DENR: Bataan oil spill might affect Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga

Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga on Saturday told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the oil spill caused by the sunken MT Terra Nova in Bataan might affect Bulacan, Cavite, and Pampanga.

In a situation briefing on the effects of Super Typhoon Carina and the Enhanced Southwest Monsoon in Malolos, Bulacan, Yulo-Loyzaga showed Marcos a diagram from the Biodiversity Management Bureau identifying coastal and marine resources and marine protected areas that might be affected by the oil spill.

"We are on the lookout now for the possible contamination that could happen in the wetlands and the coastline areas not just of Bataan, but we are also looking at Bulacan, and we are also looking at Pampanga, possibly Cavite because of Corregidor," Yulo-Loyzaga said.

Yulo-Loyzaga also presented an image from the Philippine Satellite Agency of the oil spill which has spread towards Bulacan.

"As we see from this image it has spread quite quickly towards the Bulacan area," the Environment Secretary said.

Meanwhile, a UP Marine Science Institute model run of the spill based from the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) showed that the coastlines of Bulacan will be affected "if the weather conditions continue," Yulo-Loyzaga said.

"We just got word that there are sightings of the flow towards Corregidor," Yulo-Loyzaga added. "Cavite would be an area of possible impact."

Marcos also inquired if the initial assessment of the oil spill reaching 60 kilometers north of Metro Manila was maintained.

"Bulacan would be the main site, Mr. President," Yulo-Loyzaga responded. "At this point, if the weather persists, because we are dependent on wind and currents, we are also dependent on the capping of leaks and the intervention at the vessel site."

The DENR has already conducted anticipatory action to monitor changes in NCR, Regions 3 and 4-A to anticipate possible change in the trajectory of the oil spill.

Marcos, with advice from the DENR, has ordered the provincial governments that will possibly be affected to install organic spill booms along coastal areas to prevent the spread of oil spill.

"We have to build them," Marcos said, adding that commercially-available spill booms are "too expensive."

One person died after the MT Terra Nova capsized and caused an oil spill in Bataan early Thursday.

The spill happened 3.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point in Limay town around 1:10 a.m. —VAL, GMA Integrated News