The oil spill that affected the southern part of Guimaras Province found its way to the shores of the province of Iloilo on August 19.
The oil slick that came from Panay Gulf was carried northwards by the sea current through the Guimaras Straight. Residents first sighted it some 500 meters off Brgy. Lanas, municipality of Barotac Nuevo and hit mainland Panay starting at Bay-ang point at the town of Ajuy.
On August 21, immediately upon receipt of the reports on the oil slick, Iloilo Operations dispatched a team to verify and assess the situation in Concepcion. Two days later, on August 23, the Petron team tasked to undertake the oil spill cleanup arrived in the towns of Ajuy and Concepcion. They provided cleanup materials, personnel protective equipment (PPE) and technical support related to the cleanup.
To date, cleanup activities and coordination with local officials are already in place. Petron continues to monitor the status and impact of the oil spill in these two municipalities.
Survey of marine protected areas
The Municipality of Concepcion informed us that the marine survey conducted by UP-Visayas College of Fisheries has confirmed that so far, there are NO traces of damage to the coral/undersea life in their Marine Protected Areas
