affected areas.
It urged fisherfolk to report any oil slick sightings and avoid contaminated areas.
As a precautionary measure, the municipal government of Limay has issued a fishing ban and provided assistance to affected communities.
There are currently no reported affected areas in other municipalities or city in the province.
Coordination efforts in each barangay are ongoing to assess which areas might be affected by the oil spill.
The focus remains on containing the spill, protecting marine environments, and supporting local communities affected by this environmental disaster.
SOURCE: Rick P. Quiambao PIA3
