Greenpeace launches online petition to urge Petron cleanup

THE international environment group Greenpeace has launched an online petition campaign aimed at stepping up the pressure on Petron Corp. to speed up the recovery of bunker fuel still in the tanks of the sunken M/T Solar I, which continues to leak oil into the sea.

The petition campaign was launched a few days after Greenpeace activists delivered a drum of bunker fuel collected from the shores of Guimaras province, the hardest hit by the oil spill, to Petron’s corporate headquarters in Makati City earlier this week.

Clicking a banner on the Greenpeace site http://www.greenpeace.org.ph that says “Take action! Tell Petron to stop the oil spill now!” takes surfers to the petition page http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/get-involved/get-involved/petron-stop-the-spill where there is a prepared letter addressed to Petron chairman Nicasio I. Alcantara.

The latter urges Petron to “speed up the process of siphoning off the oil as soon as possible by guaranteeing the expected costs; intensify relief operations immediately; commit to pay for the continuing clean up, rehabilitation and monitoring of the area; and compensate the communities for the lost incomes since August 11 up to at least one full year after the oil has been removed from underwater.”

The Solar I sank off Guimaras on August 11.

(For the full story, click INQ7.net, Oct. 14, 2006.)

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JUST to remind everyone, the original online petition against Petron is still ongoing. Please sign up by clicking the link in our blogroll. Thanks!