OIL SPILL AND FISH KILL INCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED IN

THE PHILIPPINES
Guimaras Oil Spill
Said to be the worst oil
spill the Philippines has ever
seen, the disaster struck on
August 11, 2006 when the oil
tanker M/T Solar 1- carrying
more than 2 million liters of
bunker fuel- run aground on
Guimaras Strait off the coast of
the provinces of Guimaras and
Negros Occidental. Causes of
this catastrophe is blamed on
bad weather and human error.
Overloading
was
possible
because it was stated the
tanker was designed to carry a load of only 1.2 million liters. Investigations reveal further
that the captain was incapable of managing the ship.
Disastrous effect was far-reaching. The spill has damaged fish and other species
feeding and breeding grounds. Dr. Jose English said the damage may be felt by at
least 2 generations, the reefs and mangroves may have likewise been damaged, the
ecosystem may have been scarred, causing seafood yields to greatly diminish; He
further stated that the shorelines, the coasts and the swamplands with mangrove would
be the worst hit, affecting positively small fisher folks. Dr. Jose English is eco-region
coordinator of the WORLD WIDE FUND for nature in the Philippines, Indonesia and
Malaysia.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that the 500,000 liters oil spillage that poured out
into the sea has affected 20 communities in 4 municipalities of Guimaras. It also
threatens 27 communities in Iloilo province and 17 others in Negros Occidental. The
National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the oil spill happened in a rich
fishing ground of the Visayan sea which contributes a significant supply of fish to the
entire country.

Cavite Oil Spill

Philippine Coast Guard divers
have found a leak in a submerged
pipeline of the giant oil firm Petron
Corp. off the coast of Cavite,
indicating it was the source of the
August 8, 2013 oil spill that turned
parts of Manila Bay red and
adversely affected at least four
coastal towns in the province. The
spill was first spotted about three
kilometers off the coast of Rosario
on Thursday (August 8) afternoon.
An aerial survey conducted by the
Coast Guard showed an estimated 500,000 liters of diesel might have leaked into the
polluted bay. As an effect, dead fish floated on the water and some residents fell ill
from the fumes, as authorities said an estimated 500,000 liters of oil cast a slick across 20kilometers of the coastline.

Valenzuela Fish Kill

High levels of ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen and phosphates caused the fish
kill in barangay Malanday in Valenzuela City.
This was the result of the water quality test conducted by the Fish Health
Management and Quality Assurance Section of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR) which showed that the levels of the chemicals were beyond the
acceptable, standard level.
BFAR director Asis Perez said low levels of oxygen and high levels of chemical
compound are the main cause of fish mortality. More than 10 hectares of aquaculture
area in Valenzuela were affected. At least 10 metric tons of fish with an estimated
value of P500,000 were loss. The residents noticed the fish kill on the morning of Sept. 19,
2014 when fish inside the fish pens were seen gasping for air on the water surface. In the
afternoon of the same day, numerous dead fish were already floating on the water.
BFAR immediately took water and fish samples in the area and found the water quality
contains high levels of chemicals. Ammonia is a chemical compound produced
naturally from decomposing organic matter, including plants, animals and animal
wastes. Phosphates are one of the primary nutrient sources for many forms of algae
and could come from sources like domestic sewage and runoff from agricultural land,
urban areas and green areas. BFAR is now coordinating with the concerned
government agencies to implement the necessary measures to properly dispose of
dead fish. This is also to ensure that dead fish will not reach the market and prevent
sanitary-related diseases from happening.