Oil tanker culprit of spillage in North?

SAN FERNANDO, La Union, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) are looking into accounts of fishermen that an oil tanker allegedly disposed of a black chemical off Bangar, La Union that caused the spillage in coastal villages in La Union and Ilocos Sur.

Melchito Castro, RDRRMC chairman, quoted the fishermen as saying that they saw the tanker dock several kilometers away from the seashore of Bangar a day before the spill was discovered Monday.

“According to the fishermen, the tanker is probably in mechanical trouble or intentionally dropped the black thick substance which is suspected to be carbon or asphalt. The Coast Guard already got samples of the material for examination to determine its kind,” Castro said.

He said clearing operations are still ongoing in the affected coastal towns of Tagudin, Sta. Lucia, Santiago and San Esteban and Candon City in Ilocos Sur, and Bangar, San Juan, Bacnotan and Balaoan towns and San Fernando City in La Union.

Castro said the spillage did not come from the Myanmar ship that capsized off Bolinao, Pangasinan because the vessel and its cargo were already contained.

Castro said the PCG and RDRRMC are locating the tanker so they could match the samples with its cargo, and if they do, then charges would be filed against its owner.

Nevertheless, Bolinao Mayor Alfonso Celeste wanted the PCG or any concerned maritime agency to order the owner of the sunken Myanmar vessel to remove the remaining oil in the ship to avert further damage to marine resources.

Mayor Alfonso Celeste told The STAR that deep-sea fishermen have recovered about 10 tanks of oil in the area where MV Arita Bauxite sank. – With Eva Visperas, Evelyn Macairan, Teddy Molina