• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM) Inc. said April 24 that it is collaborating with concerned government agencies and the municipal government of Binalbagan in minimizing the environmental impact of the molasses spill.
In a statement, BISCOM apologized to all who have been affected as it vowed to continue working with urgency and diligence until the cleanup is complete.
The molasses spill into the Binalbagan River has affected four barangays, leading to a fish kill in one of the villages, forester Lucia Salazar, supervising environment specialist of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Kabankalan, earlier said.
It affected the barangays of Canmoros, Progreso, Marina, and San Juan.
Following an internal assessment of the April 19 incident, BISCOM said its team identified the probable cause as Maillard reaction, which is a chemical process involving heat, amino acids and reducing sugar in the molasses that led to increased pressure and subsequent overflowing of molasses from its storage tanks.
Salazar said 50 percent of the 4,980 tons of molasses in the BISCOM pond-type stockpile spilled into the Binalbagan River.
The BISCOM management further said it “immediately took swift action to contain and mitigate the situation, in close coordination with relevant authorities, including the municipal government, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to implement a comprehensive cleanup and response plan”.
In coordination with the affected barangays and concerned agencies, it said that some measures have been initiated, including the interception and collection of foam stagnating in the river systems, application of biodegradable chemicals to neutralize odors, ongoing cleanup operations in close coordination with the Coast Guard, and deployment of additional manpower assistance.
Mayor Alejandro Mirasol earlier said that the sugar milling company will be held liable for the molasses spill, with the penalties to be imposed to be determined by the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau. | GB
