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Philippines Oil Spill Spreading

The worst oil spill the Philippines have ever seen, caused by a sunken tanker, is threatening to reach a second island in the central portion of the many-island country. Already, villagers of Guimaras Island have gathered on the beaches and mangroves in an attempt to contain the mess, but local Filipino Coast Guard Commander Harold Jarder said the oil had spread from the small island of Guimaras towards nearby island of Panay.

Jarder reported that the oil slick, reaching an estimated 15 nautical miles, has congealed to a "chocolate mousse-like residue." As foreign contractors are scheduled to arrive to survey the tanker, Jarder notes that getting it salvaged might do much to help contain further oil-caused damage. An estimated 50,000 gallons of oil was released from the Petron Corporation`s oil tanker "Solar 1" when it sank on August 11.

"We need to salvage the sunken ship as soon as possible," Jarder has said. "The problem has become widespread. There are now more areas that are affected." The oil slick has already spread to some 136 miles of Filipino coastline, resulting in at least 1,121 acres of mangroves and 58 hectares of seaweed farms of Guimaras island being destroyed. Iloilo Island Governor Neil Tupaz has already ordered coastal villages to brace for the worst with booms made of bamboo poles and dried grass about a mile from the shoreline.