CITY OF MALOLOS — Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando issued a memorandum on Monday to city and municipal mayors regarding apparent oil spills from a sunken ship in Bataan. Indications show that the oil spill has already reached the coasts of Bulakan and Hagonoy towns.

On Saturday, the governor reported to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that a village official in the coastal Barangay of Pamarawan in the City of Malolos confirmed oil slicks were sighted on their coast.

In response, Fernando issued Memorandum 07292024 – 384 to local officials along the coast of Manila Bay in Bulacan, detailing actions to address the oil spill from the sunken ship in Bataan.

The memorandum, issued on Monday (July 29), was addressed to the city and municipal mayors of Malolos, Meycauayan, Bulakan, Hagonoy, Calumpit, Marilao, Paombong, and Obando. It concerns the industrial fuel oil spilling from MT Terra Nova, which sank off the coast of Limay, Bataan, on July 25 this year.

The governor noted that there are now indications that the oil spills are off the coasts of Barangay Taliptip in Bulakan and Barangay Tibagin in Hagonoy.

To prevent serious incidents caused by the oil spills, Fernando, upon the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council of Bulacan, of which he is also the chairman, has strictly requested fishpond operators along the coast of Manila Bay in the province to immediately harvest their cultured fish, crabs, shrimps, and other aquatic species before they are contaminated by the fuel oil from the sunken ship.

Local fisherfolk were also advised to refrain from fishing in oil-spill-affected areas, while fishpond operators with earthen dikes were advised to ensure their water check gates, or “prinsa,” are properly closed to prevent contaminated water from entering their fishponds.

📷 Greenpeace Philippines