Panayam kay Professor Dr. Hernando Bacosa ng MSU-Iligan/ DOST Lead Expert on oil spill patungkol sa epekto sa oil spill Bataan at ang mga paraan para mapigilan ang pagkalat na ito
Panayam kay Professor Dr. Hernando Bacosa ng MSU-Iligan/ DOST Lead Expert on oil spill patungkol sa epekto sa oil spill Bataan at ang mga paraan para mapigilan ang pagkalat na ito
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00:00The effect of oil spills on youth and the ways to stop it from spreading,
00:07let's find out together with Dr. Hernando Bacosa,
00:11Professor at MSU Iligan and Department of Science and Technology,
00:16Lead Expert on Oil Spill.
00:18Dr. Bacosa, good afternoon.
00:22Good afternoon, Ms. Weng and Ms. Nina,
00:26and to our listeners from all over the country.
00:30Okay. Thank you for being here, Professor,
00:33because Prof. Mindanao is from Mindanao.
00:35That's right.
00:36And he's here because something happened to this oil spill.
00:41I'm very excited to talk to an expert.
00:44We have a lot of questions about oil spills.
00:47Can you explain to us first
00:50what is the effect of oil spills on our oceans
00:55and how serious is this incident,
00:59especially when the damage is spreading?
01:03So here's the thing.
01:04Maybe our listeners are still aware of what happened in Mindoro last year.
01:08Yes.
01:09The person you're serving is the Lead Expert of DOST,
01:12National Research Council of the Philippines at that time.
01:16So I was very much involved in the response and then in the assessment that happened.
01:20So when it comes to oil spill,
01:22usually for us, because we are archipelagos,
01:25the displacement of boats, ships, and tankers is a part of our lives.
01:32We are people of the sea and that is a part of our economy.
01:35So when there's an oil spill, it spreads.
01:39It depends on the depth.
01:40Mindoro is 400 meters deep.
01:43So it's difficult.
01:45It's difficult to seal, it's difficult to control,
01:49it's difficult to pull.
01:51But the oil spill is only 30 meters deep.
01:54Okay.
01:54So we have the capacity for a diver to come and see what's there and it can be sealed.
02:02So when it comes out, Mindoro has 900,000 liters of oil.
02:09And it almost came out.
02:11900,000?
02:11900,000 liters.
02:13Not 1.4 million?
02:141.4 liters is the oil spill.
02:18I'm talking about the Mindoro.
02:19The Mindoro?
02:20Yeah, that's right.
02:21The oil spill is more than 1.4 million liters.
02:24But based on the reports that we heard from our fellow countrymen,
02:30the tanks were sealed.
02:32It's in the tanks that Harbor Star Shipping,
02:36it's a private company that was commissioned by our government
02:41to seal and respond to it.
02:44So yesterday and the day before yesterday,
02:46they sealed the leaking valves.
02:48Okay.
02:49That's why the leaking is very minimal now.
02:52There are oil coming out at first.
02:54That's the diesel oil that runs the ship.
02:57That's the one that comes out.
02:58Ah, the one that runs the ship.
02:59But in those tanks,
03:01from what I saw in the video that Coast Guard released,
03:04that came from the tanks' valves.
03:07So not all of that 1.5 million liters came out.
03:11I think less than...
03:13Maybe less than 100,000.
03:15We don't know.
03:16The ones that leaked.
03:17But only a few.
03:18Very minimal.
03:19And here, if I can see the leaks,
03:21there are oil residues in Bulacan,
03:25in Cavite.
03:26There are in Manila Bay, right?
03:27There are in Manila Bay.
03:28So this is very minor.
03:32It's just a few compared to Mindoro
03:34where all of the 900,000 liters came out.
03:37So I just want to point out, sir,
03:38because we're very worried
03:40because this is...
03:41We're talking about almost double
03:43when Kerry was in Mindoro,
03:46which was a state of calamity for how many months?
