Local exec allays fear of widespread coal spill in Palawan’s Taytay Bay

There is no danger of a widespread coal spill coming from a barge that ran aground last December in Taytay Bay in Palawan, a local official said Wednesday. Robinson Morales, Taytay municipal administrator, said the barge is no longer tilting and its coal cargo is already secured. "Hindi na nakatagilid ang barge at yung coal safe at wala nang panganib na mag-spill," Morales told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. According to him, the small amount of coal that fell off the cargo area when the vessel tilted after it ran aground last Christmas Day has been dispersed. "Na-disperse na yung kakaunting coal na nahulog sa dagat ay wala nang panganib. Batay sa estimate ng Coast Guard at mga environmental group na tumulong, mga limang sako lang yung coal na nahulog (The coal that fell off was only around five sacks, based on Coast Guard estimates," he added. Morales said Taytay agriculture and fishery officials, as well as other groups such as the Coast Guard, members of academe and environmental groups, have been monitoring closely the situation of the barge, which is now safely anchored in the bay. The vessel is loaded with 8,000 metric tons of coal and was headed for Batangas from Indonesia. But strong winds and big waves separated the barge from a tugboat. Earlier reports said the barge ran aground near Apulit Island, near the Terra Mar pearl farm in Taytay Bay. Fears of coal spill hounded Taytay residents as the whole bay is a protected area. He said the captain was negotiating with the Indonesian owner of the Ivan Batam barge to hire a salvor to rescue the stranded vessel, as local efforts to tow it to a safe area have failed. "While the barge is safely anchored, we want that it would be taken out of the bay the soonest possible time," Morales added. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV