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.
“Kami po ay medyo nag-aalangan din kung sakaling papuntahin ang mga mangingisda at meron pang langis,” Balilo said over radio dwPM.
(We are hesitant, if ever, to allow fishermen when there is still an oil spill.)
“Hindi naman natin ina-advise na kung merong langis ay mangisda pa rin sapagkat ito po ay harmful sa ating kalusugan at magsa-suffer ang mga consumers,” he added.
(We are not advising fishermen to fish when there is oil because it is harmful to our health and the consumers will suffer.)
Balilo also said the PCG auxiliary will 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 this, 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.