WWF: Act now on sunken MT Solar 1 or face more suits

BY CARLA GOMEZ

THE president of the World Wide Fund-Philippines, Lorenzo Tan, yesterday warned that if the remaining bunker fuel on board the sunken MT Solar 1 is not removed soon, the culprits could face suits, not only from Guimaras, but from Palawan, Negros Occidental and Mindanao.

Tan told the DAILY STAR their satellite photos show that everyday, fresh oil is coming out of the sink site off the coast of Guimaras.

Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday also said he has written to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the head of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Secretary Avelino Cruz, informing them of the unconditional demand of Negros Occidental, for the removal of the sunken tanker.

Jose Campos, Petron vice president for marketing, this week said that, of the 2.19 million liters of bunker of fuel on board the MT Solar 1 that sank on Aug. 11 about 1.8 to 1.9 million liters is still at the bottom of the sea.

“As long as that oil is there, we will not relax and will be on alert 24 hours a day because it remains a threat to the shores of Negros Occidental,” Marañon said.

He said if Negros does not get an assurance in two days of a timetable and an action plan for the removal of the bunker fuel fuel it will make more noise.

SP RESOLUTIONS

He also said Negros Occidental will assist Guimaras, if needed, in filing a suit against the oil spill culprits.

The Bacolod and Negros Occidental Sanggunians this week passed resolutions demanding the removal of the bunker fuel in the MT Solar 1.

The Bacolod SP called on the national government to hold Petron accountable for the immediate salvaging of MT Solar 1 and the removal of its bunker fuel before it causes more damage.

Tan pointed out that their satellite photos show that everyday fresh oil is coming out of the sink site off the coast of Guimaras despite assurance that the valves of the containers on board the tanker had been tightened by a robotic arm of the Remote Operated Vehicle of the Japanese survey ship Shinsei Maru.

“Thankfully, Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas (Rafael) Coscolluela has disclosed that reports from vessels on site indicate that it is merely sheen, and not a thick slick,” Tan said.

ELIMINATE NEW THREATS

“However, whatever the case may be, this underscores the need to make a decision very soon on how to eliminate all the remaining oil that seems to continue behaving like a time-release capsule. All new oil, whether sheen or slick, must be made to stop surfacing and all new threats must be eliminated.” he said.

Any suggestion that does not completely eliminate this threat, cannot be considered a serious option, he added.

Tan said he echoes the warning of Gerry Ledesma, president of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, that that this must be done before the “habagat” wind shifts to “amihan” winds, which may happen in two months.

SULU SEA, TOO

“If the needed action is delayed, and the oil continues to leak, the northern Sulu Sea is possibly at risk. Such a possibility could be disastrous both for fishing communities – and possibly, for the insurance company,” he said

Although it is not likely right now, if the “amihan” follows its normal behavior, the Sulu Sea may be threatened. This ecosystem, with the world heritage site, Tubbataha, at its core, seeds coral reefs and habitats that give life to fisheries along eastern Palawan, and possibly as far as western Mindanao, western Negros, Western Panay and Western Mindoro, he said.

DAMAGE CLAIMS MINUSCULE

“The damage claims the insurance company now faces in Guimaras will be minuscule, compared to what they may face if the Solar 1 oil is picked up by the currents of the Sulu Sea and, driven by the amihan,” he said.

This is an urgent concern that must reach the experts on Shinsei Maru, and the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, he said.

Meanwhile, spill sightings were reported four kilometers from the coast of Silay City in Negros Occidental yesterday morning, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council reported.

They were 50 meters wide and 1.5 kilometers in length, the PDMT said.

(From the Vis. Daily Star, Sept. 9, 2006.)

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IS that really you Lory Tan? Hallelujah! There is a God!
0:-)

Filmmakers shoot oil spill for public awareness

By Marinel Cruz

A GROUP of 15 independent filmmakers flew to Guimaras last weekend to shoot a 10-minute short film each about the oil spill in Western Visayas that is “possibly the worst ever” in the country’s history.

