At the same time, Mayor Maria Angela “Gila” Garcia of Dinalupihan town said she has advised barangay captains of Tucop, Pagalanggang, San Simon and Old San Jose to conduct house to house campaign on the ban of firecrackers in the four villages.
“Sabihan ang mga tao na huwag munang magpapaputok ngayong Bagong Taon para sa kaligtasan ng lahat hanggang hindi pa tapos ang problema sa oil leak,” she said.
She said she was informed by the company that the fuel carried by the pipeline at the time of the leak was not flammable. “Just the same, bawal pa rin ang paputok,” Garcia said.
Workers said the leaking oil was Jet 2 fuel which is similar to kerosene.
“Habang hindi nasisiguro na walang future oil leaks, mangyaring temporarily suspend operation para hindi makapagbigay ng malaking disgrasya sa hangin, tubig, pananim at kalusugan ng mga tao lalo na,” the mayor said.
She said she has written Clark Pipeline about the municipality’s request for suspension of operation, copy furnished the departments of Environment and Natural Resources and Public Works and Highways as well as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the Clark Development Corp.
The mayor said she was still waiting for the reply of Clark Pipeline.
The newest oil leak was discovered Thursday last week in the river below a big bridge dividing Tucop and Pagalanggang, two barangays in Dinalupihan.
Garcia said the pipeline company has immediately responded but the source of the leak could not yet be located.
Workers on Thursday were collecting oil residues from the contained excavated portion of the river.
The mayor described the oil leaks as already quite alarming, considering what she said as many incidents of leakages this year and the past year in the town.
Oil leaks were recorded this year in February in barangay San Ramon, May in barangay Luakan and August again in San Ramon.
Clark Pipeline took over the administration of the oil pipeline believed built in 1966 that runs from Subic to Clark Airbase in Angeles City after the Americans left the former U.S. Naval Base in 1992.
