News Update PCG Says Pagudpud Oil Spill Site Reduced to 1 Kilometer

The areas affected by the recent oil spill along the shoreline of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte continues to dissipate as personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG's) Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) continues its manual clean up in the said area. Captain George Ursabia, commander of the Coast Guard Northern Luzon (CGNLZ) District, said that MEPCOM personnel continue to spray chemical dispersants along portions of the spill. "So far it is only more or less one kilometer. Salamat sa matyagang efforts ng mga MEPCOM personnel natin na naka dispatched sa area (Thanks to the diligent efforts of MEPCOM personnel we dispatched in the area", Ursabia said. A total of 50 Marine Environmental Protection Command personnel divided into three teams were currently in the spill area and conducting "guerilla type" or manual style of cleaning to the prevent the Industrial Diesel Oil (IDO) and few volumes of bunker oil from spreading in the area. "As of yesterday we've already located the source of the leak and we made some temporary remedy from 200 liters per hour, the spill rate is only around five liters every hour", Ursabia said. Capt. Ursabia also noted that they are just waiting for the weather to improve in the area in the next few days so that the salvor company can resume its oil siphoning operations.