03:51Yes.
03:51So you're now saying that...
03:55The advantage, quote-unquote,
03:58is that it's more shallow.
03:59It's more shallow?
04:01It's more distant.
04:0130 meters compared to 400 meters in Mindoro.
04:04400 meters, yes.
04:0630 meters, I think the divers reached.
04:09It was sealed.
04:10The leak was sealed.
04:11It's easier to seal.
04:12And I don't know if you'll start siphoning,
04:15the siphoning of the oil
04:17so that it can be removed.
04:18And it's like the ship is about to sink again.
04:21So it's like now it's under control.
04:24But still, the ship is still there.
04:26Until the oil is removed there,
04:28there is still a threat to our environment.
04:31It should be removed.
04:32All the oil should be siphoned.
04:34So that...
04:35In Mindoro, was everything removed?
04:37In Mindoro, everything was removed.
04:41You really didn't...
04:44The tank was opened and removed.
04:46You can't siphon it because it's too deep.
04:49It's too deep.
04:50I see, okay.
04:51Sir, from the hundreds of thousands
04:54or millions of liters of industrial fuel
04:56that was loaded or loaded by MT Terra Nova,
05:00if it can't be stopped from leaking,
05:02what are the expected damages
05:04that this could cause in coastal areas?
05:07First of all,
05:08if that 1.5 liters
05:12of oil
05:141.5 million liters of oil
05:16is released into our ocean,
05:19that's in Tier 3,
05:21the highest oil spill response in the Philippines.
05:24And of course, that has a huge impact
05:27on our environment,
05:28on our economy,
05:29on our livelihood,
05:30and on our health.
05:32First of all, when oil is released,
05:34of course, our oceans will be affected.
05:37It can kill phytoplankton.
05:39Phytoplankton,
05:40zooplankton,
05:41shrimp,
05:43fish.
05:44Of course, second,
05:45fishing ban.
05:47If there's a fishing ban,
05:48the fishermen will have no livelihood,
05:50no food,
05:51no income.
05:52It will affect the vendors
05:54and the tricycle drivers.
05:55If the oil that we bring to the beach is spilled,
06:00it will smell.
06:00It will affect our breathing,
06:02our lungs.
06:04And of course,
06:05if there's oil on the beach,
06:09it's comfortable to swim and go there.
06:14And of course,
06:15if that 1.5 is really full,
06:17because it can cover Manila Bay
06:20if it's not full.
06:21So usually in the US,
06:24if it's like that,
06:25transportation is prohibited,
06:26ships.
06:27But now,
06:28in this situation,
06:30I'm confident that
06:33it's under control,
06:34but still there's a threat.
06:35And hopefully,
06:36in the next 7 to 10 days,
06:38the oil will be siphoned.
06:41It won't last long like in Mindoro
06:43before it's cleared.
06:44Because you said,
06:45Mindoro is really deep.
06:47How deep is this?
06:48It's only 30 meters
06:49from where the ship sank.
06:53And the valves are still sealed.
06:56So what do you think?
06:57How many days?
07:00Or will it be cleared?
07:01What the Coast Guard said is
07:037 to 10 days
07:04when it starts.
07:04Because they're still doing
07:07the sealing
07:09before it's siphoned.
07:11Before it's siphoned.
07:12Because in Mindoro,
07:14that's 400 meters,
07:15we can't even siphon it.
07:17We could not even seal or siphon
07:19the special vessel from Singapore.
07:21Actually,
07:23it was opened,
07:23the oil was spilled,
07:25because it can't be siphoned.
07:27Why does the oil need to be opened
07:29and spilled?
07:30Why wasn't it allowed inside?
07:32Because if we allow it,
07:34it will leak from the bottom.
07:36And when the time comes,
07:39the container will be crushed
07:41and the oil will come out.
07:43So you really need to remove the oil
07:46before the container is destroyed
07:48and it spreads
07:49and comes out of our surroundings.
