Bais city: Multi-sectoral efforts are underway to prevent the further spread of wastewater from a breached lagoon of the United Robina Corp. (URC) Bais Distillery in Bais City, Negros Oriental, into the waters of the protected Ta±on Strait. In a statement on Tuesday, the URC Bais Distillery said it is currently taking containment measures after the lagoon wall was cracked by recent earthquakes and further weakened by continuous heavy rains over the past days.

According to Philippines News Agency, a portion of the URC Bais Distillery’s 20-hectare tailing pond collapsed over the weekend, causing wastewater spillage that resulted in the discoloration of the seas in Bais City and Manjuyod. Vicente Losba±es, acting director of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Negros Island Region (NIR), stated in an interview that they issued a ‘notice of violation with an interim cease and desist order (CDO) against URC’ on Monday after the incident.

Losba±es mentioned that the interim CDO is valid for seven days, after which it will be endorsed to the Pollution Adjudication Board of the central office in Manila for confirmation to a permanent CDO. He noted that they are also verifying reports and social media posts concerning the alleged fish kill in coastal areas, supposedly resulting from the wastewater spill, as part of their investigation. The EMB is also conducting water sampling from the affected areas.

Manjuyod Mayor Raffy Andaya has announced a temporary shutdown of the popular White Sand Bar in Barangay Campuyo, a recognized tourism spot, while the Coast Guard Station in Negros Oriental has also paused sea travel at specific points in Bais City and Manjuyod. The URC stated that they are working closely with the DENR for ‘immediate containment, proper cleanup, and full compliance with environmental standards.’

The company expressed its commitment to collaborating with local government units to provide any necessary assistance to affected individuals and communities. Moreover, URC emphasized its dedication to building climate-resilient and sturdy lagoon walls, considering the changing environment and the importance of community safety.