SBMA to use Pinoy Invention vs oil spills

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Giving support to local ingenuity, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is using an oil recovery system invented by a Filipino as part of its emergency response program for destructive oil spills.

SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga said they would also endorse the patented system of Filipino inventor Doroteo Gaerlan on safe oil recovery operations in sunken vessels to the Coast Guard and its auxiliary organizations to use during oil spills.

Gaerlan said his invention provides a "safer, easier, cheaper and simpler" way of recovering oil from sunken vessels, as proven by comprehensive tests and simulations done by experts.

Salonga said the SBMA has a holistic risk management and emergency response program for sea tragedies causing oil spills, considering the presence here of the depots for oil, petroleum and lubricants of Coastal Petroleum and PTT Oils of Thailand.

He added that major oil companies like Petron, Shell and Caltex regularly utilize the Subic port for the transshipment of various oil products.

The government has identified the Subic Freeport’s potential to become one of the oil transshipment hubs in the Asia-Pacific Rim because of its strategic location and oil depot facilities.

Salonga said both the government and the private sector should support Filipino ingenuity to encourage aspiring local inventors.

By Ric Sapnu - The Philippine Star