Negligence seen as cause of molasses spill in Negros Occidental
BACOLOD CITY – Authorities were looking into negligence by the crew members of a vessel that caused a molasses spill in the Sagay Marine Reserve in Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Aug. 7.
Sagay Mayor Narciso Javelosa Jr. said operators of the MT Mary Queen of Charity may face penalties ranging from P200,000 to P1 million for violating the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (Enipas) Act of 2018.
The initial inspection by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that the vessel’s hull was intact.
However, the molasses may have spilled during its transfer from a tanker truck to the vessel as shown in the investigation conducted by the local government of Sagay, the PCG, and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro).
Javelosa stressed the city government would hold those responsible accountable and was exploring additional measures to prevent future incidents.
He also assured that all immediate actions are being done to minimize the damage from the molasses spill.
“Our goal is to ensure the safety of our marine environment and the well-being of our people. We are working tirelessly to address this issue and prevent any long-term damage,” he said.
According to Republic Act 9106, which created the Sagay Marine Reserve in 2001, the reserve comprises the city’s islands of Molocaboc, Molocaboc Diut, Matabas and Suyac and their surrounding reefs; the reefs of Carbin, Macahulom and Panal; and the coastal waters of the villages of Himoga-an, Baybay, Old Sagay, Taba-ao, Bulanon, Molocaboc and Vito.
Before the passage of RA 9106, the 31,200-hectare marine reserve has already been made part of the protected seascape of Sagay City, which is known for its fishing industry, and won the Galing Pook award in 1997 for the local government’s “protection efforts coupled with rehabilitation initiatives like mangrove reforestation created fish production and brought about the reappearance of extinct marine species.”
Biodegradable
However, Penro head Joan Gerangaya assured that the molasses spill in the Sagay Marine Reserve in Sagay City was clearing up and posed no danger to marine life.
The molasses, which were biodegradable, was gradually diluting, he said.
The molasses spill at the Old Sagay feeder port on Aug. 7 has spread over a 1.3-ha area and it was possible that the spill might have occurred during the loading of the molasses to the vessel, said Gerangaya.
Sagay City divers scoured the sea beneath the MT Mary Queen of Charity but did not find leaks in the chamber of the vessel where the molasses was loaded, said Roberto Togle, resource management section head of the Sagay Marine Reserve.
“There has been no additional molasses spill since Wednesday. In fact, the dark color was gradually clearing up,” Togle said.
The incident has not caused any fish kill in the area as molasses were not poisonous to fish.
“It is even used to make fish feed,” he said.
