OIL SPILL ACTION. Governor Daniel Fernando reports to Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. the actions taken by the provincial government of Bulacan in response to the oil spill incident in Bataan province. This was during their inter-agency emergency meeting held in San Fernando, Pampanga province on Monday (July 29, 2024). (Photo courtesy of Bulacan Provincial Public Affairs Office).
CITY OF MALOLOS – Governor Daniel Fernando on Wednesday called for immediate action from city and municipal leaders in the province to address and mitigate the potential oil spill threat along the coast of Bulacan.
According to a media release, a memorandum addressed to the mayors of Malolos, Meycauayan, Bulakan, Hagonoy, Calumpit, Marilao, Paombong and Obando, strongly advised all fishpond operators to harvest their fish, crabs, shrimp, prawns, and other seafood as soon as possible before the waters become contaminated by the oil, as recommended by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
During the Joint National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council - Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-Central Luzon (NDRRMC - RDRRMC3) Emergency Meeting held in San Fernando City, Pampanga province on Monday, Fernando announced the issuance of the memorandum for the local chief executives mandating an immediate response to the oil spill threat from the capsized tanker MT Terranova in Limay town, Bataan province last July 25.
The governor has also activated the province’s incident command post a day after the reports on the oil spill incident came out. The body is headed by Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Officer, lawyer Julius Victor Degala and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Manuel M. Lukban and is tasked to oversee the ongoing monitoring and assessment of the affected areas.
“Ngayon po ay patuloy ang ating pagsasagawa ng mga aksyon at nag-create po tayo ng technical working group at nagtalaga po kami ng incident commander which is BENRO and PDRRMO para masubaybayan ang lahat ng mga nangyayari (At present, we are continuously taking action and created a technical working group and designated an incident commander which is the BENRO [Bulacan Environment and Natural Resources Office] and PDRRMO [Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office] to monitor all the developments),” the governor said.
He also advised fishermen to avoid sailing in areas affected by the oil spill while fishpond owners with dikes should ensure that contaminated water does not enter their ponds as well as keep the check gates or sluices closed.
In the meeting presided by Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr., various agencies including the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Social Welfare and Development and local government units provided their situation reports and the actions taken to prevent and mitigate the spread of the industrial fuel oil spilling off the fuel tanker, which poses health risks to both people and aquatic life.
Abalos also suggested daily testing and monitoring of the water quality of the affected areas and the creation of a core group responsible for coordinating and managing the response to the local government units. (PNA)