“Project Guimaras,” aims to create awareness among the general public on the effects of the recent disaster, according to Chits Jimenez, vice chair of the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of the Philippines (IFCP).

Project participants are directors Kidlat Tahimik, Rox Lee, Milo Paz, Khavn Dela Cruz, Emmanuel Dela Cruz, Paolo Villaluna, Kidlat De Guia, JP Carpio, Raya Martin, Seymour Sanchez, Wilfred Allen Galila, Drei Boquiren, Jeck Cogama, Victor Louie Villanueva and Ann Shy.

To raise funds for the islanders, IFCP will screen all the films at Robinson’s Galleria Cinemas next month, and then compile them in DVD format for sale and distribution.

Prior to that, Jimenez said, four-minute versions of each movie will be aired on ABC 5’s current affairs program, “Shorts,” this month.

(Click Shorts, Sept. 9, 2006.)

NDCC report Sept. 8, 2006

Click below for details on field reports on the oil spill, as culled from updates from government agencies and Petron. Read with caution.

ndcc-media-update-090806.pdf

Cross-channel swimmers brave oil spill

Agence France-Presse

ILOILO – Less than a month after one of the worst oil spills in Philippine history, swimmers braved the water for an annual cross-channel race on Saturday.

The 27 hardy competitors numbered far below the hundred or more who normally take part in the swim between the island of Guimaras and the city of Iloilo.

Most of those who pulled out cited the August 11 sinking of the M/T Solar I off Guimaras, which resulted in the spilling of at least 50,000 gallons of oil, polluting fishing grounds, mangroves, corals and marine reserves.

John Paul Pia, spokesman of Manila Broadcasting Corporation, which sponsors the Open Cross-Channel Swim, said they were determined to hold the event to demonstrate that much of the area was unpolluted.

Mark Cabasac, 17, who finished the 1.7 nautical mile (3.1 kilometer) course first, said he saw no oil in the water during the race.

Although only a few swimmers took part, hundreds of people were on hand to cheer them to the finish line at the Iloilo City wharf.

The Solar I sits in 640 meters (2,100 feet) of water, beyond the reach of human divers, and experts fear the remaining 450,000 gallons of oil still inside may leak out.

From INQ7.net, Sept. 9, 2006.)

Petron: No turning back on Guimaras aid; Nick’s nephew asks colleagues for aid

By JUM BALEA

PETRON Corporation said Saturday the company will not renege on its commitment to clean up Guimaras and provide help to residents affected by the oil spill from the sunken M/T Solar 1.

” ‘Yung assistance namin walang deadline (Our assistance has no deadline),” Petron spokeswoman Virginia Ruivivar said at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo news forum in Quezon City.

Her statement came following complaints that Petron has neglected to clear oil waste collected from the island’s shores.

Ruivivar said rainy weather has hampered clean-up operations.

She added that Petron remains true to its mission of cleaning up the island and restoring its beauty and the livelihood of residents. The island is a fishing community.

Petron has been funding a cash-for-work program in the villages of Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo, Sibunag and Jordan after the tanker sank on August 11. Petron had chartered the tanker to haul bunker oil to Mindanao.

Ruivivar said about 1,600 people are under the program supervised by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Each resident earns P300 for eight hours of gathering sludge from the shoreline.

She said the program will continue until residents can return to their normal sources of livelihood. She added that a cleanup of mangrove plantations and the replanting of seedlings has been set for the second phase of the cleanup.

In Alabel, Sarangani, Governor Miguel Dominguez has certified urgent his request to the Provincial Board (PB) to appropriate P100,000 for Guimaras province.

“Helping the affected constituents of the island is paramount and pressing consideration, as time is of the essence,” said Dominguez in his letter to the SP Wednesday.

“(Sarangani) province feels compassion for the victims hence would like to extend financial assistance,” the governor said.

Dominguez pointed out that Sarangani’s calamity fund was “still sufficient to answer our needs should there be untoward incidents in the future.”

Members of the PB would most likely adopt a resolution in their regular session and pass it unanimously, said Provincial Board member Benedicto Ruiz.

