Oil spill reaches Isla Verde, concerned prov'l health agencies in Batangas alerted
BATANGAS -- The Center of Health Development of the Department of Health (CHD-DOH) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon) issued an advisory for the activation of Quad-Cluster Response, surveillance, and health promotion activities as the disastrous oil spill in Oriental Mindoro reached Isla Verde in this province.
The advisory was addressed to the provincial, city, and municipal health officers; disaster risk reduction and management’s health managers and focal persons, quad-cluster response team, and surveillance and health promotion officers.
The advisory issued by DOH-Calabarzon regional director Dr. Ariel Valencia on March 20, cited a latest report confirming that the oil spill has reached Isla Verde in Batangas city, particularly in Barangay San Diego.
To contain and minimize the health effects of the oil spill, all adjacent local government units were advised to adopt appropriate measures, among which are the convening of the provincial, city, and municipal health response teams’ deployment and response or augmentation; ensuring clean-up activities (water, sanitation, and hygiene) are being implemented and consider appropriate waste disposal paying closer attention to the other critical properties and services, environmental and most especially the people.
Also included in the advisory were the activation of surveillance activities while ensuring that referral and coordination of patients to health facilities are being done for cases that warrant consultation, hospitalization, and admission.
Concerned LGUs were also advised to ensure the readiness of the nearest health facilities to address any health issues, facilitate treatment, and referral of affected individuals who exhibit uncontrolled vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, vertigo, skin itchiness, and burning sensation or other signs and symptoms of possible ingestion, inhalation, skin contacts, and poisoning.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in the health unit is actively monitoring the said event, thus, regular reporting among local government units is highly encouraged, the advisory said.
As of March 20, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) participated in the clean-up operation in San Agapito, San Agustin-Kanluran, and San Antonio in Verde Island and collected about 162 liters of oily water mixture and four sacks of oil-contaminated debris.
The PCG also installed 30 meters of improvised oil spoil boom at a mangrove area in Barangay Agapito and another 50 meters in San Agustin-Kanluran.
Aside from the PCG, Bantay Dagat, LGUs, and residents supported the marine environmental protection initiative.