07:51Okay, at least you gave us a picture
07:53or a scenario.
07:54It would be the worst-case scenario
07:56if 1.4 million liters of oil comes out.
08:00That would be the worst.
08:01That would be the biggest oil spill
08:03in the country.
08:04Ever.
08:04If that happens,
08:06hopefully not.
08:08But since the prognosis is good,
08:10what you're saying now, Doc,
08:13that the reaction is good,
08:15can you explain to us even further
08:17about the innovations of DOSC?
08:21How do you seal?
08:23What do you put there?
08:24How do you actually siphon?
08:26As far as I know,
08:30Harbor Star Shipping Services
08:32that we commissioned by the Coast Guard,
08:34they do this.
08:35Usually, these are also plastic materials
08:39that you seal.
08:41Because there are valves, right?
08:42Okay.
08:43That's where it gets stuck.
08:46But in DOSC,
08:47under the leadership of
08:49Secretary Ernesto Ludium Jr.,
08:51DOSC, through Pag-asa,
08:54provides information
08:55on how to model the trajectory.
08:58The direction of the oil changes, right?
09:00Like you said,
09:01it goes to Bulacan,
09:02then it goes to Manila.
09:04The wind changes again.
09:05It gets stuck again.
09:08So Pag-asa helps with that
09:10to predict the direction of the oil
09:13because of the direction of the wind
09:15and the dispersion of the oil.
09:16And in DOSC,
09:17this NRCP,
09:19I was also tapped
09:21in the National Expert Engagement Program
09:24to explain the science of oil spill
09:28because this is also a very complicated science.
09:32And of course,
09:32in DOSC,
09:33we have quick response projects
09:36that can study and broaden
09:38the analysis of oil spill
09:40because as long as we're here,
09:42as long as we're sailing,
09:43the oil spill will come to us.
09:45Right now,
09:46it's only been a year and it's already there again.
09:48We don't know when it will come next
09:50because now,
09:51with the climate change,
09:52there are many storms,
09:54there are many typhoons,
09:55so it's possible that anytime
09:57the ship will sink
09:59and the oil spill will happen again.
10:01Can you explain this to our fellow Filipinos
10:03because there are others
10:04who are doing this with their own efforts.
10:06They are the ones who came to the shoreline
10:09or the fishermen themselves
10:11because this is also dangerous.
10:13You can't be the only one, right?
10:15They are collecting it.
10:16Yes, because the oil,
10:18of course,
10:20yes, the sorbents can be used.
10:22There are local sorbents
10:24that are like ropes, right?
10:25They tie the ropes
10:27because the oil gets stuck there
10:29so that it doesn't really
10:30get to the shoreline.
10:32But we should be careful.
10:34If we get oil,
10:35we should wear gloves
10:37because if it gets in contact with our skin,
10:39it can get in.
10:40And of course,
10:41the fresh oil
10:43is volatile
10:45and we can get infected
10:46and it will cause a stroke.
10:48Those are the precautions
10:50that we should remember.
10:52But with technology,
10:54I think we still need to develop
10:56materials that are locally made
10:58that are made in the Philippines
10:59that we can use
11:01when oil spills occur.
11:03Speaking of that, sir,
11:05UP Marine Science Institute
11:07has already conducted
11:09water sampling
11:11in the areas of Pasay, Cavite,
11:13Bulacan, and Bataan.
11:15So would you know, sir,
11:17what are the properties of this oil
11:19so that you can address
11:21what kind of material
11:23to use to fight
11:25what kind of oil
11:27can affect the health
11:29of those affected?
11:31I don't know what parameters
11:33UP Marine Science Institute will get.
11:35But for sure,
11:37they will analyze how much
11:39concentration of oil
11:41is in a critical or toxic level.
11:43And in our part,
11:45we also analyze
11:47what is the composition
11:49of the oil.
