Coast Guard : Fishing in Manila Bay unsafe due to oil spill

ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT An aerial image from environmental group Greenpeace taken around 4 kilometers off Hagonoy, Bulacan, shows the oil slick from a tanker, which sank on July 25 in Bataan due to bad weather. (NOEL CELIS/GREENPEACE)

MANILA, Philippines — Fishing in areas affected by the oil spill in Manila Bay is not advisable, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said on Tuesday.

“We are a bit hesitant to allow, if ever, fishermen to. got out where while there is still an oil spill,” Balilo said in Filipino over dwPM.

“We are not advising fishermen to fish when there is oil because of health hazards and consumers might suffer.”

Balilo also said the PCG auxiliary would provide food packs to affected fisherfolk.

Last July 25, the MT Terra Nova, carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil, sank off Bataan, killing a crew member.

The PCG said the oil from the sunken motor tanker started to leak into Manila Bay and the waters of Cavite and Bataan.

READ: Oil spill reaches Cavite; PCG seals ship’s valves

Despite the oil leak, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has yet to declare an official fishing ban.

The PCG has since sealed the ships’ valves and deployed oil dispersants and barriers to contain the oil spill.