Marine pollution materials unused

CEBU, Philippines - While people donate their hair and other indigenous materials to combat the oil spill, at least P60 million worth of marine pollution control materials are allegedly gathering dust at the Coast Guard-Central Visayas stockyard.

Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo said he learned about the materials from a former official of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) who wondered why local officials in Cebu are calling for donors of indigenous materials to control the oil spill when Coast Guard offices are provided with the necessary equipment.

Former DOTC undersecretary Aristotle Batuhan told The FREEMAN yesterday that he was sure of the presence of the equipment in Cebu because he used to inspect it.

Batuhan said the equipment has been placed inside a container van at the Coast Guard yard.

Batuhan inspected the equipment in September 2011 upon the order of then DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas following the Commission on Audit (COA) report that the equipment is overpriced.

COA, in its March 22, 2011 Audit Observation Memorandum, said that the PCG procured P319 million worth of oil spill materials in 2009, which appeared to be overpriced by P77.3 million.

The alleged overpricing was also a subject of an investigation last year by the House committee on good government and public accountability. In fact, Batuhan was one of those subpoenaed by the House. 

Carillo said he inquired about it from Commodore William Melad, PCG-Central Visayas commander, who confirmed having the equipment in their yard.

Melad, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said all 12 Coast Guard offices nationwide have been provided with the materials by their national headquarters.

Melad, however, could not confirm whether the equipment is part of the alleged overpriced procurement of PCG in 2009 because he was not privy to it.

The equipment included oil spill booms to control oil leakage from spreading during maritime disasters, protective gear for divers and chemical sprayers.

However, the materials could not be used in the present maritime disaster in Cebu because these are not allegedly applicable to the current oil spill problem.

PCG-Cebu Commander Weniel Azcuna denied not having utilized the equipment but admitted being late in putting up the spill boom into place because of unfavorable weather condition.

He, however, said that the equipment had already been deployed in Cordova since Monday, three days after the collision that sank MV St Thomas Aquinas of 2GO Shipping Lines occurred in Lawis Ledge, at the entrance to the Cebu City south harbor.

The passenger vessel collided with cargo vessel MV Sulpicio Express Siete of the Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation.

Azcuna explained the reason why they have been asking indigenous materials to help absorb the oil is that the oil spill booms that were provided to them have limited capability since these are tier 1 boom.

According to Azcuna, a tier 1 boom is only capable of absorbing 100,000 liters of oil. He said the sunken vessel was carrying more than 100,000 liters of fuel, which needs a tier 2 type boom.

"Right now, an estimated 40,000 liters is being spilled away from the vessel," Azcuna said, adding that the ship has a load of around 120,000 liters.

Azcuna also explained that the oil spill boom was harder to put in place since it is designed to deflect oil from the shoreline.

But since the oil spill is spreading to the mangrove areas of Cordova, it made it harder to mount.

2GO Shipping Lines has commissioned Japanese divers to plug the oil leak from the sunken vessel. (FREEMAN)