Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Benny Antiporda is looking into the possible contamination of Manila Bay via wastewater coming from dilapidated vessels at local shipyards.
Antiporda, the head of the Manila Bay Anti-Pollution Task Force, visited on Friday, June 4 the marine vessels docked at the Navotas fish port as well as the batil or wooden cargo vessels in Delpan, Port Area, Manila.
The inspection was carried out with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) ahead of Saturday's celebration of World Environment Day.
While in Navotas, Antiporda observed the shipyards where large marine vessels undergoing repair and maintenance were docked. He said that the wastewater coming from the shipyard could include toxic compounds and may cause harmful effects to the ocean particularly the organisms there.
"There is no clear protection for our oceans from what we have seen in the shipyards that we have visited," Antiporda pointed out.
"When it rains, the rust removed from the vessels will go directly to the ocean, thus contaminates the water," he added.
Antiporda said the DENR will be calling the attention of the owners of the marine vessels from the Navotas shipyard, including those operating within the Manila Bay region. "We will summon the respective owners of the shipyard in Navotas area," he said.
"Of course, within the Manila Bay area where there are established shipyards, we will also get their attention and ask for their support in our campaign to address the pollution in Manila Bay," he added.
Should the owners ignore or fail to follow the orders of the DENR, the agency will be left with no choice but to file charges against them, he said.
Meanwhile, Antiporda also met with the captains of the batils docked at Delpan Port Area in Manila to discuss the crew's wastewater and solid waste management system. The batils transport cargo to and from Palawan.
"Despite our campaign to clean our oceans, if the sea vessel operators will not help in this endeavor, we will not be able to clean it up," Antiporda said.
The DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) conducted water sampling in Navotas fish port to find out if chemical components such as lead, iron, and copper are present in the waters near the shipyards.
They also took water samples from Delpan Port to assess the water quality in the area based on its fecal coliform content.