State of calamity up in Negros Oriental town hit by waste spill

MASSIVE CONTAMINATION This photo taken on Oct. 26 shows the extent of the damage caused on the waters of Bais City, Negros Oriental, by the ethanol wastewater spill caused by the collapse of a wall of the retaining lagoon of the Universal Robina Corporation Distillery in the city earlier that day. —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT BUREAU-NEGROS ISLAND REGION

BACOLOD CITY—The municipality of Manjuyod in Negros Oriental has declared a state of calamity following the massive spill that engulfed its seas caused by the collapse of the wastewater lagoon of the Universal Robina Corp. (URC) Bais Distillery.

The declaration, passed by the municipal council on Monday, would remain in effect for 90 days, unless lifted or extended upon the recommendation of the Local Risk Reduction and Management Council, based on its assessment and validation of the environmental condition.

The Bais City Council has also earlier declared a state of calamity, stating that the consequences of the disaster have severely impacted the economic stability and livelihoods of local fishermen and others relying on aquatic resources in several barangays in the city.

The spill, which occurred on Oct. 26, spread to about 3,000 hectares of sea that formed part of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape and within the immediate environs of Bais City and Manjuyod town.

A spill came from a breach in the 20-hectare wastewater lagoon of the ethanol distillery company, leaving cores of dead fish and affecting thousands of families in Manjuyod and Bais City, it said.

The dike of the wastewater lagoon collapsed reportedly on the evening of Oct. 26, but an investigation by the local government of Manjuyod found that the leak happened on Friday, Oct. 24.

Not the first time

Bais City Mayor Luigi Marcel Goñi said this was not the first time the distillery had been involved in such an environmental incident.

“This has been recurring for several years,” he revealed on Monday.

Bais City is nestled along the Tañon Strait, a protected seascape and deemed the largest protected seascape in the Philippines.

Tañon Strait serves as a feeding, breeding and nesting ground for marine mammals. It is also known for its diversity of fish, mollusks and crustacean species.

Tourism activities, including dolphin watching in Bais Bay and sandbar hopping in Manjuyod have since been halted.

URC Bais Distillery, in a statement, said it expected the repair of its collapsed Lagoon wall that caused the spill of wastewater into the Tañon Strait by Nov. 4.