Youngblood : Interconnected

By Rosanna Naig*
Inquirer
Sept. 22, 2006

I AM no superhero. If I were one, we would be living in a totally different world.

I wrote my first essay on environmental awareness more than a decade ago, when I was in Grade 6. I won 500 pesos for my piece. It was about dreaming of a world where there was no pollution, no diseases, no poverty, no corruption, no disasters, a world where Mother Earth was the No. 1 priority, not politics, not money, not even our own interests. It was how an 11-year-old girl conceived a beautiful Earth made real by our efforts to take good care of what nature gave to us.

I am not writing this piece to win another competition. I don’t even expect everyone to spare the few minutes it takes to finish reading it. I just want to bring back the little voice of the 11-year-old girl who believed that all of us are responsible for what happens to the world we live in.

My heart goes out to the children of Guimaras and nearby islands of Western Visayas. They might never see how splendid their beaches once were. They might never get to enjoy the rich marine life that their seas once offered. They might never even get to fulfill their dreams because their parents’ source of livelihood has been damaged by a green grime of oil.

I grew up loving the sea and the beaches of Antique. My father, a teacher and part-time farmer and fisherman, went out of his way to let us experience nature’s wonders and bounty. Sometimes he would wake us up at 5 in the morning to go fishing. This meant rowing the boat out to sea, casting the net and pulling it up after an hour. My siblings and I enjoyed the fresh smell of the sea, while watching the sun rising. I can say that those are the few things from my childhood that can’t be purchased with money.

Greenpeace has called the worst oil spill in our country a “ticking time bomb.” There is so little time to contain the damage. It will take years to clean up the mess and even then Guimaras will not be the same heaven that it was before. The oil slick is spreading over the clear and rich waters surrounding the island, ruining the mangroves and the marine wildlife for which it is quite well known. Gone are some of the beautiful, white beaches that the place once offered as a come-on to tourists. Gone are the days when children can have fun day after day on its beaches. They can’t even go swimming anymore. Gone are the fishing grounds and many will be going hungry for months or even years to come.

Greenpeace’s website has a story about a boy in Grade 6 who wishes that the oil will go away so that he can catch fish and swim in the sea again. I have read about a father who wonders where he will go and what he will do to bring food to his family now that he cannot go fishing. I have seen pictures of whole beaches and mangrove forests covered by oil. Those trees were planted by the people and now all their efforts have gone for naught. Some of them have been afflicted by allergies. A handful are said to have died from breathing noxious fumes from the oil spill. Reading or hearing the news from the place is so depressing.

It has been reported that millions of pesos are needed to suck all the oil left in the sunken tanker and many millions more to clean up the mess. Petron blames the shipping company for the accident. Lawmakers asked President Macapagal-Arroyo to declare a state of calamity. The Philippine Coast Guard at one time declared that the tanker had sprung a new leak, a claim Petron denied.

It is as if no one knows what is going on and no one is in charge. Before we know it, the oil slick will have spread to nearby provinces, causing greater damage to the ecosystem.

This is not the time for pointing fingers. This is the time to get our act together to solve the problem. We can ask all the “whys” we can think of without figuring out how we can solve the crisis. Guimaras will never be the same again. We can’t bring back its wonders, but we should try to restore whatever we can.

My father may not go fishing anymore, seeing that our town is quite close to Guimaras. I may not taste the fresh catch from the Visayan Sea again. But I can continue to dream of a place where people understand how lives are interconnected and how we should be responsible for each other and for what God has given us.

* Rosanna Naig, 22, is a BA Broadcast Communication graduate of the University of the Philippines-Visayas.

NOAA* RESPONDS TO INTERNATIONAL OIL SPILLS

Spills in Lebanon and Philippines Place Natural Resources at Risk

THE NOAA Office of Response and Restoration is working with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Coast Guard to respond to recent international oil spill emergencies in Lebanon and the Philippines. NOAA’s Scientific Support Coordinators are at the forefront of emergency response efforts providing scientific support and comprehensive solutions to hazardous material releases in the marine environment.
A view of oil spill in Panay Gulf, located off the west coast of the central Philippines, photo courtesy NOAA

As the result of an Israeli missile attack on a power plant located on the Mediterranean coast, at least 4.6 million gallons of fuel oil were released into the surrounding coastal waters less than 20 miles south of Beirut, Lebanon. NOAA immediately responded with spill trajectory analyses, seasonal wind statistics, information on the behavior of submerged oil and general information on natural resources potentially at risk from the oil. This information is assisting the United Nations Environmental Program, European oil spill response community, Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Center for the Mediterranean Sea, and local Lebanese officials, in developing a cleanup strategy, including ways to address the impacts the oil will have on the region.

