Philippines: A leak in Solid Cement's fuel storage tank in Antipolo is suspected of releasing an estimated 2000L of bunker fuel into a river system in Rizal, raising concerns that it may reach Laguna Lake.
"Initial investigation showed that the leak was from a fuel storage tank located at the Solid Cement Plant in Antipolo. It appears that the strong gusts of wind and heavy downpour caused the leak to reach the Kaynaog Creek leading to the Tagbak River," said Chito Maniago, Solid Cement's communications director.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that its Laguna de Bay Station received a call from Jerome Mateo of the Morong local government on 8 September 2015 to report an oil spill in the vicinity of the Teresa River. The PCG said that its team, along with representatives from the Marine Environmental Protection, discovered that approximately 2000L (10 drums) of bunker oil had been spilled at the river.
The initial investigation showed that the spill came from Solid Cement, located at Sitio Tagbac, Barangay San Jose in Antipolo. The PCG team was also informed that traces of the oil spill was found on the Morong River in Barangay Poblacion, Morong, which it later confirmed. The team took oil samples from both sites and the cement plant as part of its investigation.
The PCG said that it advised Solid Cement to lay out oil spill booms at the villages that reported traces of oil in their part of the river; Barangay May-iba and Barangay Poblacion along the Morong River. The company has duly deployed three oil spill booms to date and will put in place additional oil spill booms at the mouth of Morong River leading to Laguna Lake.
"The safety of the community and the environment remain our priority. We assure everyone that we are on top of the situation to immediately resolve this incident. Our investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of this leakage. We will provide updates as soon as available," said a Solid Cement spokesperson.
