Stench from stranded Subic cargo affects tourism, health of workers

INQUIRER FILES

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — For seven years, Diwani Natural, 47, has welcomed tourists to the pristine coastlines of All Hands Beach, a popular beach resort located near a container terminal in this freeport.

But these days, as the clock nears 4 p.m., an overwhelming sense of dread sets in as staff brace for the daily arrival of a suffocating stench.

“We are terrified that our lungs will be affected,” Natural, a beach resort usher, told the Inquirer in a recent interview.

Natural is part of a heavily affected workforce at the resort bearing the brunt of an environmental and public health crisis unfolding at the nearby Subic Bay International Terminal Complex (SBITC).

READ: New Subic BOC chief vows to dispose of 118 overstaying containers

Newly installed Bureau of Customs Port of Subic District Collector Geniefelle Lagmay had pledged to clear the 118 overstaying containers “within weeks.”

The 118 reefer containers have been stranded for more than 300 days. While terminal operators worry about power costs and port efficiency, beach resort workers are tracking the daily trajectory of toxic air.

Sickness

Analiza Aranda, 47, a booking officer from Barangay Gordon Heights in nearby Olongapo City, who has worked at the resort for 12 years, said the persistent foul odor has already taken a toll on her respiratory system.

“Since I started inhaling that scent, I’ve had constant colds and sinus issues. It feels like my lungs have weakened,” Aranda said in Filipino.

She noted that the stench, which re-emerged aggressively in February, follows a strict atmospheric schedule.

“It hits us heavily between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. In the morning, the air is clear because of the wind direction, but by mid-afternoon, it smells like completely rotten meat,” Aranda said.

Ryan Sebastian, 43, the resort’s guard, described his nightly motorcycle rides home as a suffocating stretch.

“When the wind shifts, the stench is unbearable,” Sebastian noted.

The sensory assault has severely crippled the resort’s operations, with staff struggling to defend the establishment’s reputation against an environmental hazard generated outside its gates.

According to Juliet Catalla, 55, the resort’s checker, the odor frequently ruins guests’ dining experience.

Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Public Health and Safety Department, said that while a foul odor is legally classified as a “sanitation nuisance,” its secondary medical impacts are hazardous for vulnerable individuals.

“If you have an underlying respiratory illness, the smell can trigger an attack,” Jacalne explained.