In a separate accident in the Philippines, the vessel M/T Solar I, spilled more than 100,000 gallons of fuel [bunker] oil and sank in nearly 2,300 feet of water in the Panay Gulf, located off the west coast of the central Philippines near Nueva Valencia. An additional 450,000 gallons of fuel remain in the vessel risking continued leaching into the Panay Gulf potentially threatening marine life and affecting the coasts of the Panay and Iloilos islands, including sensitive mangrove, seagrass beds and coral reef habitats.

Aerial image of oil spill in Panay Gulf courtesy NOAA.

The State Department forwarded a request for assistance to USCG, which deployed a small contingent from the Pacific Strike Force to evaluate cleanup potential and requirements for spill response. NOAA’s Scientific Support Coordinator for the Northwest and Pacific region joined the USCG Strike Team on August 18 to assist with response. The team conducted observation flights and shoreline surveys to identify oiling locations and develop response cleanup strategies for an area that is underdeveloped with terrain that makes over-ground travel extremely difficult. The U.S. team is working with the Philippine Coast Guard, the oil company, Petron, and their contractors to improve response effectiveness and efficiency.

Currently, the rate of oil released from the vessel continues to decrease. NOAA is actively engaged in discussions to address shoreline cleanup and long-term remediation of oiled mangrove forest habitat.

Ship responds to oil spill in Panay Gulf. Photo courtesy NOAA

There are currently 10 regional Scientific Support Coordinators within the NOAA Office of Response Restoration who organize NOAA resources in support of response efforts, and work with scientists from other public agencies, academia and the private sector to support operations when an oil or chemical spill occurs. Their capabilities include contingency planning; surface/subsurface trajectory forecasting and hindcasting; and resource risk analysis.

The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration supports oil and chemical spill response operations with the scientific recommendations required to reduce both the environmental harm and economic cost of emergencies. The office responds to more than 100 coastal emergencies each year.

In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America’s scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2 lawmakers urge Petron to stop oil leak from Solar I

• Drinking water tainted
By Jess Diaz
The Philippine Star 09/23/2006

TWO members of the House energy committee urged Petron Corp. and Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. to immediately take steps to stop the oil leak from the sunken oil tanker MT Solar I.

Representatives Eduardo Veloso of Leyte and Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado made the appeal in the wake of the revelation of presidential coordinator for Western Visayas Rafael Cosculluela, who is also overall coordinator for “Ligtas Guimaras,” that oil continues to flow from the sunken vessel at a rate of at least 120 liters a day.

“The leak should be stopped once and for all; otherwise the cleanup drive will be useless. We are wasting our time, effort and money on this. While plugging the leak is possible, it seems those concerned are too slow to decide on this,” the two said.

They said the responsibility of Petron and Sunshine, owner of the tanker, does not end with locating the vessel and providing P300 per day for every resident involved in the cleanup.

“The immediate concern now is to stop the leak and protect the environment and the population,” they said.

They added that it should not take a report or a reminder from officials for Petron and Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. to move since it is these entities that should take the initiative.

“The lingering threat to people’s lives and the environment brought about by the oil spill and unabated oil leak should compel these two companies to find ways to hasten siphoning of the remaining oil and stop the leakage. We cannot just sit and wait until all the remaining oil had leaked out. That would mean slow death for the marine resources and livelihood in Guimaras,” they stressed.

The two congressmen pointed out that Petron and Sunshine are lucky since had a similar spill happened in other countries, the culprits would be facing damage suits that could cost them billions.

The country’s laws on oil contamination and pollution are not strict and those polluting the environment get away with their crime easily, they noted.

