• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Negros Oriental Governor Chaco Sagarbarria has sought for an immediate assessment of the extent of the ethanol spill in Bais Bay due to “containment lagoon failure at the ethanol facility operated by Universal Robina Corporation (URC) in Bais City.”
This as Bais Mayor Luigi Marcel Goñi ordered the URC-SURE Distillery Plant Oct. 28 to immediately stop operations “to prevent further damage to our eco-marine life within the Tajion Strait.”
Goñi also ordered the suspension of all trips going to sand bar and dolphin watching, as well as swimming activities in the city shores and coastlines to ensure the safety of the public as well as boat crew and operators.
“Earnest efforts have been made to help our constituents in their livelihood affecting at least eight barangays and to ensure the safety of the tourists,” the mayor said, adding that an emergency meeting was held Oct. 27 due to the chemical spill from the distillery plant in the Bais North Bay Area, shores, and coastlines.
Manjuyod Mayor Raffy Alipio Andaya already banned visitors to the town’s white sandbar since Monday due to water discoloration caused by the collapse of the URC SURE Bais Distillery’s lagoon dike.
In Executive Order 54, Andaya said the distillery’s lagoon dike collapsed due to earthquake-induced cracks and continuous heavy rainfall the past several days, and caused the discharge of wastewater effluent into nearby waterways, resulting in the occurrence of water discoloration affecting the coastal waters and marine environment of Manjuyod, including the vicinity of the Manjuyod White Sandbar.
Sagarbarria, meanwhile, said the environmental repercussions of the spill, through scientific water quality testing and impact monitoring, is also important, as he expressed grave concern over the incident.
“While primary jurisdiction over municipal waters lies with the concerned city and municipality under the Local Government Code, the provincial government is duty-bound to coordinate response efforts and extend all necessary support to prevent adverse environmental and socioeconomic impacts,” the governor said in a statement Oct. 28.
He noted “evidence of pollution, discoloration, and strong odor in nearby coastal waters, affecting sectors dependent on the bay for livelihood and sustenance.”
Sagarbarria called on all stakeholders to remain vigilant and cooperative. “The protection of the environment and public welfare remains our paramount concern, and all measures will be taken to uphold the integrity of Negros Oriental’s coastal resources.”
The URC Bais Distillery, meanwhile, said in a Philippine News Agency report that it is currently taking containment measures. “While the company has been vigilant and diligent about the integrity of its lagoon, the unusually heavy and relentless rains and the series of earthquakes led to this unfortunate incident.”
A portion of the URC Bais Distillery’s 20-hectare tailing pond collapsed over the weekend, causing wastewater spillage that resulted in the discoloration of the seas in Bais City and Manjuyod.
Environmental Management Bureau-Negros Island Region acting director Vicente Losbañes, said they issued a “notice of violation with an interim cease and desist order (CDO) against URC” Monday after the incident.
“The interim CDO is good for seven days, and after that, we will endorse it to the Pollution Adjudication Board of the central office in Manila, which will confirm that to a permanent CDO,” Losbañes said in the PNA report.
He added that they are also currently verifying reports and social media posts about the alleged fish kill in coastal areas supposedly caused by the wastewater spill, as part of their investigation, as well as water sampling from affected areas. | CGC
