ILOILO City – The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) found no adverse environmental damage caused by the July oil spill in the Iloilo Straight.
Noel Hechanova, CENRO chief, cited the result of his team’s months-long assessment of oil spill-hit areas in this southern city.
“Wala man ta masyado gid damage, wala man ta cleanup nga paga-obrahon,” said Hechanova.
However, oil debris was still spotted in barangays of Loboc, Mansaya and Bo. Obrero, he added.
But these oil debris could not greatly affect these mangroves since its varieties are resilient, explained Hechanova.
“Ara lang da gakapyot ang mga oil. Kon mabaludan or malab-ot sang high tide naga-washout,” the CENRO chief said.
The recommendation of the assessment team, he added, was to put up absorbent spill booms that would absorb the oil debris.
Hechanova said he would discuss this with AC Energy Philippines, owner of the ruptured power barge 102 in Bo. Obrero that spilled about 251,000 liters of bunker oil, reaching as far as Guimaras’ coastal barangays and the northern coastal towns of Leganes and Dumangas in Iloilo province./PN
