Diesel pipe leak fixed, say execs

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan—While the damaged fuel pipeline in this town had been repaired and the diesel leak had stopped spreading into the water sources and waterways in communities here, a local official said residents have complained of skin problems due to handling of fuel-laced water.

Mayor Joel Payumo said the pipeline running through Barangay (village) San Pablo had stopped leaking fuel a week after workers of a contractor of a telecommunication firm hit it while digging there.

“Everything’s alright now; the damaged pipe had been repaired. Things are back to normal,” Payumo said.

But he said some residents have developed allergies due to handling diesel-contaminated water. “They were trying to sell those, but of course, when it contacts your hands, it could result in skin problems,” he said.

He said Comtel Industrial Services, a contractor of the Smart Communications, which had been laying phone lines for the company in the area, had paid for the repair and cleanup.

Payumo said the town government had supplied residents of affected villages with potable water while the pipeline was undergoing repair.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chair Roberto Garcia said the pipeline belongs to Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corp. (PCSPC), a locator at the Subic Bay Freeport.

He said the damaged pipeline is part of the 64-kilometer oil line from the Subic Freeport in Zambales to the Clark Freeport in Pampanga.

Garcia said the SBMA had sent drinking water to residents whose water sources had been contaminated by the fuel leak. Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon