SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) — With its extensive coastline and active maritime industry, the Ilocos Region has adopted an oil spill contingency plan to protect coastal communities from marine pollution.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Office led the initiative, which was formally approved on Mar. 24, during a regional meeting.
The plan sets a coordinated response to minimize environmental and economic damage from oil spills.
Laurence Mina, OCD Ilocos Region director, highlighted the importance of a unified response to prevent disasters.
“An oil spill can devastate marine life, fisheries, and coastal livelihoods. This plan ensures that agencies know exactly what to do when a spill happens,” Mina said.
Engineer Rowell G. Lipadan, senior environmental management specialist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) 1, emphasized the need for a strong response system.
“We must have a well-coordinated oil spill response plan that prioritizes containment, cleanup, and rehabilitation. We continuously strengthen our technical capabilities and conduct capacity-building initiatives to improve response effectiveness,” Lipadan said.
Under the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) remains the lead agency, as mandated by Republic Act 9993.
The PCG clarified that the regional plan supports — and does not overlap with — the NOSCP, by enhancing communication and enabling inter-agency collaboration.
The Marine Environmental Protection Command and the National Operations Center for Oil Pollution remain key PCG units for marine protection and coordination.
Local government units will assist in emergency response, including evacuations and deployment of resources. Rapid response teams will use equipment such as oil booms and skimmers while regular training and simulations are planned.
BApart from response preparedness, the plan includes preventive measures, including stricter monitoring of shipping activities, fuel handling regulations, and penalties for violations.
Officials acknowledged funding and resource limitations and are seeking national government and private sector support.
To address this, OCD Ilocos Regional Office and the DENR-EMB are seeking national government support and private sector partnerships to sustain funding for oil spill response measures.
Violators face sanctions under existing laws enforced by DENR-EMB and the PCG. (CCMT, AIHR, PIA Region 1)