11:51Because oil is composed
11:53of hundreds to one thousand hydrocarbons.
11:55And each one of them has a
11:57toxicity and health effects.
11:59So you're saying that
12:01it can be used as fertilizer,
12:03as plastic in the oil spill boom,
12:05because we've covered that before
12:07in Rosario.
12:09Yes.
12:11This is industrial fuel oil.
12:13What is industrial fuel oil?
12:15Gasoline is a type of oil.
12:17Then you have diesel oil,
12:19right?
12:21Then you have engine oil.
12:23This is industrial fuel oil.
12:25It's very thick.
12:27Gasoline is like water.
12:29It's the lightest.
12:31When you foam it,
12:33it's very thin.
12:35But industrial fuel oil,
12:37which is very thick,
12:39has a limitation.
12:41It can't absorb everything
12:43because it's very heavy.
12:45So that's what our tankers
12:47usually transport.
12:49What about Mindoro Industrial Oil?
12:51It's the same.
12:53It's the thickest.
12:55Sometimes,
12:57when you look at the oil spill,
12:59it looks like asphalt.
13:01Some of them are rusting.
13:03Some of them are dissolving in water.
13:05And in Manila Bay,
13:07I think there are a lot of bacteria
13:09that eat oil.
13:11It also helps
13:13to reduce the oil spill
13:15that comes to our oil spill.
13:17What are these bacteria?
13:19Can we cultivate these bacteria?
13:21Yes, we can cultivate them.
13:23That's my expertise.
13:25That's what I studied in America
13:27and Japan.
13:29The bacteria that eat oil.
13:31What I can tell you is that
13:33when there's flooding,
13:35there are a lot of nutrients.
13:37There are a lot of organic matter.
13:39Bacteria become happy.
13:41For them to grow,
13:43they also need nutrients.
13:45That's why,
13:47when there's flooding in Manila Bay
13:49and there's a spill,
13:51I'm thinking that the flood
13:53helps the bacteria in Manila Bay
13:55to degrade this oil.
13:57There's not a lot of oil
13:59that goes to the basin.
14:01So, because of the nutrients
14:03that are disposed in Manila Bay,
14:05it helps the bacteria
14:07to become active
14:09and eat the oil.
14:11So, when will you do that?
14:13Will you cultivate them
14:15or not?
14:17One of our research is
14:19disaster quick response
14:21of DOST.
14:23That's one of the opportunities
14:25that we can have that super degrader
14:27or super bag to eat
14:29pollutants in case of spill like this.
14:31But we cannot use it yet.
14:33We cannot use it yet.
14:35Because it's still being made?
14:37It's still being made.
14:39So, you're using coco-flex?
14:41Yes, coco-flex.
14:43We still need to improve technology
14:45because there are limitations
14:47because there are different types of oil.
14:49Different patients, different expertise.
14:51So, the science of oil spill
14:53is a bit complex.
14:55But I think oil spill will be
14:57very uncertain.
14:59It's like a storm.
15:01You just need to be ready anytime.
15:03Especially now with the climate change
15:05and a stronger storm,
15:07we might have more oil spill
15:09in the future.
15:11But we have to be ready
15:13in terms of our response
15:15and technology.
15:17Sir, please say a few words
15:19to our viewers.
15:21Good afternoon
15:23to all of us.
15:25Oil spill is
15:27a threat to our environment
15:29and to our economy.
15:31I hope
15:35we are alert
15:37and we are ready
15:39to face it.
15:41The DOST,
15:43led by our Secretary,
15:45is very supportive
15:47of our effort
15:49to develop technologies
15:51for response.
15:53The DOST is supporting
15:55science-based and data-driven
15:57solutions to the problems
15:59that confront our nation,
16:01including oil spill
16:03and pollution.
16:05Thank you very much.
16:07Thank you very much,
16:09Mr. Queng,
16:11and Ma'am Nina.