(For the full stories, click ABS-CBN News and Sunstar, Sept. 9, 2006.)

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I’VE met Gov. Migs. All I can say is he’s cute and a nice guy. Probably his heart is in the right place. But best way he can help Guimaras right now is to tell his Uncle Nick (Alcantara, Petron chairman; Migs’ parents are Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Paul Dominguez and Rosie Alcantara) to stop trying to bribe the media just to contain news coverage on the issue.

The supposed P80 million PR budget Petron has allocated to try to get Iloilo reporters to tone down their stories and have newsdesks in Manila kill the adverse stories on Petron, can be put to better use by salvaging the still-leaking Solar I tanker and getting it out of the Guimaras Strait pronto!

Gov’t to check health of cleanup workers

By Lory Ann B. Bilbao

ILOILO CITY–The Department of Health (DOH)-Center for Health Development (CHD) in the region is checking on the health condition of 2,749 cleanup and oil containment workers in Guimaras Island.

In the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) report, the DOH here expressed concern over the health safety of cleanup workers as they are the most exposed to oil spill by air and physical contact.

It has recommended that a medical examination of the workers before and after oil spill cleanup will be done.

It was reported that most of the patients who have sought for medical consultations in Provincial Health Office and DOH mobile clinics were cleanup workers.

The DOH also deemed it necessary to completely decontaminate Personal Protective Equipment(PPE)/clothing and contaminated skin in the worksite in a specific area and collect and dispose washings in an environmentally appropriate manner-appropriate PPEs (gloves-neoprene/nitrile, chemical resistant boots, chemical cartridge respirators, coveralls with long pants and goggles).

Air pollutants like hydrogen sulfide were already detected in mostly affected areas in Nueva Valencia like La Paz.

Meanwhile, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya said government assistance to the different towns of Guimaras affected by the oil slick will not stop as long as it is needed, even after the Cash for Work Project would no longer be in effect.

Andaya was responding to the many unarticulated questions of the residents of Nueva Valencia and the other barangays affected.

Barangay Salvacion Chairperson Nelfa Gaurana said as long as the jobless fisher folks are engaged in Cash for Work program of Petron and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the effects of the oil spill on their livelihood cannot be intensely felt, but when the project ends, the people will surely feel the pinch of poverty.

About 40 percent of the more than 2,000 population of Barangay Salvacion, the first venue of the National Disaster Coordinating Council Meeting presided by President Arroyo in the island, are dependent on marine resources for their survival.

(For the full stories, click Sunstar, Sept. 9, 2006.)

Guimaras residents hit sluggish cleanup

SOME residents in Guimaras are complaining of the slow progress of Petron Corporation’s clean-up in areas affected by the oil spill, ANC reported Saturday.

“Dapat isaalang-alang nila ‘yung kalusugan at dapat bilisan nila ito (They should think about the welfare of residents. They should expedite the cleanup),” Councilor Emilio Esmeralda of Nueva Valencia town said.

Officials in Barangay Tando, meanwhile, said oil sludge has seeped under Guimaras’ shores because of the high tide.

Barangay official Jeofrey Gandecilla said they have asked Petron to remove the oil debris but the firm has yet to act on their appeal.

The oil spill has affected not only Guimaras but also islands nearby. The spill took place August 11 after the M/T Solar 1 tanker sank off the island while sailing for Mindanao with about two million liters of bunker oil from Petron’s refinery in Bataan. The tanker was bound for Zamboanga City when it sank.

President Arroyo declared the oil spill a national calamity after it destroyed marine ecosystems and the livelihood of fishermen in Guimaras. At least two deaths have been attributed to the oil spill.

A Special Board of Marine Inquiry, meanwhile, has found that that the tanker’s captain used an expired license for the trip. The inquiry is ongoing.

(From ABS-CBN News, Sept. 9, 2006.)

Petron’s P80M PR budget

What insurance money?

