Helping hands…list of donors to Project Sunrise

IN the interest of transparency, Project Sunrise which was set up by the provincial government of Guimaras to deal with relief and rehabilitation efforts pertaining to the oil spill, has listed the names and contributions of donors to its trust fund.

According to Project Sunrise, the list only includes those who have actually deposited or turned over checks and assistance to the government/trust fund and does not include pledges (or what I call, “praise release aid”). So if you’re wondering why this certain senator’s P500,000 announced donation isn’t listed, well, the simple answer is, he never turned over the money!

Click project-sunrise-donors.pdf for particulars.

We are also publishing the list of donations in the form of relief goods from private individuals/entities donations-goods-092006.pdf and from the German government german-aid-to-guimaras-partial-delivery.pdf.

It must be stressed, however, that there are some donations that are not going straight to the provincial government but to the other national agencies that are involved in oil spill relief effort. Some of these are the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Disaster Coordinating Committe, etc. We will publish their donations list as soon as these are available.

We trust that Project Sunrise will also publish where the money from the trust fund will go once it is tapped and disbursed. If you’ve extended some assistance to the provincial government, and don’t see your name on the list, kindly go to their web site.

Guimaras still needs our help, people. Please deposit your donations to Land Bank of the Philippines (Guimaras branch), Account No. 1922-1000-35 (Provincial Government of Guimaras). This is the special trust fund set up by the province just for the oil spill relief and rehab activities, and will not be mixed into the province’s general fund.

Oil spill still alarming, Negros governor says

From the Visayan Daily Star, Oct. 4, 2006

BACOLOD CITY – The report of the Coast Guard that oil spill continues to occur at the site where MT Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras is alarming, Gov. Joseph Marañon said yesterday.

Marañon was reacting to a letter of regional Coast Guard commander Luis Tuason Jr. Monday that a minimal amount of oil is continuously leaking at the sink site.

The MT Solar 1 carrying 2.1 million liters of Petron bunker fuel sank on Aug 11 causing an oil spill that has, so far, hit the shores of Guimaras and Iloilo. Even if the leak is minimal, it is still alarming because it means that the bunker fuel containers on MT Solar 1 have not been completely sealed and the leak could worsen, the governor said.

He said he hopes Task Force Guimaras comes up with a solution at the soonest possible time on the sunken tanker. He reiterated his call for a timetable to be set on when the fuel will be removed to eliminate the threat of larger and more damaging oil spills.

Thanks to oil spill, Guimaras known worldwide: official

By Roberto L. Bacasong

THE worst oil spill in the Philippine history contributed in making Guimaras Province visible in the tourism map of the world, said Department of Tourism (DOT) 6 Director Edwin Trompeta.

Trompeta said Tuesday that many now know where Guimaras Island is after it was hit by the spill last month.

“In the spirit of bayanihan, tourists flocked to Guimaras in their urge to help the local officials save the marine ecosystem,” said Trompeta.

He added that foreign researchers, environmentalists, students, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo promoted the tourism industry of Guimaras.

Guimaras, the youngest and smallest of the six provinces of the Western Visayas Region, relies heavily on its tourism industry.

(For the full story, click Sunstar Bacolod, Oct. 4, 2006.)

Oil Spill Exhibit opens in Iloilo

Text and photos by Janice V. Busil
The News Today, Oct. 4, 2006

FRESH from the 15 days photo exhibit at the University of the Philippines Visayas, the Photographic Society of Iloilo (PSI) opened the “Guimaras Oil Spill” at the Lower Ground Floor of SM City Iloilo last October 2, 2006.

The photo exhibit is the first of its kind. Pictures of oil-soaked Guimaras’ mangroves, vivid images of Guimarasnons working together to save the province and pictures of living evidences of the tragic fate of the island were on display.

Embracing socially-relevant subjects, members of the PSI sailed across the Guimaras strait to document images of what is said to be the most catastrophic environmental tragedy to ever hit the country. Bona fide PSI members explored the once-bountiful shores of San Roque and Lapaz in Nueva Valencia town as they captured the real face and drama behind the most-talked about ecological destruction in history.

At the opening, the Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava was represented by his spouse Dr. Ma. Lucille Nava, who was so deeply touched with the groups’ endeavor. “I am much thankful for this [exhibit]. This could help open up the eyes of the people and could raise awareness among those who didn’t have the chance to visit the oil-stricken portions of Guimaras. Right now, we are providing relief goods and evacuation areas to around 5,400 families. We are very thankful for those who extended their help,” she said.

