Environmental justice sought in Tañon Strait vinasse spill from URC’s ethanol plant
Press Release Date: November 8, 2025
As Bais City and Manjuyod declare states of calamity and President Marcos orders investigations, Oceana demands that Universal Robina Corporation (URC) and national agencies face full accountability for the catastrophic wastewater spill now devastating the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).
“This incident strikes on three fronts: environmental collapse, brewing public health emergency, and economic devastation. Fishing bans may be necessary due to the potential long-term contamination caused by the vinasse spill. Even fish that survive initial exposure may carry toxins, posing possible risk to food safety and public health,” explained Von Hernandez, Oceana Vice President
Vinasse, a byproduct of ethanol production, is known for its high organic load and toxicity. It may persist in the water column and sediments, depleting oxygen and releasing compounds that could harm marine life.
The international ocean conservation group said the URC bears full responsibility for this preventable disaster as the group cites similar spill in 2018, showing a pattern of negligence that minor fines failed to correct.
Oceana cited reports that vinasse spillage and fish kills have been happening even before this was reported on October 24. Hence, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, TSPS Protected Area Management Board and other duty-bearers should have immediately acted on it.
Under the Philippine Clean Water Act (RA 9275, Section 27), entities discharging pollutants into water bodies face fines up to ₱200,000 per day and imprisonment. Section 28 mandates fines up to ₱500,000 for gross negligence causing serious injury or contamination. It also mandates containment, removal, and clean up operations at the expense of the polluter. The Philippine Fisheries Code (RA 10654) further requires administrative fines amounting to a maximum of P500,000 and additional fine of P15,000 per day until the violation ceases, among others. Finally, the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act penalizes the dumping of any toxic chemical, noxious or poisonous substances into the protected area with fine of up to P1,000,000 or imprisonment of up to 6 years or both.
Atty. Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio, Oceana’s Senior Director for Campaigns and Legal and Policy explained that under these laws, URC must fund comprehensive cleanup operations, compensate affected communities fully for adverse health impacts, lost income and livelihoods, and pay maximum penalties under all applicable laws for their abject failure to implement appropriate wastewater management protocols at their facilities.
Operating within a protected seascape designated under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS Act, RA 11038) carries stricter safeguards and penalties for violations.
“Government accountability is equally essential. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) must publicly disclose URC’s Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and Environmental Impact Statement, if any Critical questions demand answers: What social and environmental safeguards were required in their ECC? Why did existing measures fail to prevent a disaster of this magnitude?” said Osorio.
On October 26, a 15-meter dike at URC’s Bais Distillery collapsed, releasing 255,000 cubic meters of vinasse – highly toxic ethanol byproduct—into the country’s largest marine protected area.
According to reports, the spill has now affected 6,000 hectares, displaced 5,000 fisherfolk across 19 coastal villages, caused massive fish kills estimated at 12 tons, and triggered the suspension of all fishing and tourism activities in the region.
“We’re witnessing the destruction of fishing grounds and spawning habitats that will impact marine and fisheries resources in the country’s largest marine protected area, for years,” Hernandez added.
Unlike oil spills that typically float on the surface and can be contained more easily, vinasse may mix thoroughly with water and settle in sediments, making containment and cleanup far more difficult. This acidic industrial waste carries extreme chemical and biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD), and may contain high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that fuel microbial blooms. These blooms rapidly deplete dissolved oxygen.
As contaminated waters persist, fish and invertebrates continue to die. Coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds—critical spawning and nursery grounds—face long-term destruction that will devastate coastal communities dependent on Tañon Strait for food security and livelihood.
Palace spokesperson Claire Castro confirmed the President has been briefed and that authorities are studying charges under RA 11038. Oceana demands these investigations lead to maximum legal consequences—not another “slap on the wrist.”
Testing is underway following DENR’s protection order for the seascape. Oceana demands that the results are shared publicly as the consequences of corporate negligence—Tañon Strait’s 14 whale and dolphin species, among diverse marine life and critical fishing grounds—require urgent action and lasting accountability. Pending test results, precautionary measures are warranted to protect communities and ecosystems, the group added. (END)