On Friday, Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas urged the Senate to pass a tough anti-oil pollution bill that could deter oil companies and transport companies from destroying the environment.

Gullas said the House passed Bill 4363, or the proposed Oil Pollution Compensation Act, on Nov. 14, 2005 and transmitted it to the Senate that same month.

It has since been awaiting the senators’ action, he said.

The measure, principally authored by Bataan Rep. Antonino Roman, seeks to incorporate as part of Philippine law the provisions of the 1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and the 1992 International Convention on the Establishment of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF).

Under the bill, owners of ships that “cause pollution damage or create a grave and imminent threat of causing such damage” would be liable for expenses incurred in cleanup operations at sea or on shore, costs for preventive measures, loss of earnings suffered by owners or users of contaminated areas, damage to human health or loss of life, and environmental damage and cost of rehabilitation and restoration.

Gullas said Petron is a contributor to the IOPCF and has announced that the fund would make available some $315 million to cover clean-up costs, spoiled property and consequential losses as a result of the Guimaras oil spill.

Oil contamination

Meanwhile, in Iloilo City, health authorities have warned against the intake of water sourced from wells near the coastline after a laboratory exam showed that water and soil samples from three barangays in Guimaras were positive for oil contamination.

Department of Health regional office OIC Dr. Edgardo Gonzaga said yesterday the results of a laboratory examination conducted last Sept. 4-6 showed “really high” levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in samples taken from Barangays Tando, Cabalagnan and Lapaz, all in Nueva Valencia town, considered the municipality hardest hit by the oil spill.

Gonzaga advised residents against consuming contaminated water. “They should not get their water from the wells where the samples were taken,” he said.

The DOH plans to conduct another round of tests to see if there have been changes in the level of toxic elements in these areas, he said.

Over the week, the DOH conducted 921 consultations in Guimaras, with respiratory illnesses accounting for 68 percent. Gastrointestinal illnesses, skin and eye irritations account for the rest.

The DOH central office will be sending over replacement cartridges for the half-face masks used by coastal cleaners. The masks protect cleaners against the inhalation of toxic fumes coming from bunker oil. — With Ronilo Pamonag

Biophysical aspects of the Solar I oil spill off Guimaras: A statement

The Philippine Star 09/23/2006

THE August 11, 2006 oil spill off Guimaras was such a disaster that it generated unprecedented response, including rapid response from local governments and communities, national government agencies, NGOs and other sectors. However it is a complex problem such that the response should be science-based and properly coordinated.

The oil spill has increased public awareness of oil spills but has also led to many misconceptions. An example of the latter is that the use of dispersants in shallow water habitats and on the organisms themselves is good. There were also contradicting statements issued by certain sectors.

Expertise is available but this needs to be harnessed and coordinated. More than a month after the oil spill, the question remains: Are there sufficient resources for response and mitigation?

Given this situation, we the undersigned:

• Recommend an objective analysis of the technical aspects of the oil spill, its impacts and the response (i.e., the science of an oil spill), so that we may learn from it and minimize impacts of future spills.

• Such analysis will evaluate actual Guimaras events against the established first line of action in preventing arrival of the oil along the shoreline by means of containment and removal while at sea; and failing that, regulated application of acceptable dispersants within hours of the spill event. The decision to use dispersants should be done collectively with proper consultation.

• We strongly recommend that the use of dispersants in shallow water habitats such as mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral communities should be avoided given that bunker fuel is not amenable to treatment with dispersants, the toxic effects of dispersants, and their contribution to spreading the impacts over a wider area.

• In these shoreline habitats, the recommended line of action is mechanical or manual removal (following biosafety protocols) followed by bioremediation, in that order. The application of bioremediating agents should follow assessment protocols under the supervision of DOST, DENR and UP Visayas. Application of approved bioremediation could entail simple addition of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in appropriate doses at appropriate times, as in the successful case studies of the 1978 Amoco Cadiz and 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spills.

• We recommend that a national protocol for responding to spills be formulated with clear responsibilities, accountability, and transparency of the agencies identified.

• We support the designation of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas as the coordinating institution for research.

