Oil on EDSA, margarine on C-5 Road

A passenger bus and a truck accidentally spilled crude oil on EDSA in separate incidents yesterday morning, aggravating the rush hour traffic on the busy thoroughfare.

According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Metrobase, the passenger bus (PWU 366) spilled oil on the southbound lane of EDSA near Shaw Boulevard at around 6:30 a.m.

The MMDA did not have to pour sand on the oil because the passing vehicles helped dry the oil faster, Metrobase said.

The bus driver remains unidentified as of press time but the vehicle was already impounded.

Almost three hours later, a truck spilled oil on about 200 meters of the northbound lane of EDSA under the Magallanes MRT station. Traffic was heavy from Magallanes to Nichols.

The Metrobase said the MMDA would have to pour sand on the oil to dry it up.

The MMDA traffic enforcer assigned to the area failed to notice the truck that spilled oil.

Later in the afternoon, at around 2:57 p.m., margarine spilled all over the northbound to eastbound lanes of C-5 Road in Ortigas, Pasig after the rope holding the drums together on a 10-wheeler truck (TAT 677) snapped.

No one was reported injured in the incident, which again caused heavy traffic in the area where road construction was also going on.

As of press time, a firetruck provided by Pasig’s Barangay Ugong fire station was trying to wash away the margarine with water.

But MMDA Traffic Operations Center Executive Director Angelito Vergel de Dios said that to rid the road of the slippery substance, soap and sand have to be used.