MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has ordered a speedy cleanup of the oil spill that contaminated Manila Bay and the waters of Cavite.
“The directive of the President is to make sure that we focus on the recovery and cleanup operations because that area has a lot of barangays that will be affected,†deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over radio dzRB.
Valte said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), representatives of private corporations and local government units (LGUs) held a meeting yesterday to tackle the issue.
“They agreed to dispatch additional tugboats and marine environment personnel to help in the cleanup,†she added.
Valte said the effects of the oil spill should be immediately contained before focusing on accountabilities.
She said the national government was ready to provide assistance to LGUs to ensure that the people and marine resources would be protected.
The PCG will form an adjudication body to handle the investigation to determine the cause of the oil spill, PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said yesterday.
Commander Ramon Reblora, head of the PCG-National Capital Region legal unit, will reportedly lead the adjudication team.
The team was tasked to find out where the leak came from and file charges if an entity would be found to have committed negligence.
The perpetrator of the oil spill may face possible violations of the Clean Water Act, the PCG said.
Balilo said they would prioritize the removal of the oil slick that has affected the livelihood of thousands of people living along Manila Bay’s coast before running after the culprits of the oil spill.
The instruction of PCG Commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena was to focus on the cleanup operations first, Balilo said.
The PCG officials met with representatives of Petron Corp. and Herma Shipping and Transport Corp., owner of the oil tanker M/T Makisig that earlier unloaded fuel at a Petron depot in the town of Rosario.
“It was agreed that we would first contain the oil spill so it would not spread to other coastal areas,†Balilo said.
The PCG’s Marine Environment Protection Command is supervising the cleanup operations.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been assisting the PCG in probing the incident.
DENR regional director for Calabarzon Reynulfo Juan said after the cleanup, they would assess the extent of damage caused by the oil spill.
It was initially reported that about 500,000 liters of oil spilled in the waters of Cavite last Friday.
At least 17 villages – 10 in Tanza and seven in Rosario – were affected by the oil spill.
The provincial government of Cavite hired residents to collect oil that washed ashore.
The PCG earlier pointed to the submerged pipeline of Petron as the possible source of the spill.
Reports said samples taken from areas hit by the oil spill matched that of the diesel being used by fuel tanker M/T Makisig.
Technical divers from Herma Shipping, Petron and PCG conducted an underwater search for a leak in the submerged pipeline of the oil company. But no leak had been found as of yesterday afternoon.
The submerged pipeline is about two kilometers long leading to the sea where oil tankers connect it to either load or unload fuel products.
Petron said it has observed traces of oily sheen near M/T Makisig.
“We immediately deployed our oil spill response team to see the extent of the oily sheen and began containment and recovery operations of what we suspect was diesel. We have also notified the local government of Rosario and the PCG,†Petron said.
“We likewise tested our receiving pipeline for possible leaks as soon as we observed the oily sheen. But test results show that the pipeline is intact and has no leaks,†it added.
Shellfish ban
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has banned the harvesting and sale of shellfish from the towns of Tanza, Rosario, Naic and Maragondon in Cavite that were affected by oil spill.
BFAR Director Asis Perez said fish caught from non-affected areas are safe for consumption. But he advised the public to refrain from consuming talaba (oyster) and tahong (mussels) gathered from contaminated areas.
“We are constantly monitoring the spill,†he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) has ordered a probe on the illegal selling of diesel products in Cavite following the oil spill.
Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said they are closely monitoring reports of rampant selling of diesel in the area.
“We are in close coordination with Petron in addressing the diesel spill in Cavite,†Petilla said.
“The DOE is now closely monitoring the supply and quality of the diesel from that area,†he added.
Petilla also sought the cooperation of the provincial government of Cavite to help investigate the illegal trading of diesel products. – With Evelyn Macairan, Donnabelle Gatdula, Czeriza Valencia, Rhodina Villanueva