MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed several government agencies to assess the environmental impact of the oil spill after an oil tanker capsized during the dead of Thursday night in Limay, Bataan.
The President specifically instructed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to take charge of the assessment.
“Can we add an instruction to the DENR to make an assessment on the environmental impact of this?,” Marcos said during a situation briefing at the Presidential Security Command compound.
According to President Marcos, environmental experts need to identify which coastal areas have been affected by the spill to enable the government to prepare the necessary relief measures and address the situation effectively.
“Basically, what we need to assess is where was the capsized vessel? The fuel is being released, what are the tides? What are the winds? Where is it headed? Para maunahan na natin. We need some determination of that,” he said.
They were also told to provide all necessary data allowing authorities to address the oil spill and its impact on the environment.
“Hopefully we can catch it (oil spill) before landfall… pero malaki ang alon, malaki ang dagat ngayon,” Secretary Bautista told President Marcos
According to the PCG, around 10 PM, the tanker encountered strong waves, which led the captain to decide to return. The Terra Nova tanker initially faced struggles returning back because they were heading directly into the waves, causing the ship to capsize.
As per PCG Spokesperson Armando Balilo, based on the investigation, there was no Public Storm Warning Signal raised over Bataan when MT Terra Nova departed from Limay, Bataan heading to Iloilo carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank.
It also said that 16 of the 17 crew members have been rescued while the long missing crew member has been found dead about 3:00 p.m.
As of writing time, the PCG has yet to provide an official report regarding the retrieval operations.
