Marine scientists from Silliman University reported that 69 percent of surveyed coral reefs in Bais Bay have died following ongoing wastewater leaks from a Universal Robina Corp. (URC) ethanol plant.
The crisis began when a containment dike at the URC plant collapsed on October 26, 2025, releasing 255,000 cubic meters of toxic vinasse, which local fishers report continues to leak into the sea.
Oceana and marine experts are calling for urgent government intervention and strict legal enforcement against the plant to prevent the total collapse of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape ecosystem and local livelihoods.
A MASSIVE environmental disaster is accelerating in Bais Bay, where marine scientists warn that nearly 70 percent of surveyed coral reefs have recently died. Ongoing wastewater leaks from an ethanol plant are suffocating the marine habitat, causing recurring fish kills and pushing the ecosystem toward a total collapse.
A dying underwater ecosystem
Scientists from Silliman University's Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences and the Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management recently shared these alarming findings during a July 7 online forum hosted by the conservation group Oceana. Their studies covered North Bais Bay and neighboring waters inside the protected Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).
The data shows that recently killed corals now make up a staggering 69 percent of the total coral cover in the surveyed areas. This confirms that the underwater habitat is actively deteriorating, months after local officials claimed the initial disaster was being handled.
"The spill has to stop," warned Dr. Aileen Maypa, a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation who led the research team. "If the wastewater continues to flow, the organic matter feeds algal blooms that consume the oxygen needed by corals, seagrasses and fish. That explains the deterioration of these marine habitats and the reported fish kills."
The toxic culprit is vinasse, a highly organic byproduct generated during ethanol production. When this dark wastewater enters the sea, it triggers a process called eutrophication—causing explosive algae growth that drains oxygen from the water and blocks crucial sunlight, preventing corals and seagrasses from surviving.
Dr. Maypa cautioned that the environment is rapidly approaching a tipping point where natural recovery will be completely impossible. "Restoration efforts will be futile unless the source of the spill is plugged now," she said.
How the disaster started
The crisis began on October 26, 2025, when a containment dike at Lagoon 6 collapsed at the Universal Robina Corp. (URC) ethanol plant. The failure released 255,000 cubic meters of toxic molasses wastewater straight into Bais Bay.
The spill forced Bais City to declare a state of calamity to protect the vital Tañon Strait ecosystem. Early testing by the government revealed dangerously low oxygen levels in the water, leading the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to temporarily ban all fishing and gathering of marine products in the area.
Following the initial accident, URC promised to repair the broken lagoon, give aid to the affected communities, and fund environmental damage studies alongside Silliman University. Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) stated it would review URC's Environmental Compliance Certificate and look into taking legal action.
Local fishers say the leaks never stopped
While authorities spoke of containment efforts, local fishing communities say the toxic flow never actually ended.
Ricardo Aguilar, president of the Fisherfolk Association of Manjuyod-Bais, reported that industrial wastewater is still running out of the plant's drainage canals, crossing local roads, and emptying directly into the ocean.
"Pagkatapos ng October 2025, sabi nila, wala nang dumaan na waste. Pero nakita namin sa gilid ng highway... derecho sa dagat."
(After October 2025, they said no more waste passed through. But we saw wastewater flowing from the canal beside the highway, then to the creek and eventually to the sea.)
These eyewitness accounts match what scientists are seeing in the water. Dr. Maypa noted that a biologist from the TSPS Management Body confirmed yet another fish kill occurred in May.
"If there was another fish kill, then there must have been another spill," Dr. Maypa stated. While tests showed low levels of red tide organisms, she strongly advised the public to be careful with their food choices, saying, "Personally, I would be very cautious before eating seafood coming from Bais Bay."
The call for legal accountability
Oceana is now calling on national and local government units to step in immediately, stop the pollution, and enforce strict legal penalties against those responsible.
"The findings are not merely academic," said Atty. Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio, Oceana's senior director for campaigns and policy. "They constitute material evidence relevant to regulatory enforcement and the determination of legal responsibility." She urged authorities to apply the "polluter pays" principle built into Philippine environmental law.
Von Hernandez, Oceana's vice president, added that the national government must move fast to safeguard the country's largest marine sanctuary. "Where scientific evidence demonstrates significant risk or actual harm, regulatory agencies are obligated to take timely and decisive action," Hernandez said.
The government response
Local and environmental management groups are working through bureaucratic channels to address the crisis:
Bais City Government: Daisy Marie Gesim confirmed the city is working closely with the TSPS Management Body to enforce the closure of the plant's waste lagoon.
TSPS Management: Atty. Chad Ian Rubio explained that a formal resolution from the Protected Area Management Board is legally required to permanently halt the discharge.
DENR Findings: The DENR previously confirmed that the URC containment lagoon that collapsed in October 2025 was built illegally without required permits or operational clearances, meaning it was operating completely outside of its approved authority.
A livelihood and education crisis
For the coastal families who rely on Bais Bay, the ecological destruction has sparked a severe financial emergency. Fishers are unable to sell their catch due to contamination fears, and local seaweed farms have been ruined.
"Kawawa naman ang mga mananagat kasi wala nang ikinabubuhay... Ang mga anak ng mga mananagat, hindi na makaeskwela," Aguilar shared, highlighting the human cost of the spill.
(The fishers have lost their livelihood. Even when there are fish, people are afraid to buy them. Our children can no longer continue their education.)
Marine scientists and community leaders agree that unless the government permanently cuts off the wastewater flow at its source, the coral reefs, seagrasses, and fisheries of Bais Bay face permanent destruction—wiping out both an invaluable national marine sanctuary and the livelihoods of the families who depend on it.