250 persons displaced by chemical spill in Batangas return to homes

- Advertisement -

NEARLY 250 individuals displaced by a recent chemical spill in Bauan, Batangas have returned to their homes after authorities addressed the problem.

“The recent chemical spill in Batangas is now under control, and all evacuees have safely returned to their homes,” said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director and Office of Civil Defense administrator Ariel Nepomuceno.

Earlier reports said two drums of the hazardous substance Naphtha leaked from the storage tank of IMPEX Philippines Company Inc. last Saturday.

- Advertisement -

The chemical, used in the production of paint and thinner products, spilled due to (an) “untightened drain plug,” the NDRRMC said.

Exposure to the substance may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, the NDRRMC said, adding prolonged and excessive exposure may lead to “more severe health consequences.”

The chemical spill, which affected an area of 6,000 square meters, led to the hospitalization of two individuals, evacuation of 53 families or 248 individuals, and fish kill.

“Immediate containment and cleanup operations were conducted along the affected shoreline. According to reports, the chemical has naturally dissipated,” said Nepomuceno.

Nepomuceno expressed gratitude to local government units, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources “for their prompt response to the incident.”

Nepomuceno said they will “continue to monitor the impact of this incident and take necessary actions.”

“Ongoing investigations are currently being conducted by the authorities,” said Nepomuceno.

He urged companies to “exercise caution and implement stringent measures (in the handling of hazardous chemicals) to prevent similar incidents” in the future.

The Philippine Coast Guard said the incident occurred “during its (chemical) loading at storage tank number 5 due to an untightened drain plug.”

“The containment area’s control valve was also partially opened, causing the chemical substance to leak into the rainwater channel and eventually to the shoreline,” the PCG said in a statement.

“The PCG and the company’s cleanup teams then conducted chemical spill recovery operations,” the PCG said, adding it has started an inquiry on the incident.

p2 bilibid — joan

Contrabands converted to art

pieces on display inside Bilibid

BY ASHZEL HACHERO

CONTRABAND items confiscated from inmates in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City have been converted to art works as part of the Bureau of Correction’s (BuCor) 118th founding anniversary.

The contraband items-turned art works have been on display inside the NBP’s administration building since Monday.

- Advertisement -spot_img

BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said that since he assumed the post in October last year, more than 6,000 contraband items ranging from bladed weapons, knives, and homemade sharpened objects have been confiscated in several “Oplan Galugad” operations inside the national penitentiary.

“Oplan Galugad” is the term used by the agency for operations designed to ferret out illegal items, as well as illegal drugs.

Catapang said they brought the items to Pete Jimenez, a visual artist with a substantial body of work in the field of sculpture.

“The said pieces of metal that symbolizes violence was turned into something beautiful and very significant which convey the message ‘farms not arms,’” he said of the art works.

Catapang said this will serve as a reminder to inmates and the public of the changes happening not only in the NBP but also in other prison and penal colonies under the agency’s supervision.

“It will also send a strong message that instead of making arms why not farm in support of the governments food security program,” the BuCor chief added.

In a related development, the Rotary Club of Quiapo Plaza Miranda in partnership with the BuCor will undertake a social reform program aimed at providing vital rehabilitation and reformation service to Bilibid inmates.

Dubbed “Creating Hope in the New Bilibid Prison via Project Laya and Hope Creating Gallery,” Catapang said the project adopts a wholistic approach to identify qualified inmates who have shown genuine desire to better themselves and provide them with an opportunity to develop a skillset that can be an asset to society.

Lawyer Armand Galang, the president of the Rotary Club of Quiapo Plaza Miranda, said it is part of their overall effort to assist the BuCor in its inmates’ reformation program.

Galang said they also have another program dubbed the “Kulayan Artists of the NBP” which tap the talents of inmates in creative arts.

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: