ANTIPOLO, Philippines – Bunker oil lined the riverbed in Sitio Cabisig, Barangay San Jose, in Antipolo, Rizal. Slick, shiny, and black, it clung to tufts of grass and covered rocks and boulders.

A few meters away, a group of children were walking hand-in-hand through the water.

This was the situation at around 4 pm on Wednesday, September 9, hours after workers from the Solid Cement plant upstream came by to clean the spill, according to villagers.

Late at night on Monday, September 7, one of the cement plant’s oil-filled tanks leaked, spilling around 2,000 liters of bunker oil into Teresa River.

Sitio Cabisig, being the first village downstream from the plant, was the first affected.

“Around 20 [workers] were here this morning. They brought sacks and they were cutting the grass that had oil,” said Norma, a resident of Sitio Cabisig.

Their efforts were able to lessen the foul odor and return the previously black-colored river to its usual muddy brown.

But a dizzying smell still clung to the air. Makeshift houses are only a few steps away. Residents wore no masks. No caution tape prevented anyone from accessing the contaminated stream.

Francis Romeo, a 29-year-old father of 4, said most of the kids in the sitio had stomach aches the night before, when the smell from the spill was strongest.

Ongoing clean-up

In San Jose village, closer to the cement plant but farther from the river, residents said workers began cleaning up on Tuesday morning, September 8, hours after the oil spill was reported to company officials.

Resident Dandy Surigao said workers from Innovis Construction, a contractor of the cement plant, were able to collect 6 drums of oil from the river.

With a capacity of 300 liters each, the drums must have carried around 1,800 liters of oil, he said.

“It took them half a day yesterday,” Surigao told Rappler.

Environment officials gave assurances that the spill is being contained.

“Immediate clean-up has been conducted initiated by the company in coordination with villages that were traversed by the river,” said Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Director Jonas Leones, quoting EMB regional staff.

The Philippine Coast Guard is leading clean-up efforts using coco coir nets, logs, and spill booms to ensure the spill does not extend to other villages, he added.

Other agencies helping out include the Laguna Lake Development Authority, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and local government of Teresa. 

Threat to Laguna Lake

Officials worry that the spill could reach Laguna Lake, where many fishermen and fishpen owners depend on clean waters for their catch.

But it seems the oil spill has not yet reached that far.

Fishermen of Morong River, the waterbody that connects Teresa River to Laguna Lake, said they have not yet observed the effects of oil spill in the area.

Boy Bernarte, a 55-year-old fisherman from Wawa village, says this is probably because of the weak flow of water in the river following days without rain.

But the news of the oil spill upstream still worries him.

“Dalawang beses na po nangyari ‘yan. Nanggaling sa ibang planta. Nagutom kami, wala kaming nahuhuling isda. Pero paglipas ng isang buwan, bumabalik naman,” he said.

(This has happened twice before. The spill came from another plant. We were hungry, we couldn’t catch any fish. But after one month, the fish would come back.)

Government and company officials deployed oil spill booms then too, he said.

“Hinarangan nila, pero nakakalusot din. Maraming nakakalusot ‘pag umagos na (There were barriers too, but the oil would still get through, especially when the water flow is strong).”

Almost all of Wawa village residents depend on the Morong River for their livelihood and food.

They catch tilapia, dalag, native shrimp, ayungin, hito, and bangus, which they either eat at home or sell at the market.

Rizal province is home to other cement plants and factories, as well as rivers that are tributaries to Laguna Lake, adding pressure for regulating bodies and companies to ensure operations live up to environmental standards. – Rappler.com