THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has responded to a chemical spill monitored at Barangay San Miguel in Bauan, Batangas.
The PCG inspected the affected shoreline and discovered the chemical spill came from a facility that receives, stores, and distributes chemical products under a tank lease agreement.
Based on the land-based inspection, two drums of solvent Napha L (S100), an additive to paints and thinner products, spilled.
It occurred during its loading at storage tank number 5 due to an untightened drain plug. The containment area’s control valve was also partially opened, causing the chemical substance to leak into the rainwater channel and eventually to the shoreline.
The Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog (CGDSTL) said the chemical spill’s source was already shut off when the inquiry commenced. The PCG and the company’s cleanup teams then conducted chemical spill recovery operations.
The company also coordinated with the barangay officials and the affected residents to resolve issues and concerns.
The CGDSTL issued an Inspection Apprehension Report (IAR) to the company for violating the PCG National Headquarters Memorandum Circular 11-14, dated 19 December 2014: “Procedures for the Dumping of Waste and Other Harmful Matters within the Philippine Maritime Jurisdiction.”
PCG and the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) collected water samples from three monitoring stations.
They facilitated another assessment to test water quality in the affected area.
