Suspected chemical pollution probed

BAYBAY CITY, Philippines - A team from the Environmental Management Bureau and the Department of Health were in this city to probe reports of a suspected chemical spill that downed three people and caused hundreds along the coastal areas to suffer from difficulty of breathing, lachrymation or tearful eyes, stuffy nose and headaches.

This incident started at about 4 p.m. Friday, a day before typhoon Bebeng started to lash its fury in the area. The unusual odor became stronger during the height of the typhoon, with winds lashing inland and carrying with it the toxic fumes.

The affected coastal barangays were Zones 15, 16, 17, 20, and 21 at the Poblacion area; and Sto. Rosario, Sta. Cruz and Kilim towards Albuera town and Ormoc City.

City administrator Deogracias Pernitez said the unusual occurrence was immediately reported to the regional offices of the EMB and the DOH.

EMB personnel arrived Baybay City on Monday, May 9, to gather water samples from the sea and canals to have these tested for possible presence of chemicals. The tests will be done at the PASAR Laboratory in Isabel, Leyte and also in Manila, but there is no definite date on when the results will be out, said Pernitez. 

A team of the DOH also arrived here yesterday to document the alleged chemical pollution and gather samples. Representative Jose Carlos Cari (5th district, Leyte) requested the investigation from Health Secretary Enrique Ona. 

Rural health officer Evelyn Guinocor, for her part, said they also did their own inspection of the affected residents. They advised the residents, through their barangay officials, to refrain from bathing in the sea and even fishing until the results of the various tests are determined.

Guinocor said the incident was first reported to them by Barangay Chairman Ernesto Andrade of Zone 16, saying they experienced an unusual odor that gave them headaches. Similar reports from other coastal areas later started coming in.

Upon verification, Guinocor and her personnel noted that most of those who complained were residing along the coasts. This prompted them to advise the residents to evacuate their houses and go to their relatives while the bad odor was still strong and permeating around their area.

Guinocor also noted the odor would usually come out during high tide, much more during the height of the typhoon Bebeng lately when winds from the seas struck inland.

A barangay official of Pangasugan reported that he was at the port area that time waiting for a friend to arrive from Cebu when the smell became unbearable. He described the odor as "stinging, giving his nose and throat a burning sensation and caused him difficulty in breathing."

Meanwhile, a source at the administrator's office said some coastal residents reported of seeing a strange, big boat at a far distance offshore, and they suspected it as the source of the bad smell.

There were suspicions that the boat could have dumped toxic waste into the water, and the veracity of this matter is still being investigated.  –THE FREEMAN