DILG chief warns public vs fake news related to Bataan oil spill

Department of the Interior and Local Government Sec. Benjamin Abalos Jr. —INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo

MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. warned the public on Monday about fake news related to the oil spill from a tanker that sank in the waters off Bataan last July 25.

Abalos likewise announced that the inter-agency task force formed to address the oil spill would conduct weekly inspections and briefings to inform the public about the actual areas affected to avoid further panic among affected residents.

READ: PH Coast Guard: Oil spill from sunken tanker in Manila Bay lessened

The task force consists of the Office of the Civil Defense, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“We do this because we don’t want people to panic. Misinformation stems from gossip, then speculations. These cause panic and alarm,” the DILG chief said in a statement.

Based on previous reports, the MT Terranova was carrying 1.4 million liters of fuel  “capsized and eventually submerged” in waters off Bataan province.

Earlier, the PCG said the oil from MT Terranova had already spread about 12 to 14 kilometers across Manila Bay.

But based on the agency’s aerial monitoring last July 29, the oil spill’s extent lessened to about 2 to 4 nautical miles (nm) or 3.7 to 7.4 kilometers, “going southeast.” —Arianne Dennise Cagsawa, INQUIRER.net intern