Oil spill worsens, harms mangroves in Bohol

TALIBON, BOHOL, Philippines – The waste oil that was allegedly dumped by a passing vessel last January 6 along the Danajon Bank channel near the island barangay of Bilangbilangan Dako in Bien-Unido town, has already spread to nearby island of Jao, off this town.

This was the initial findings revealed by Jose “Lolong” Garcia, coastal marine management staff of Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), who conducted verification of the incident following Governor Edgar Chatto’s directive to investigate the extent of the damage wrought by the oil pollution incident.

“I found out that there are still some traces of oil stained particularly on the bamboo split fence, pole and mangrove bark and leaves stretching about a kilometer along the shoreline” in Brgy. Busalian of Talibon, he said.

Some fishermen also reported having seen the presence of used oil on the seawater a hundred meter from the shoreline. But nobody from the island residents actually saw the vessel dumped the oil sludge, Garcia said.

Garcia quoted a certain Seldan Maranga, resident of Busalian, as saying that a large volume of used oil has already covered some areas between the islands of Saag and Jao near this town.

Municipal Coastal Resource Management officer Jeffrey Villamil confirmed Garcia’s findings to The FREEMAN, saying that mangroves of few hectares were badly hit by oil spill.

Some of the oil along the shorelines were already washed away, but the contamination has already reached the shores of Busalian and neighboring barangay Suba, he said.

Photos taken by Garcia showed the extent of the damage that visibly and adversely affected the young mangrove trees growing in Jao island, which consists of Busalian and Suba of Talibon, and Brgy. Penamgo of Bien-Unido. - THE FREEMAN