The photos will be exhibited at the Philippine College of Physicians on October 18-20, 2006, followed by the Western Institute of Technology.

Scenes from a rock concert

EVEN as Metro Manilans were picking up the pieces of their Milenyo-lashed lives, many still found the time to watch DINIG GUIMARAS last Sept. 30 at the Bela Bar in Mandaluyong.

Here are some of the bands which participated in the event, photos courtesy of Suzainne Marie Ombid. Check out the rest of her concert snapshots at her blog.

NATURAL HIGH

GODSPEED

SOUTHERN GRASS

MANO MANO

DRT

FLOOD

Thank you to the organizers of this gig, JOSEPH ARANETA and ROY ALBERTO, as well as to the bands who donated their time and talent to this worthy cause. (I heard Joseph and company were a bit anxious that the area still had no electricity that evening. But hey, somebody must love them up there because they got the power just a few minutes after the scheduled curtain call!)

Also a big hug and kiss to all those who watched the concert and to Bela Bar’s owners for lending the venue. You are truly a credit to this country. The Guimarasnons will forever be grateful to you. (As Isaac Mizrahi says, “Clap for them!”)

We’ll update you soon on the how much was raised from this benefit, and keep you posted on any more gigs for Guimaras.

Kids to suffer from oil spill

ILOILO CITY–Children are most likely to suffer the effects of fuel oil exposure, according to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DoH-CHD) 6.

Dr. Sofia Pulmones, DoH-CHD Human Resource head, said children have higher risks of contracting defects when exposed to fuel oil.

Speaking during the 17th Nutrition Congress here, Pulmones said children have disproportionately heavy exposures to many environmental agents than adults because of their hand-to-mouth behavior and habit to play close to the ground.

Pulmones also said that the children’s metabolic pathways, especially in fetal life and in the first months after birth, are immature. In some instances, she added, children are not able to metabolize, detoxify and excrete environmental agents that enter their bodies.

Dr. Pulmones said such is the exposure children may get in communities affected by the oil spill in Guimaras.

The bunker oil spilled that contaminated the island province is categorized as residual fuel oils or heavy fuel oils.

Pulmones revealed that acute and chronic fuel oil exposure can bring hazardous effects to health when inhaled, skin irritations and burns, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, irregularities in heart beats and in some extreme cases, coma and death.

Focusing on the impact of fuel oil, particularly acute and chronic exposures on health and nutrition, Dr. Pulmones said proper management of effects and medical surveillance and provision of vitamin supplementation and nutritional support to residents, particularly children in affected areas are measures to be undertaken.

Pulmones added that children should be protected, since they have more years of future life and thus more times to develop diseases initiated by early exposures. (PIA 6/ESS, The Guardian Iloilo, Oct. 3, 2006)

P230M needed in rehab of areas hit by oil spill

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said around P230 million will be needed for the proposed rehabilitation plan of areas in Guimaras and Iloilo that were devastated by the country’s worst oil spill.

Tanker MT Solar 1 sank off Guimaras last Aug. 11 while ferrying millions of liters of bunker oil from Bataan to Zamboanga City.

Julian Amador, director of DENR-Region 6, said the rehabilitation plan will cover the marine reserve, coastal environment, mangrove, sea grass, corals and environmental monitoring, but the bulk of it will go to mangrove and environmental quality and sanitation.

This will include the stabilization of drinking water and sanitation which needs a combined budget of P120 million.

Amador said P30 million must also be set aside for collection and disposal of waste.

(For the full story, click Malaya, Oct. 4, 2006.)

Siphoning of spilled oil put off until November

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

CONTRACTORS will not be able to start siphoning out the 1.8-million liters of bunker fuel in the cargo hold of the sunken Solar I until late November, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz said yesterday.

“It will take about five to six weeks for the engineering work to be finished, and then another four weeks… for the actual siphoning off,” said Cruz, also chairman of Task Force Guimaras.

An estimated 200,000 liters of fuel has already leaked out of the tanker, polluting coastlines, fishing grounds and mangroves in the country’s worst ecological disaster.

Cruz tried to play down the danger that the remaining cargo would be disgorged into the waters off Guimaras, but admitted that Japanese experts had told him that the oil was coming out of the tanker in tickles.

“There are droplets of oil that are coming out every so often. That is a very minimal leak,” he said.

(For the full story, click Mla Standard Today, Oct. 4, 2006.)