SO our sources were right. There is indeed trouble between the insurers and the owners of the sunken Solar I, the fuel-carrying tanker now resting at the bottom of the sea, and leaking its content in a slick that could create havoc to marine life for decades, or more. When the Petron official was so glibly assuring local governments and affected residents that they would be compensated for their losses from insurance money, many suspected he had his tongue in his cheek.

***

Then yesterday’s news came out that one insurance company does not feel it has any liability because the owners of the tanker had not paid the premiums for their coverage. As any private individual knows, nobody can get continued coverage unless one pays the premium on the policy issued. Now there is talk about the tanker owners threatening to sue the insurance company. Maybe they can get the insurers to pay, eventually. In the meantime, what about those promises to the victims of the spill?

***

So far, two insurance firms have hinted that they are rejecting the claims of the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp., owners of Solar I. These are Stronghold Insurance Co. Inc., and the Shipowners Mutual Protection Indemnity Association that has claimed the SMDC has violated their rules. Another one in Luxemburg complained about the qualifications of the ship captain of the Solar I. Did the Petron spokesman who came to give those wonderful assurances here know about these beforehand?

***

But what about those media whispers that Petron has set aside a budget of some P80 million for P.R. outfits to do damage control and for compliant media people to write only about the upbeat and the beautiful? A local editor said that, if true, they would do better by giving that money to the victims in Guimaras, or use it to remove Solar I from the Visayan sea. The deadly coating that the oil slick left over the shores of Guimaras cannot be removed by sugar-coated words only.

(For the rest of the piece, Vis. Daily Star, Sept. 8, 2006).

Greenpeace, mediamen question ‘gag order’

THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina
The Philippine Star 09/09/2006

WESTERN Visayas presidential assistant Rafael Coscolluela stressed that the restriction of the National Disaster Coordinating Center on anybody, notably the Philippine Coast Guard, from releasing any statement to the press, was no gag order.

He said it was only intended to obviate the possibility of misinterpreting and misunderstanding events reported.

Mediamen, on the other hand, were free to ask anybody about what was happening and to interview any official on the ground. Otherwise, all official releases had to be cleared with Manila, in the case of the Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Arthur Cosigan, who is in Manila, he said.

The two most avidly sought PCG officers on the ground immediately became no longer available to comment on what was happening on the ground.

By Thursday, Greenpeace fired the initial salvo. It seems that the international volunteers could hardly get anything from anybody of importance on the progress of the cleanup. Militants also joined in later with questions about Petron’s participation in the cleanup and the expenses of the various ongoing projects.

But there was a breakthrough. ABS-CBN managed to spot a kilometer of oil sheen coming out from the area where Solar I had earlier been pinpointed by Shinsei Maru to have sunk. In short, the oil sheen, which is not thick enough to pose a danger to the environment as much as the oil slick, still had to be controlled. And PCG ships were around ready with dispersants.

Jose Campos, vice president for marketing of Petron, earlier told mediamen in Bacolod City that the Coast Guard’s boats and ships as well as Petron’s hired boats had encircled the area.

And he adverted to the dramatic underwater photos of the tightening of the valve of one of the compartments.

But there was a problem. He did not give a timeframe for the retrieval or whatever solutions which the Shinsei Maru and its crew would recommend.

That drew from Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon an exasperating statement that no assurances had been given as to when the remaining bunker fuel on Solar I will be removed off the coast of Guimaras.

Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava also weighed in with his observation that there is a need to fast-track the removal of the bunker fuel and the oil-contaminated debris from Guimaras.

Nava pointed out that it is already one month after the oil spill, and the remains of the sunken tanker continue to pose a threat to the health of the people and environment.

This was exactly the same point raised by Marañon. We shall remain in suspense so long as no action is taken to neutralize the remaining bunker fuel.

There were points raised by some observers that the corrosive action of seawater on the steel walls separating the compartments. How long will they last?

The situation was further roiled yesterday when militant youth groups in Iloilo condemned the order of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to mobilize ROTC students in helping clean up the oil sludge in Guimaras.

