Fisherman Isaac Aranas of coastal barangay Tibaguin in Hagonoy, Bulacan recounts seeing an ominous slick of oil on the surface of Manila Bay a few kilometres from the coastline, on the evening of 27 July. This was already after two consecutive nights of no catch.
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Later that evening, Aranas and other fishermen found their nets soaked with petroleum after hoisting them up, leaving them with no choice but to head back to shore empty-handed.
Still reeling from the onslaught wrought by super typhoon Carina – known internationally as Gaemi – which slammed into the Philippines three days earlier, coastal communities along Manila Bay are now grappling with yet another disaster: an oil spill that could choke the natural harbour with 1.4 million litres of petroleum.
Lost livelihood
Oil tanker MT Terra Nova capsized off Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan while carrying around 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil on early 25 July after being battered by waves brought on by cyclone Carina. Just two days later, motor tanker MTKR Jason Bradley sank off the coast of Mariveles, Bataan also in Manila Bay, with 5,500 litres of diesel still in its tanks. Another vessel MV Mirola 1 ran aground in the area on Wednesday, 31 July, carrying “sludge oil” in its tanks, or the combined oil from machinery, engine and motor oil, and diesel.
With authorities racing to manage the oil leaks from the three vessels, Aranas hopes the oil spills can be contained as soon as possible before they inch their way to the coast and threaten their town’s other means of livelihood upshore, including small fishponds and oyster farms.
Straddling nearly 200 coastal towns and the Philippine capital, Manila Bay contributes to nearly half of the country’s annual aquaculture production. Aerial surveillance has already documented oil sheen off the coasts of Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan and Pampanga in Western Luzon.
Manila Bay’s 190-kilometre coastline is bounded by the province of Cavite in the south, Metro Manila and Rizal in the east, and Bulacan and Pampanga in the north.
At the time of publication, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been able to seal some of the valves of the sunken MT Terra Nova, limiting the leak to one litre of industrial fuel oil per hour.
The PCG estimates that the recovery of the MKTR Jason Bradley alone could take at least two weeks.
‘Polluters pay’
The disaster has renewed calls from environmental groups for greater accountability for polluters just over a year after MT Princess Empress sank offshore of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The February 2023 wreckage leaked 800,000 litres of industrial fuel into the Tablas Strait and required more than three months to clean up. Petroleum from the spill reached biodiversity-rich Verde Island Passage – home to over 1,700 fish species and 300 coral species – and affected the livelihood of fisherfolk in at least six provinces. In 2023 alone, oil spills cost the Philippines some P4.93 billion (US$89 million) in damages in the agricultural sector.
“Learning from the lessons of the oil spill in the Verde Island Passage, we need to study and craft measures such as increasing the fines and other sanctions based on the damage caused to the habitats, wildlife and the people’s lives and livelihood,” said marine conservation group Oceana Philippines vice president Gloria Estenzo Ramos.
Early estimates by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) show that the fishing industry of Central Luzon’s Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga provinces could lose some P155 million per month (US$2.7 million) while the oil spill cleanup is ongoing, affecting the livelihood of some 46,000 fisherfolk.
This is on top of the estimated P1.21 billion (US$21 million) in damages super typhoon Carina has already wrought.
“This double-edged disaster is a devastating demonstration of the destruction caused by fossil fuels,” noted Namrata Chowdhary, head of public engagement at climate action group 350.org.
“The immediate need is to contain and clean up the oil spill urgently. But at the same time, it’s important to acknowledge that the unnatural weather systems battering the region are part of the climate chaos caused by the long-term use of fossil fuels,” the campaigner continued.
Greenpeace Philippines and Aksyon Klima Pilipinas are both calling on the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr to hold accountable the owners and operators of the vessels that have sunk and leaked petroleum into the open environment.
“We reiterate our demand for the Philippine government to make polluters pay for causing harm to our climate and environment and inflicting economic and social injustices to the most vulnerable communities,” said Aksyon Klima Pilipinas in an official statement.
“Whether through excessive greenhouse gas emissions or acts of negligence, these disasters cannot keep happening,” the group added.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace is calling on the Marcos Administration to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable and make them pay for damages to ecosystems, community livelihoods and health.
“Unfortunately, communities and local governments shoulder the heaviest burden for oil spills, particularly when polluters are not held fully accountable for these disasters,” said Greenpeace climate campaigner Khevin Yu.
