News Roundup 26 July 2024
Jul 26, 2024 • 4 min Read
Race against time: 7 days to contain Bataan oil spill from sunken tanker | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Seven days could make all the difference as the Philippine government rushes to prevent a large-scale environmental catastrophe.
The MT Terra Nova, containing 1.4 million liters of oil, is a ticking time bomb. Admiral Armando Balilo, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), said the leaking oil is likely from the vessel’s fuel, not its cargo.
“We’re racing against time to siphon the oil and avoid an environmental catastrophe,” Balilo said at a press briefing on Friday.
Balilo said that once siphoning begins, it could be done in seven days. However, it is not clear yet when the siphoning could begin. While the PCG is working with the MT Terra Nova’s parent company and a salvaging company, the inclement weather and strong waves remain to be hindrances.
“Pinaghahandaan natin ang worst-case scenario. Hindi siya ma-siphon kaagad at magkaroon ng butas yung barko,” Balilo added. (We are preparing for the worst-case scenario: that it will not be siphoned immediately and the ship will leak.)
Balilo referenced the MT Princess Empress oil spill in Oriental Mindoro in 2023, which carried around 800,000 liters of oil. The oil spill plunged local towns in a state of calamity, disrupting livelihood and poisoning the marine environment.
According to Balilo, the Princess Empress spilled oil faster as it sank deeper, putting more pressure on the tanks. This was not the case for the Terra Nova, as it was in more shallow waters.
Should the MT Terra Nova leak however, its oil spill could reach all the way to the nation’s capital and surrounding areas.
Full Story at: Race against time: 7 days to contain Bataan oil spill from sunken tanker | Philstar.com
China vessels spotted off Manila Bay, El Nido | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships were spotted off Manila Bay, conducting “intrusive patrol” in the area and in some parts of Luzon waters in the past days, according to defense and maritime security expert Ray Powell.
“China’s intrusive patrol continues with China Coast Guard 3301 cruising outside Manila Bay this morning,” Powell, director of SeaLight and a former US Air Force official, said in a post on X yesterday.
He reported that another CCG ship, with bow number 3105, has been “AIS-dark since 22 July.” AIS refers to the automatic identification system that large ships are required to activate for safety and security purposes.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela confirmed the presence of the two CCG vessels in the area.
Powell’s X post was an update of his previous post last July 22 wherein he revealed the presence of CCG vessels – also “on an intrusive patrol” some 40 nautical miles from El Nido in Palawan.
On the same day, President Marcos declared in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the West Philippine Sea was not a figment of imagination.
Full Story at: China vessels spotted off Manila Bay, El Nido | Philstar.com
ICC prosecutor tags Bato dela Rosa, 4 PNP execs as ‘suspects’ | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has tagged as “suspects” former national police chief and now Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and four other retired and current police officers for alleged involvement in the deaths of thousands of people in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
In a July 3 ICC document shared by former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday, the prosecutor of The Hague-based tribunal found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the five former and current Philippine National Police officials had “concrete involvement” in Duterte’s ruthless anti-drug campaign’s systematic killings.
In addition to Dela Rosa, the others named by the ICC prosecutor’s office were:
- Retired PNP chief Oscar Albayalde,
- Former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Romeo Caramat Jr.,
- Former National Police Commission chief Edilberto Leonardo, and
- Former PNP chief intelligence officer Eleazar Mata
Dela Rosa left the PNP following his mandatory retirement in 2018 and won a Senate seat in 2019. He was succeeded by Albayalde, who led the police force until his retirement in 2019.
Full Story at: ICC prosecutor tags ‘Bato,’ 4 PNP execs as ‘suspects’ (inquirer.net)
Sara Duterte’s PNP security reduced as no threat seen on VP – Marbil | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) reduced Vice President Sara Duterte’s police security because no threat against her has been observed, its chief General Rommel Marbil explained Friday.
“We don’t see any threat against the vice president so we need to reduce the people,” the PNP boss said in a radio interview over dwPM.
“If they want more, then we will add [it] if they request [it],” he added.
Marbil ordered the transfer of 75 police officers from Duterte’s personal protection detail to other assignments, particularly in Metro Manila.
Full Story at: Sara Duterte’s PNP security reduced as no threat seen on VP (inquirer.net)