Both the League of Filipino Students and the Anakbayan pointed out that the order risks the health and safety of students who will be exposed to toxic chemicals in the areas affected by the oil spill.

In effect, that reposes the cleanup task of the contaminated areas from the spillers to the students, it was pointed out. Petron, through Jose Campos, vice president for marketing, earlier told Negros mediamen that it is now paying P300 per day some 1,600 displaced fisherfolk of Guimaras and two Iloilo towns in the cleanup of affected areas.

The Media Ecological Movement pointed out that the people and not Petron and the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp., operator of Solar I, are now bearing the brunt of the oil spill.

MEM spokesman Ma. Geobelyn Lopez pointed out that the snail-paced response of the national government in immediately addressing the problem makes the people suffer the consequences of the oil spill.

But there was also the good news. The oil sheen spotted Thursday heading toward the direction of Silay City and Talisay City reportedly veered off toward Concepcion in Iloilo province.

Silay City Mayor Carlo Gamban reported that the Coast Guard vessel, which rushed to the area, said the sheen, thicker than usual, had already moved out from where it was originally spotted toward Iloilo.

Yesterday, workers started transferring sackloads of oil debris from several trucks on board a local barge docked off Nueva Valencia. The retrieved debris will reportedly be transported to the Holcim cement plant in Lanao del Norte. The firm will reportedly use the oil for its operational needs.

That’s the last word about the Guimaras oil spill. We may have to settle for the long wait as to how the problem on the sunken tanker and its more than a million liters of bunker fuel will be addressed. Meanwhile, as pointed out by both Gov. Marañon and Nava, it remains at the bottom of the sea like a ticking time bomb.

(For the rest of the piece, click Rolly, Sept. 9, 2006.)

Guimaras oil spill: One month later

IN MY PACK By Ruth G. Mercado
The Freeman 09/09/2006

EXACTLY one month today, the MT Solar I left the Port of Bataan bound for the Port of Zamboanga in clear weather carrying two million liters of bunker fuel. That ship never reached Zamboanga when it sank off the coasts of Guimaras less than 24 hours after it left port.

Less than 48 hours after the sinking, multi-million-peso worth of marine sanctuaries and beach resorts in Guimaras were wiped out with black, ugly, toxic oil. Less than 72 hours after the tragedy, mangroves, marine life and livelihood were extinguished to oblivion. Less than 96 hours later, children and a hapless population were either sick or dying with toxic fuel fumes. In less than a week, the once beautiful Guimaras that had been known as a peaceful beach getaway had now taken a new destination image – Guimaras: Destination Oil Spill.

Exactly one month tomorrow, I sent frantic text messages to Coast Guard officers in Cebu about the sinking of MT Solar I in Guimaras only to be told that they were out on a weekend. Co-editors in the newsroom can attest at how emotional I was because no one in the Cebu command was remotely aware that a horrific disaster was taking place. I am repulsed by the tragedy. More than that, I am heavyhearted, disgusted, betrayed that as a responsible citizen and taxpayer of this country, the Coast Guard here to whom my taxes pay their salaries, never gave thought as I pleaded for help purportedly because it was not “their area of responsibility.”

Less than one week after the tragedy, the Coast Guard’s special board of marine inquiry was convened in Manila. In less than two weeks, Petron apologized and took responsibility of the tragedy after being pressed upon. Less than three weeks after the tragedy, six task forces sprouted creating a maelstrom out of the already stormy disaster.

It is now four weeks since the spill and only then did President Arroyo push for Congress to draft and pass an oil spill prevention law. Only four weeks later has the National Disaster and Coordinating Council streamlined task designation in the overall scheme of oil spill containment and rehabilitation now that the spill damaged 220 kilometers of coastline, 450 hectares of mangroves, 1,144 hectares of marine reserves and 116 hectares of seaweed plantations. Only after four weeks did the president order the justice department a no-whitewash investigation into the oil spill that will ensure an “airtight case.”

