OIL SPILL RESPONSE. Uniformed personnel, government workers and volunteers contain an oil spill along the shoreline of Barangay La Virgen Milagrosa in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, on Tuesday (June 9, 2026). The cargo vessel MSCI 1 ran aground on June 8 amid bad weather, with the oil spill traced to an engine leak.
LAOAG CITY – Uniformed personnel, government workers and volunteers placed absorbent pads and spill booms on Tuesday to contain an oil spill after a cargo vessel ran aground along the shoreline of Barangay La Virgen Milagrosa in Badoc, Ilocos Norte.
Following a meeting with the multiagency oil spill response team — composed of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Marines, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and the local government of Badoc — Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Victor Dabalos instructed the ship manager of the sunken MSCI 1 to close the engine leak by all means possible to prevent further damage to fisherfolk livelihoods and marine biodiversity.
The vessel came from Omnico Port in Currimao town with a legal transport permit issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Dabalos said.
“The vessel was en route to Calayan in Cagayan province carrying aggregates when it had an emergency beaching amid bad weather on June 8, 2026, along the Badoc shoreline,” Dabalos said in a phone interview.
He said the oil spill was traced to an engine leak while the vessel’s reserve oil remained fully sealed.
A general coastal cleanup drive is ongoing to clear debris near the sunken ship.
Dabalos said the DENR is facilitating debris management, conducting ground validation of affected coastal resources and habitats and coordinating with agencies to monitor oil spill impacts. (PNA)