San Pedro, Laguna officials, PCG scramble to contain oil spill
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), together with local officials of San Pedro, Laguna are working to contain an oil spill caused by a warehouse fire, the local government reported on Sunday, January 26.
On Sunday, the San Pedro local government reported on its Facebook page that the PCG was monitoring an oil spill that occurred in San Isidro River because of a fire at a warehouse in Barangay San Antonio on Saturday, January 25.
Later on throughout the day, local officials coordinated with the PCG to monitor the extent of the oil spill and the quality of the water, extract oil, and clean up affected areas.
Officials also installed an oil spill boom in San Isidro River to help stop the oil spreading.
The local government reminded its residents to avoid affected areas, since these may pose health risks.
An ABS-CBN report quotes residents complaining about the smell.
“Hindi pa namin ito nasusukat pero ito ay nakarating na sa lower barangays namin dito sa San Pedro. Possible itong magtuloy-tuloy sa Laguna Lake na pangunahin naman pinagkukunan ng kabuhayan ng ating mga mangingisda, pangalawa health hazard din kasi medyo may amoy itong langis na ito,” the ABS-CBN report quotes Nico Pavino, San Pedro City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, as saying.
(We have not measured the extent of it, but it has reached the lower barangays here in San Pedro. It’s possible this will go further to Laguna Lake, and will affect the livelihood of our fishermen, as well as become a health hazard since the oil has a stench.) – Rappler.com