But even before the case could be brought to proper courts of law for prosecution, when justice department undersecretary Ernesto Pineda immediately pinned the blame on MT Solar I Captain Norberto Aguro for having sailed without the proper documents and in rough weather. Pineda said this without any statement from the weather bureau if typhoon signal advisories were issued between Aug. 9 to 11 or the period since the ship was cleared to depart to the time of the sinking. He also cleared Petron of criminal liability, a statement that may be premature considering the investigation has not yet been concluded.

There is a degree of impropriety and awkwardness that while the Coast Guard is holding its own investigation under the auspices of the Board of Marine Inquiry, this same agency becomes the subject of investigation under the auspices of the Palace-designated Task Force Guimaras of the justice department. If the president truly wants an airtight case, the board of marine inquiry must be dissolved first leaving only one investigating body.

If only to distinguish the trees from the forest and the forest from the jungle, the president must make a decision on what she wants to do with the Coast Guard while the Coast Guard Bill is now pending in Congress. And yes perhaps direct the justice department to refrain from issuing premature verdicts and for the media covering the Guimaras spill to be circumspect about technicalities and merits of the case. This tragedy is far from over.

(Click Freeman, Sept. 9, 2006.)

‘Undermanned’ Marina admits inspecting ships difficult

By Tetch Torres

THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) says a lack of manpower is making it difficult for the agency to comply with its mandate of ensuring the seaworthiness of ships.

Appearing before the Department of Justice (DoJ) special fact finding investigation on the Visayas oil spill on Friday, Marina Administrator Vicente Suazo Jr. admitted they still rely heavily on the Philippine Coast Guard and other agencies to check the safety of seafaring vessels.

Republic Act 9295 or “An Act Promoting the Development of Philippine Domestic Shipping, Shipbuilding, and Shiprepair and Ship Breaking, Ordaining Reforms in Government Policies Towards Shipping in the Philippines,” gives the Marina the authority to implement maritime laws.

But Suazo said that “because of the many ships to be inspected, we cannot conduct actual inspections (so) that most of the time we rely on the documents submitted by the ship owners like in the case of Solar I,” the tanker whose August 11 sinking caused one of the worst oil spills in the country’s history.

Suazo also informed the DoJ task force, headed by undersecretary Ernesto Pineda, that the Solar I was once Panamanian-registered and known as “Chimaru-8″ and later “New Henase.”

It was later registered in the Philippines under the name “Solar I.”

Suazo said this is allowed under the Bare Boat Chartered Law.

The Japanese incorporators of Sunshine Maritime Development Corp (SMDC), which own the tanker, failed to appear before the DoJ panel.

(From INQ7.net, Sept. 8, 2006.)

Publishers’ group head calls for info drive; NFA donates rice sacks

By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI) President Juan Dayang is rallying for a massive information campaign nationwide to educate the public on the ill-effects of exposure to bunker fuel oil spill.

This he stressed in the wake of the growing number of coastal villagers in Guimaras Island getting sick due to exposure to the spilled oil blanketing their beaches, mangrove areas, and fishing grounds.

The ill-fated M/T Solar I of Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation sank in the Guimaras Strait last August 11. The tanker, chartered by oil refiner Petron Corp., was carrying two million liters of bunker oil.

About 250,000 liters of oil had spilled to the Strait, threatening the pristine beaches, mangroves, swamps and livelihood of thousands of villagers in the area.

“A massive information campaign should be undertaken not only in Guimaras but also in nearby areas that might be threatened by the oil spill. It is very obvious that we don’t have an emergency response plan when it comes to oil spills. Hence, people in the coastal areas affected by the oil spill don’t know what to do and got unnecessarily exposed to the harmful substance,” Dayang said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited the island of Guimaras three times after the oil spill – the worst in the history of the country.

Dayang, a native of Aklan, said more than 700 coastal villagers in the island are suffering from various ailments or symptoms related to the bunker fuel oil.

Meanwhile, the National Food Authority VI (NFA VI) donated 74,414 pieces of unserviceable empty sacks to the provincial government of Guimaras to be used as booms to protect the coastline of the province from the oil spill on its shores.

