It’s not an oil spill or slick, according to the Philippine Coast Guard, but merely a “very thin oil sheen” – a film that is normally dispersed using chemical agents. That sheen, however, can still be toxic to marine life. Over the weekend, another province moved to declare a state of calamity over the oil sheen that has been spotted in certain areas of Manila Bay after two vessels sank while another ran aground off Bataan between July 25 and 27. Bataan is expected to approve a recommendation to declare a state of calamity in the province. This will speed up the release of assistance to the thousands of residents whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the oil sheen that began forming after the oil tanker Terra Nova sank off Limay, Bataan on July 25. This was followed on July 27 by the tanker Jayson Bradley, which capsized off Barangay Mt. View, and the MV Mirola I, which ran aground in Biaan, both in Mariveles.

Marine disaster [Editorial]. (2024, August 6). The Philippine Star, p. 6.