CAVITE – Thousands of dead fish turned up in Cañacao Bay in Cavite City on Monday, Nov. 13.

Mayor Denver Chua conducted an inspection of the residential area in Barangay 62-A affected by the pervasive stench, while live-streaming the situation via Facebook.

Screenshot from Mayor Denver Chua's Facebook live stream (MANILA BULLETIN)

Chua says the challenge lies in taking all the dead fish off the waters as soon as possible, as leaving them on the bay could cause bacterial proliferation that might lead to health problems among residents.

“Dito po sa Cavite City, napakarami pong umaasa sa dagat (Here in Cavite City, so many people rely on the sea),” the mayor said during his live stream.

“Kaya ngayon po, kami ay nagdo-double time para hanapin kung saan galing ang mga isda na ito, ano ang cause, bakit nagkatoon ng libo-libong patay na isda dito sa ating lugar (So now, we are working double time to find out where these fish came from, what the cause is, and why there are thousands of dead fish here in our area.)”

Screenshot from Mayor Denver Chua's Facebook live stream (MANILA BULLETIN)

Chua states they are deploying a drone to trace the source of the dead fish.

“Marami ho kasing mga haka-haka, meron pong sinasabi na galing daw sa fish pond ito. Meron namang nagsasabi na pasabog o dinamita (There are many speculations; some say that these come from a fish pond. Others suggest that it might be due to explosions or dynamite fishing)," the mayor added.

The local government unit has already mobilized Bantay Dagat as well as its City Environment and Natural Resources and City Health offices to respond to the incident.

They have also coordinated with the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regarding the situation.