Ilocos oil spill now under control

LAOAG CITY, Philippines  – The oil spill from a Korean vessel abandoned off a coastal village in Pagudpud town in Ilocos Norte was declared under control yesterday.

A joint team of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Presidential Management Staff sent to check the incident reported that the oil spill had been contained and that the equipment to siphon the remaining industrial oil and bunker fuel from the M/V Namyang 8 has been put in place.

Capt. Jojo Favia Jr., PCG district commander, clarified that the oil spill had spread to a radius of 800 meters only and not 15 to 30 kilometers as some reports indicated.

He said the remaining oil on the vessel consists of over 16,000 liters of industrial oil and 5,000 liters of bunker oil.

Earlier, Pagudpud Mayor Maja Sales expressed alarm that the oil spill could threaten the town’s chief attraction – its beaches, which have drawn a lot of local and foreign tourists. Pagudpud is known as the “Boracay of the North.”

Presidential staff officer Cesar Tuliao said he has already sent a report to President Aquino on the extent of the damage caused by the oil spill and assured him that the situation is now under control.