NFA VI director Javier Lozada said 57,995 pieces were donated to the local government of Guimaras through Governor J.C. Rahman Nava while another 17,419 pieces were donated to the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority based in Iloilo.

Lozada said the empty sacks can be used as containers for the recovered bunker oil residues and as receptacle for hays, chicken feathers and even human hair which are being used to absorb the oil slick.

In his report to NFA administrator Gregorio Y. Tan, Jr., Lozada also noted that 2,071 bags of rice were released for the relief assistance of the local government, private relief institutions and local representatives to assist the residents affected by the oil spill.

Rice withdrawals for relief operations were either paid in cash or covered by a memorandum of agreement (MOA), he said. Lozada assured that NFA VI has sufficient rice stocks to address a possible upsurge in demand for the staple especially in Guimaras which is the most affected by the oil spill.

Since Region VI is also of the major palay producing areas in the country, Lozada said they are already preparing the logistics to actively buy palay for the main crop.

“The coming procurement which will start in three weeks time will surely beef up the region’s present inventory of rice,” said Lozada.

For more information on the NFA’s oil spill clean-up assistance in Guimaras, the public may send their inquiries via Text NFA Program with mobile number 0917-6210927.

(For more Guimaras oil spill stories, click Panay News, Sept. 9, 2006.)

‘Slowpoke’ implementation of P2B for oil spill irks Escudero

By GEROME DALIPE IV

ILOILO City – House minority leader Rep. Francisco Escudero expressed disappointment on the slow-moving implementation of the P2-billion supplemental budget allocated for the affected people of Guimaras and for the rehabilitation of the ravaged areas.

Escudero visited Guimaras on Thursday to asses the situation of the affected families. He was seen along with his friend, Presidential Spokesperson Michael Defensor, distributing relief goods to the affected persons in the most-hit town of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.

Ecudero said the House minority block submitted on August 23 a proposal to re-allocate the supplemental budget which is being deliberated in the Congress.

Ecudero said the Minority bloc believes the disaster has brought a greater challenge to Petron Corp. and the Philippine Coast Guard.

“These two are talking big for our people to grasp at the moment, especially those who are emotionally and physically damaged by the environment,” stressed Escudero.

Some 200,000 liters of bunker fuel was spilled into the Guimaras Strait when M/T Solar I sank last August 11 due to bad weather.

Petron chartered Solar I to transport its bunker fuel from Bataan province to Zamboanga. The resulting slick has damaged fishing grounds, beaches, marine reserves, and mangroves in Guimaras and portions of Iloilo City and province.

In Iloilo, 5th District Rep. Rolex Suplico shared the same view with Escudero.

“We need to communicate to those who are directly hit by this, in simple words, tell them that their government and the whole nation condole with them,” said Suplico, the House minority deputy floor leader.

On the other hand, Guimaras Rep. Edgar Espinosa reiterated his appeal for help.

“We have manifested to our citizens that extra efforts are in order so that significant and tangible steps are seen, heard and felt by our people for them to find strength in the face of this recent crisis,” Espinosa.

Also, Deputy minority leader and Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez said the minority bloc will “closely monitor the investigation regarding catastrophe and will put necessary pressure to expedite results” to punish those liable of oil spill.

Aware of the devastating effect of oil spill to both human and marine life, Iloilo’s 1st District Rep. Janette Garin has also her own way of helping.

To enable coastal towns, such as Guimbal, to be prepared and to mitigate the effects of the oil spill in Iloilo Province, Garin has initiated an oil spill orientation and came out with an oil spill advisory last August 26, 2006 at the Guimbal Gymnasium.

Garin said the orientation seeks to inform the public about the causes of oil spill, its detrimental effects on health and environment, and measures that could prevent further contamination.

Jerry Bionat, chief of the Provincial Disaster Coordinator and Dr. Rex Baleña, Ocean Scientist from the University of the Philippines were the resource speakers.

The municipality of Guimbal is the first municipality in the province of Iloilo to conduct an oil spill orientation.

(From Panay News, Sept. 9, 2006.)