RETOS tool and National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) delivered in Philippines by ITOPF
Written by 30 May 2024
ITOPF facilitated a four-day workshop in the Philippines with multiple stakeholders and authorities involved in the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP).
The workshop included a discussion and wash-up session of a recent oil spill in the region, focusing on how the incident was managed and identifying areas of relevance within the NOSCP. The outcomes of the session are shared with the Philippine Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental Pollution Command (PCG MEPCOM) who were present and responsible for the NOSCP.
Following the case review, ITOPF facilitated a national Readiness Evaluation Tool for Oil Spills (RETOS) workshop to assess the national preparedness for oil spills and identify areas of focus going forwards.
On the final day of the workshop ITOPF presented options to enhance national preparedness and the principles of a Memorandum of Understanding, ITOPF also showcased its mixed reality shoreline clean-up app to promote best practice clean-up techniques, this was followed by a presentation of best practices for environmental monitoring.
Speaking on the workshop, Senior Technical Adviser for ITOPF, David Campion said: “We relish these opportunities to have so many stakeholders present for a key workshop in oil spill preparedness and response.
“Looking back and capturing the lessons learned from an incident helps to develop a more robust and effective response plan which hopefully helps reduce potential impacts from future pollution events.
“We’d like to thank all attendees for their participation throughout the week and we look forward to future opportunities of this type.”
Present at the workshop were: Philippine Coast Guard’s Marine Environmental Pollution Command (PCG MEPCOM), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Department of Health (DOH), the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), representatives of Local Government Units (LGU), the University of Philippines Visayas (UPV), Mindoro State University (MSU), Mindanao State University, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), oil spill response organisations (Harbor Star Shipping and Malayan Salvage), GI-SEA and P&I representatives.