Philippines National Contingency Planning Workshop

Nicky Cariglia recently travelled to Manila to attend a workshop organised under the auspices of the GI SEA (Global Initiative for South East Asia) programme, which was launched in 2013 and includes all 10 ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Members. The overall aim of GI SEA is to improve regional oil spill response capability in South East Asia by assisting in the development of national capacities in oil spill preparedness and response through industry and government cooperation.

This was the first national workshop under GI SEA, and its primary target was to assist and support the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the revision of their National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), which is currently in progress. One of the aims of the workshop was to provide a forum through which dialogue between industry and the authorities was encouraged, and by which key needs and lessons learned could be identified and incorporated into the new NOSCP.

As a result, various key issues on the level of national oil spill preparedness and the current response framework were identified and discussed. The workshop was a success in terms of formulating and capturing relevant key recommendations, not only regarding the final revision of the NOSCP, but also in the wider context of operational capabilities and more clearly defining roles and responsibilities of various entities in case of a spill. ITOPF provided support through presentations discussing spills attended throughout the country in recent years, highlighting key successes and challenges encountered at each one. Nicky also acted as a moderator providing guidance through some of the open discussions on the NOSCP.

The workshop was well-attended with approximately 50 participants from the PCG. Industry was also amply represented with most of the major oil and gas companies operating in the Philippines present. Overall, the event proved to be a positive step towards furthering the level of response capability in the Philippines, particularly given the elevated incidence of oil spills from non-tankers in the region in recent years.

Category: Contingency Planning & Advice