Oceana demands "harshest" penalties for URC

International ocean conservation group Oceana is demanding the “harshest legal consequences possible” against Universal Robina Corporation (URC) after a massive vinasse spill from its ethanol plant in Bais City devastated marine life within the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).

- Jonnavie Villa/IHM

Oceana stated that authorities must pursue criminal and administrative charges against URC, citing repeated wastewater spills and what it called a “pattern of corporate negligence” that has caused ecological, health, and economic havoc across Negros Oriental’s coastal communities.

“Even fish that survive initial exposure may carry toxins, posing a possible risk to food safety and public health,” declared Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez.

He emphasized that the government must send a clear message that reckless pollution of protected areas will never go unpunished.

The group said the spill, which has already affected an estimated 6,000 hectares of marine waters and displaced at least 5,000 fisherfolk in 19 coastal villages, reflects one of the most catastrophic industrial pollution events in recent Philippine history.

Vinasse, a byproduct of ethanol production, is an acidic and toxic wastewater that depletes oxygen and releases harmful compounds that suffocate marine organisms.

Oceana warned that fish and invertebrates exposed to it may carry toxins, posing risks not only to biodiversity but also to human health.