• We also urge the authorities to remove the remaining oil in the sunken vessel as soon as possible given the likely complications that will occur with the impending shift in the monsoon winds. Note that the option of pumping out of oil is associated with many risks.

• All this must be done with renewed sense of urgency given the likelihood that additional delay until the Northeast monsoon season will further spread the oil to the south and west of Guimaras Strait – to similarly critical areas unaffected so far. This will exacerbate the situation with regards to the environment, and consequently livelihood and human health.

*Signed by the Participants of the Scientific Meeting on the Biophysical Aspects of the Solar I-Oil Spill off Guimaras, this 15th day of September 2006 at the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, Tigbauan, Iloilo

Mangroves

By Angel Alcala
Malaya

MANGROVE forests, mangrove ecosystems, or simply mangroves have been in the limelight since August 13, 2006 two days after the MV Solar I carrying 2.1 million liters of bunker oil sank at a depth of 640 meters in the Panay Gulf some 24 kilometers southwest of the island of Guimaras. Why did the press focus on mangroves? The obvious reason is that, aside from sand beaches, the mangroves appeared to be the living resources on Guimaras showing unmistakable impacts of the oil spill. The evidence was clear: bunker oil was observed coating the trunks, roots and leaves of mangrove trees and contaminating water and sediments of mangrove swamps.

If this is so, why is there so much concern on the part of scientists and the public about these effects on the more than a thousand hectares of mangrove ecosystem of Guimaras Island?

Original mangrove ecosystems, which at this time constitute less than 100,000 hectares out of the estimated 500,000 hectares at the turn of the 20th century, are found mainly on Palawan Island and the Sulu Archipelago and in southeastern and southern Mindanao, rank among the most productive natural ecosystems. Mangroves, together with seagrass beds and coral reefs with which they are associated, produce no less than 30 percent of the total capture fisheries of the Philippines, 70 percent being the contribution of pelagic species such as tuna. Many species of marine organisms used as food are jointly produced by mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs; these species move among these marine habitats, and for many of them, it is difficult to label as strictly mangrove or strictly coral reef. (Note that I am not talking about aquaculture.). Anybody can see that mangroves are very important sources of marine species exploited for food by coastal communities that make up at least 60 percent of the Filipinos.

To appreciate the foregoing statement, let me give you comparative figures on fish standing stock in the Philippines. We were able to survey fish standing stock in the strictly coral reef habitats of the Spratlys in the south China Seas and to compare this with the standing stock in the Central Visayas, where there are mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs adjacent to each other. We found that the Central Visayas fish standing stocks were about two to three times as great as the standing stocks in the purely reef environment of the Spratlys. However, we also found that standing stock of fish in the Tubbataha reefs very high and in some cases surpassing those in the recovering reefs in the Central Visayas, adding some unknown factors to consider.

However, if only the South China reef (which has some degree of protection by the Armed Forces stationed there) and the Central Visayas protected reefs are compared, there is a difference that can be attributed to the fact that the Central Visayas have abundant mangroves and seagrasses but the Spratlys have no mangroves and very scanty seagrasses. The presence of mangroves would tend to explain the higher fish productivity of Central Visayas protected areas.

(Click Mangroves, Sept. 23, 2006, for the entire piece.)

Guimaras plans alternative livelihood

• P3M-P5M in lost income daily

By Hazel P. Villa
Inquirer

ILOILO CITY—The provincial government of Guimaras is finalizing plans outlining alternative livelihood projects for residents affected by the Aug. 11 Petron oil spill and who are dependent on the sea and its related environs for their livelihood.

The Provincial Economic Development Office said the plan for alternative livelihood projects is in its final assessment stage and will most likely be released this week.

“Generally, the plan focuses on inland livelihood and starts with food-for-work and food security programs,” said Ruben Corpuz, provincial economic development officer.

Roughly the size of Singapore at 60,465 hectares, Guimaras, with its five towns, is also known as the “Mango Capital of the Philippines.”

It has a population of 152,000 with 80,836 people living in coastal areas.

The provincial fisheries profile says Guimaras has 517 aquaculturists, 5,580 municipal fishermen, 538 commercial fish workers and 316 fish processors.

(For the full story, click Alternative jobs, Sept. 23, 2006.)