Navotas joins probe of fish port oil spill

MANILA, Philippines - The Navotas city government joined the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday in investigating the origin of around 500 liters of automotive diesel oil (ADO) recently found in the waters near Pier 2 of the Navotas Fishport Center.

Mayor Toby Tiangco told The STAR he has ordered the City Environment And Natural Resources Office (CENTRO) to help the PCG track down the source of the oil spill spotted last week along the coastline of Navotas.

“Initial report of the CENTRO was there were no signs of an oil spill but we will create a task group that will continue to monitor the coastline to insure that any oil spill will be pinpointed right away,” he said.

Tiangco said although the fish port is not under the jurisdiction of the city government, the protection of the coastline is one of the main concerns of the city government.

He theorized that the reported spill, just like garbage, could have originated in other areas and ended up along the coast of Navotas.

The PCG, upon spotting the oil spill, used absorbent materials to extract the oil from the seawater.   – Perseus Echeminada