A month and a half after a devastating fire in Barangay San Antonio last January, the city government of San Pedro, Laguna had some good news.
During a recent meeting and press conference held at the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) Command Center last Thursday, March 20, officials of the city government announced that the oil spill that came after the fire inside the Kengian Complex warehouse in Barangay San Antonio, which spilled over the San Isidro River, has finally been cleared.
The announcement came after concerted efforts by the CDRRMO, along with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other local government units (LGUs), to contain the spill that has threatened the environment, as well as the health of thousands who reside near San Pedro City’s main waterway.
To recall, the oil spill was reported hours after a massive fire took place inside the Kengian Warehouse complex, located next to a small river at the boundary of Barangay San Antonio and San Vicente (Sitio Bayan-Bayanan) last January 25.
The massive conflagration took around 68 hours and 66 fire trucks from various locations before it was finally declared “fire out” two days later.
A total of five barangays situated along the San Isidro River were affected by the oil spill, local officials also reported.
Continuous cleanup
During the meeting and press conference, PCG officials led by Coast Guard Station Rizal Commander LTJG. Alvin Austria reported that their team removed a total of 10,413 drums, or the equivalent of 2,077,660 liters of mixed water and oil spillage, during the month-and-a-half clearing operations along the San Isidro River.
Aside from this, the PCG team, along with teams from the San Pedro CDRRMO and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), was able to remove a total of 87,364.2 kilograms of solid waste.
“Aabot po sa 210 na personnel ang idineploy po ng Philippine Coast Guard upang tumulong sa paglilinis, galing po sa iba’t ibang Coast Guard stations. We do regular shifts to ensure na tuluy-tuloy po ang cleanup operations,” Austria added.
Nico Pavino, head of the San Pedro CDRRMO, also acknowledged the assistance of the Biñan CDRRMO in the cleanup operations.
“Nagpadala po ng isang floating barge ang Biñan CDRRMO para po tumulong sa ating cleanup efforts. Malaki po ang naitulong nito upang mas mapabilis pa ang paglilinis sa San Isidro River,” Pavino added.
No more hazard
Prompt action on the part of national and local government agencies ensured that the oil spill was contained before it reaches the Laguna de Bay, officials noted during the hearing.
Dr. Robert Olivarez, head of the City Health Office, also said that residents living near the San Isidro River now need not fear suffering the effects of the oil spill.
“Noon pong una, nagrereklamo po ang mga residente na nahihirapan silang huminga, sumasakit ang tiyan nila,” Olivarez reported.
“Pero right now, since zero na po ang reported na oil spill, sa palagay po namin ay wala na po tayong problema, health-wise,” he added.
Preventing future calamities
Following the success of the cleanup operations along the San Isidro River, the city government led by Mayor Art Mercado has announced the demobilization of the Incident Management Team (IMT) that has monitored the progress of the cleanup effective Friday, March 21.
However, the city government, in a social media post, said it will continue monitoring the situation at the San Isidro River in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, following the massive fire at the Kengian warehouse, as well as two other major fires reported in Barangay San Antonio over the past month, the city government has stepped up its monitoring of major establishments in the city to ensure that they comply with fire safety standards.
“Regular na po nating ginagawa itong pagbabantay sa mga malalaking establisyimento sa ating lungsod upang matiyak na sumusunod sila sa mga requirements na itinakda sa ilalim ng Fire Code of the Philippines,” Atty. Henry Salazar, San Pedro City Administrator, reported.
Salazar also noted that there is already a pending bill at the Sangguniang Panglungsod that will create a task force to monitor the major industrial complexes in San Pedro City for fire and other safety hazards.
“After po nitong sunog na ito noong nakaraang Enero, isinama na rin po natin ang mga warehouse sa ating inspection,” he added.
“Pati po yung mga naka-store po sa premises nila, kailangan na rin po nating malaman, so we can prevent similar incidents from happening again.”
Legal action
On the other hand, the City Legal Office said it is now looking into filing legal action against the owners and management of the Kengian warehouse complex due to the environmental and health impacts of the fire.
“We are exploring the possibility of filing administrative sanctions against the owners of the warehouse, in particular for violation of the Revenue Code and other pertinent local ordinances,” Atty. Joseph Nelson Loyola, head of the San Pedro City Legal Office, said.
“We are not discounting other actions that may result, pursuant to other relevant national laws particularly due to the environmental damage that this incident caused,” he added.
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