Bais City declares state of calamity due to wastewater spill

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In issuing the calamity declaration, the Bais City government cites the 'contamination of coastal waters and the degradation of various marine ecosystem at North Bais Bay, Bais City, Negros Oriental'

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — The local government of Bais City in Negros Oriental has declared a state of calamity due to the wastewater spill from the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Bais Distillery that has affected some 3,000 hectares of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).

Upon the recommendation of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Sangguniang Panlungsod passed Resolution No. 960-25 placing Bais City under a state of calamity on October 30. Mayor Luigi Marcel Goñi approved it on Friday, October 31.

Bais City, located 48.2 kilometers north of provincial capital Dumaguete City, is home to the Gokongwei-owned URC Bais Distillery — an ethanol producer — on Negros Island.

On October 26, earthquake-induced cracks in the facility’s 20-hectare tailing pond causing the spillage of spent molasses to the protected Tañon Strait.

Massive containment efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and various disaster risk reduction groups from local government units in Negros Oriental have yet to contain the spill which has affected 17 villages in both Bais and Manjuyod.

Environmental Management Bureau-Negros Island Region (EMB-NIR) director Vicente Losbañes said on Saturday, November 1, that the repair of the damaged tailing ponds was at just over 10% as of October 31.

Losbañes said URC has hired more workers to expedite the repair of the tailing pond, adding that all the materials needed have been delivered.

The Bais City government said that the URC distillery will not resume operations until the complete repair of its tailing pond.

Goñi said it was not the first environmental mishap caused by the URC distillery in their city — this has been “recurring instead for several years already.”

He said that the local government will impose penalties on URC, based on existing laws and local ordinances.

Fishing, collecting and eating of fish and other sea catch within Bais and Manjuyod waters are being prohibited for the meantime amid the fish kill.

Goñi ordered the suspension of dolphin watching activities in Bais Bay since October 28 due to the spill.

Earlier, on Monday, October 27, Manjuyod Mayor Raffy Andaya ordered the immediate suspension of activities at the Manjuyod White Sandbar due to water discoloration and foul smell triggered by the URC spill.

Meanwhile, environmental watchdog Greenpeace has raised grave concern over the impact of the spill in Tañon Strait, as it threatened marine ecosystems, food security, and the livelihoods of thousands of fisherfolk.

“Like many environmental disasters, this incident was caused by human negligence and greed,” said Greenpeace Campaigner Jefferson Chua said.

“Every time corporations are given a free pass, it’s the people and environment that suffer. It’s time to hold companies like URC fully accountable for their actions,” Chua added. – Rappler.com