Olongapo beach resorts recovering from oil slick
By Allan Macatuno -- Inquirer
OLONGAPO CITY—Beach resort owners are slowly recovering from the damage done by an oil slick that spread into this city’s coastline several weeks ago.
“Everything is almost back to normal,” said Carlito Baloy, village chief of Barretto, where at least 20 beach resorts had been hit by the oil slick.
Baloy ordered the temporary closure of the village’s beach when they saw the oil sludge in front of the resorts’ waters on Aug. 24.
“Several tourists have cancelled their room reservations and this resulted in profit loss for resort operators,” he said.
But Baloy said the oil slick was cleared in less than a week with the help of residents who volunteered to join the massive cleanup drive.
“There is a continuous beach cleanup campaign here initiated by the local chapter of Rotary Club and the Subic Bay Resorts Association. This will be a regular project to preserve the pristine condition of the Subic Bay,” he said.
Their assessment showed that the oil slick did not damage the marine resources in Subic Bay, he added.
The oil slick hit about 7 km of the city’s coastline where beach resorts, hotels and other tourism establishments are located.
Mayor James Gordon Jr. also ordered the city’s disaster management office and the environmental sanitation and management office to provide assistance in containing the sludge.
Investigators failed to trace the cause of the oil slick but Baloy said their investigation would continue.
Perfecto Pascual, seaport department manager of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, earlier said the spill appeared to be sludge pumped out of the bilge of a passing vessel.
He said personnel of Coastal Petroleum, a locator in the Subic Freeport, found out that the spill was petroleum-based and could be treated with chemical dispersants.
Jose Calimlim, SBMA senior deputy administrator for operations, said the oil was in thin layers and had mixed with garbage.
He said SBMA personnel had prevented the oil-laced garbage from reaching the shores and rivers of the freeport.
“Our garbage collecting ships like the MV Binictican and utility boats, like the MV Maritan, have already been dispatched for cleanup drives. This is a concerted effort to preserve the bay,” he said.
John Corcoran, president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, has called on the group’s members to help in the cleanup.
“We are sympathetic to the beach owners and affected residents. We promise to support and help out in the cleanup drives to help them get back into business. We need to work together to help boost tourism in the area,” Corcoran said in a statement.
Corcoran, who is also the president and chief operating officer of the Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium Inc., the developer of the Ocean Adventure theme park, said their facility has not been affected by the oil slick.
“Ocean Adventure is considered a marine preservation area, and because we have to be very careful with the plant and animal life that coexist here, we made a quick survey of the property and its nearby areas to check if the oil slick made its way through,” he said.
OLONGAPO CITY—Beach resort owners are slowly recovering from the damage done by an oil slick that spread into this city’s coastline several weeks ago.
“Everything is almost back to normal,” said Carlito Baloy, village chief of Barretto, where at least 20 beach resorts had been hit by the oil slick.
Baloy ordered the temporary closure of the village’s beach when they saw the oil sludge in front of the resorts’ waters on Aug. 24.
“Several tourists have cancelled their room reservations and this resulted in profit loss for resort operators,” he said.
But Baloy said the oil slick was cleared in less than a week with the help of residents who volunteered to join the massive cleanup drive.
“There is a continuous beach cleanup campaign here initiated by the local chapter of Rotary Club and the Subic Bay Resorts Association. This will be a regular project to preserve the pristine condition of the Subic Bay,” he said.
Their assessment showed that the oil slick did not damage the marine resources in Subic Bay, he added.
The oil slick hit about 7 km of the city’s coastline where beach resorts, hotels and other tourism establishments are located.
Mayor James Gordon Jr. also ordered the city’s disaster management office and the environmental sanitation and management office to provide assistance in containing the sludge.
Investigators failed to trace the cause of the oil slick but Baloy said their investigation would continue.
Perfecto Pascual, seaport department manager of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, earlier said the spill appeared to be sludge pumped out of the bilge of a passing vessel.
He said personnel of Coastal Petroleum, a locator in the Subic Freeport, found out that the spill was petroleum-based and could be treated with chemical dispersants.
Jose Calimlim, SBMA senior deputy administrator for operations, said the oil was in thin layers and had mixed with garbage.
He said SBMA personnel had prevented the oil-laced garbage from reaching the shores and rivers of the freeport.
“Our garbage collecting ships like the MV Binictican and utility boats, like the MV Maritan, have already been dispatched for cleanup drives. This is a concerted effort to preserve the bay,” he said.
John Corcoran, president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, has called on the group’s members to help in the cleanup.
“We are sympathetic to the beach owners and affected residents. We promise to support and help out in the cleanup drives to help them get back into business. We need to work together to help boost tourism in the area,” Corcoran said in a statement.
Corcoran, who is also the president and chief operating officer of the Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium Inc., the developer of the Ocean Adventure theme park, said their facility has not been affected by the oil slick.
“Ocean Adventure is considered a marine preservation area, and because we have to be very careful with the plant and animal life that coexist here, we made a quick survey of the property and its nearby areas to check if the oil slick made its way through,” he said.
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