Subic Bay Freeport – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) recently forged partnership with its counterparts to establish the Inter-Agency Task Force for Maritime Incidents and Emergency Response (IATF-MIER) which primarily aims to ensure efficient handling of environmental emergencies in the country’s premier free port.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the creation of the task force was signed at the Corporate Boardroom of the Administration Building last November 21 by and among the SBMA, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Customs (BOC), PNP Maritime Group, and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA).
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said that the creation of the IATF-MIER is timely because of recent incidents of oil spills that happened along the coast of Bataan, wreaking havoc on its marine life, as well as in the livelihood of maritime stakeholders in the area.
He added that the IATF-MIER is a whole-of-government approach towards maritime-related incidents as the task force is composed of government agencies that have specialized in their fields of expertise, and would collaborate with other pertinent units to prevent any incidents within our navigational waters.
Aliño also said that the IATF-MIER will also undertake information and education campaigns for communities in nearby coastal areas to heighten awareness in the prevention of maritime incidents and in the provision of emergency response in the shortest record time possible.
Senior Deputy Administrator (SDA) for Port Operations Ronnie Yambao added that the SBMA Seaport Department has already procured oil spill equipment to handle environmental emergencies such as oil spill incidents that have become more frequent these past few months.
These include a sopep oil spill kit that has a capacity of around 416 liters, foam-filled oil spill boom, and a PCG-certified oil spill dispersant.
Yambao also said that the procurement of the oil spill response equipment is crucial for effective preparedness and response to pollution-related incidents with the impact of oil spills taken into consideration.
In 2025, the Seaport Department has planned a P100,000,000-project for the installation of oil spill equipment in various port terminals, including the Naval Supply Depot (NSD) Compound, Ship Repair Facility (SRF) Compound, Boton, and the New Container Terminal (NCT)/ Leyte. The said equipment will aid the IATF-MIER during oil spill response incidents.
Among the tasks of the IATF-MIER is the identification of potential emergency situations that can cause illness or injury to humans and the environment under a code of guidelines for preparedness and response, to address emergency situations, and propose mitigation efforts for associated adverse environmental impacts or effects to humans and prevention of accidents.
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy in Manila has donated equipment that will augment the emergency response of the IATF-MIER. The Deed of Donation was formally signed following the MOU signing of the task force.
Aliño said that the donation of six units of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones that will be paired with Starlink Mobile Internet will boost the monitoring and response capabilities of the SBMA Seaport, Fire and Law Enforcement departments.
“The US Embassy has also provided comprehensive training to our personnel for the effective and proper use of the said drones,” he added.
The chairman expressed his gratitude to the US Embassy in Manila because the equipment donated will be used not only for the Subic Freeport, but also when the agency sends a contingent to areas that require emergency response support.
The signing of the IATF-MIER MOU and the donation of the UAVs and Starlink Mobile Internet were part of the pocket activities during the 32nd anniversary of the SBMA.
