ILOILO CITY — The Negros Oriental Provincial Board is calling for full transparency in the ongoing investigation into the wastewater contamination in Bais Bay, as lawmakers move to ensure that both the public and the provincial government remain informed of all developments.
Board Member Erwin Michael Macias, who chairs the Committees on Environment and on Disaster Risk Reduction Management, confirmed that the Provincial Board has been formally included in the technical working group (TWG) tasked with investigating the incident involving United Robina Corporation’s (URC) ethanol plant.
“We were initially out of the loop and only learned about the incident through social media,” Macias told reporters on Friday. “It was only after I called for a special session, attended by URC officials, that we were given a detailed report on the wastewater spillage.”
The TWG is headed by Department of Environment and Natural Resoures (DENR)-Negros Island Region Director Charlie Fabre, who serves as the point person for the ongoing investigation.
On Thursday, Macias and other provincial officials conducted an on-site inspection of the 17-hectare wastewater lagoon whose earthen wall collapsed earlier this week, releasing large volumes of industrial effluent — known as “spent wash” — into the sea. The spill has reportedly affected marine life, fishing communities, and coastal livelihoods in Bais City and Manjuyod.
Macias clarified that while the Provincial Board’s role in the probe is “minor,” the DENR and the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape’s Protected Area Management Board are taking the lead in the technical assessments.