Coast Guard: Oil leak from Petron pipe in Cavite contained

The oil leak off Cavite from an oil firm's submarine pipeline damaged by tropical cyclone "Basyang" (Conson) has been contained, the Coast Guard said Friday. Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said they may bill Petron for the cleanup costs, in accordance with the Oil Pollution Compensation Law.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV "Ang oil spill contained na, wala nang pangamba, naayos na ng ating mga tauhan at ng oil companies (As of now, the oil spill has been contained. It no longer poses a threat to fishermen and residents. Our personnel and a team from oil companies have addressed the problem)," Tamayo said in an interview on dzBB radio. But he said mopping-up operations are still ongoing for a small amount of oil that leaked before the pipeline was fully repaired. He said the Coast Guard had sent a team with oil spill response equipment to Rosario town in Cavite after learning of the oil spill. "Lilinisin na lang ang kapaligiran (We will just clean up the environment around the area)," he said. On the other hand, Tamayo hinted the Coast Guard may charge Petron for the cleaning costs. He said Republic Act 9483, the Oil Pollution Compensation Act, mandates that the party responsible for the oil spill shoulder the cleanup costs. Also in Bataan? Meanwhile, Tamayo said the Coast Guard is also checking for a possible oil spill caused by the sinking of a liquefied petroleum gas carrier in Bataan. He said they are also searching for some of the carrier Deborah-1's crew. "Sa Bataan naman wala pang nakitang oil spill (So far we have yet to confirm an oil spill in Bataan)," he said. For now, he said their priority is to re-float the LPG carrier. Tamayo also said they are setting up a task force to deal with maritime incidents in Manila Bay, following the incidents that occurred in the wake of Basyang. "Talagang kalat ang maritime incidents natin. Mas maganda kung meron tayong organization na maaasahan (We have had a lot of maritime incidents, we have to have an organization that we can depend on)," he said. Earlier, Petron admitted its underwater pipeline was damaged when the anchor of one of its ships hit it. — LBG,/RSJ, GMANews.TV