Taking A Dump...On Subic Bay

Posted by Victor Dela Casa

So how does it feel like to take a dump on Subic Bay's pristine waters? Ask the nice people of Glenn Defense Marine Philippines and the crew of the MV Glenn Guardian. These folks take dumping seriously! Luckily, it made quite a stench.

The Malaysia-based maritime services contractor is currently being held responsible and accountable by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for allegedly pumping ship scat recently on Subic Bay, a former American Naval Base in the Philippines (and my home town), that continue to host visiting U.S. Forces in accordance to The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) act between the two nations.

Glenn Defense claims that they haven't done any violation and the company, until recently, had a clean record since 2007. The U.S. hired Glenn Defense Marine and their ship, The MV Glenn Guardian, to service and repair visiting American Navy ships. Sadly, The MV Glenn Guardian did more than its directive and released waste water beyond permissible limits.

Thankfully, we have our American allies and they are now conducting their own investigation on the matter. Both Malacanang Palace and the U.S. Navy agree that contractors such as the Glenn Defense Marine are not under the jurisdiction of the VFA. Well, aren't you supposed to include provisions on third-party contractors before you sign any agreements? In any case, at least the U.S. is cooperating and Ambassador Harry Thomas won't tolerate Glenn Defense' shenanigans. "We oppose economic degradation, we oppose illegal dumping, we are aware of these allegations, the United States Navy is investigating." Such powerful words and I'm going to hold on to every bit of it.

The SBMA is already carrying out an investigation. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is also quick to react. Nothing brings a nation together like a good dump specially with the elections drawing near. Can they also do some investigation on why we are having these recurring brownouts lately?

In the meantime, why don't we enjoy this video of a U.S. Navy Robot strutting its stuff to the dance hit "Gangnam Style". Man, we sure need some diversion.

UPDATE: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) released the results of their investigation yesterday and concluded that Glenn Defense Asia committed no violations with regards to their handling and disposal of waste materials agreeing to company statements that the waste materials were "treated" and considered environmentally harmless.

About The Author

Victor Dela Casa spent over a decade working as business professional in Canada. Worked in IT, finance, marketing, international trade, public service, project management and the maritime industry. Degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines and Honours Diploma from Eastern College.