Visayan Sea on brink of ‘ecosystem collapse’

The Philippine Star 01/28/2007

A volunteer team of divers recently completed the first survey of the coral reefs and marine resources in the Visayan Sea. Its findings: an ecosystem on the verge of “total collapse.”

“Not a single patch of coral reef of a mere 1,000 square meters remains intact and damage to the Visayan coral reefs is up to more than 90 percent,” the underwater team of the Visayan Sea Squadron said in a statement.

“The geographic heart of the fabled Visayan Marine Triangle trembles on the brink of ecosystem collapse,” it added.

In almost all 100 sites in the Visayan Marine Triangle, the group noted that groupers (lapu-lapu) and parrotfish (molmol) — indicator species of the health of coral reefs — “have all been practically wiped out.”

The Visayan Sea, which contains some of the richest biodiversities in the world, is bound by the provinces of Masbate, Leyte, Cebu, Iloilo and Negros.

Using the internationally accepted “reef check” method, the 2006 Visayan Sea expedition, which was supported by the tourism department, surveyed more than 100 sites in the Visayan Marine Triangle. The data collected by this expedition will serve as a baseline with which to “grade” the local and national governments legally mandated to protect the marine resources.

The volunteer-divers in the 2006 expedition were young marine biology graduates from the University of San Carlos in Cebu.

As a result of the study, the Law of Nature Foundation, the mother organization of the Visayan Sea Squadron, will conduct an environmental compliance audit in selected areas during the summer.

The audit will be done in cooperation with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Bar Association as well as the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Audit and other civil society experts.

The project will assess the level of compliance by the local governments concerned with the provisions of the law, the Visayan Sea Squadron said.

“Particularly, they will assess the performance of the local government unit on marine resources protection and on the compliance with the solid waste management law,” it said.

“It is time to use the power of the law to hold accountable the very people to whom we have given powerful positions and whose salaries we pay,” said environmental lawyer Tony Oposa, team leader of the 2006 expedition.

“If they have not performed up to their legal mandates, it is but right that their constituents and the people who elected them into their positions are properly informed, especially during election season,” added Oposa.

The Visayan Sea Squadron is composed of volunteers from different sectors of society whose mission is to conserve, protect, and restore the Visayan Sea.

From April to May, the group, in partnership with the tourism department and the Philippine Commission for Sports Scuba Diving, will document the wealth of the Visayan Sea in a photography project.

“This novel strategy for eco-tourism seeks the help of local and foreign visitors — mostly scuba divers, photographers and writers — to help establish a network of marine protected areas in the Visayan Sea,” it said.

Interested persons may call Bonar Laureto at 809-6122 Gary C. 917-321-3836, or via email at teamleader@thelawofnature.org, or visit their website http://www.thelawofnature.org.

UPV students on a mission

From Andie F. Febrada (eco_ex07@yahoo.com.ph)

Hello and good day. upon reading your blog, i got a lot of information about the present situation of guimaras and its affected people. I am a senior Marketing student from UPV and being Iskolars ng Bayan, we also want to help the affected areas . we have organized this Eco-Expedition 2007 that aims to help oil spill affected people through making a marketing plan of the the alternative livelihood that has been implemented. The presentation and initial implementation of such plan will be presented during our culminating activities on March 2-3, 2007. in line with this, as a students we lack fund that would help us realize our objective. We would like to ask your support or advice to look for funding source for us to push through this plan. thank you very much and hope we could work hand in hand to achieve our goal: To help guimaras and its people and to recover and gain what have been lost from them.

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Dear Andie:

Thank you for coming up with your project. I decided to post your email as a blog entry in the hope that there are still good kind souls out there who will be willing to help fund your project.

I would advice you, however, to whip out your pen and paper (or computer and printer) and start writing! Write to your congressmen, to your senators, to your governors, the different companies with foundations (ABS-CBN Foundation, Ayala Foundation, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Foundation for Economic Freedom, and yes, why not Petron Foundation?, etc.) who may be able to help you. Also try Tony Meloto at the Gawad Kalinga which I believe is supporting livelihood projects, and marketing of these products made by the oil spill victims is just what they need.

Just don’t leave it there. After sending your emails or letters, follow these up with phone calls. Don’t give up even if these people give you a runaround and I’m pretty sure you will experience it. As long as you have a good project proposal, proper manners, and the vision to achieve your goal, I am sure someone or some entity will find it worthy enough to finance.

Try to appeal to your local newspapers also to give you some coverage so you can spread the word out to the people in your area who may be willing to lend you a hand.

Good luck and please keep me posted on any developments with regard to your project.

Mabuhay kayo!

Kind regards,

The site manager

No oil spill compensation for under-aged victims

By Florence F. Hibionada
The News Today, Jan. 26, 2007

AFTER hundreds of thousands in checks released to oil spill victims in the province of Guimaras, a new complaint has been raised following reports that under-aged claimants have been barred from any compensation.

Nueva Valencia Mayor Diosdado Gonzaga disclosed that said applications of a number of claimants, mostly minors, were refused by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund.

As such, Mayor Gonzaga wrote to Nueva Valencia barangay captains to keep watch of the ongoing check distribution in an effort to resolve and avert similar problems.

Reached by Bombo Radyo Iloilo, Gonzaga decried the alleged denial of claims to Guimaras locals below 18 years old though it was not clear how many of such claims were disallowed in the compensation process.

Contaminated sea water affects salt production in Guimaras

HUNDREDS of salt makers in San Lorenzo and Sibunag towns are apprehensive on whether to pursue their regular season of salt production or not.

The salt makers are still waiting for an official declaration from Task Force Solar Oil Spill (TF-SOS) or the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) if sea water in Guimaras are now safe for salt making.

Salt-making season usually starts in February or March to May every year when the dry season is at its peak.

But salt producers in the island are now apprehensive that the Solar 1/Petron oil spill has massively affected their sea water quality that they could not anymore produce the same quality salt they are making for several years now.

The provincial government of Guimaras advised salt producers to defer their usual mass production until the provincial government received official result of water quality tests conducted by composite teams from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources0 (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Department of Social Welfare and Development, among government agencies.

Guimaras Public Information Officer Dienfield Gange said they received recommendation from DENR for salt makers to produce salt samples in various sites in both towns to test the result.

“For testing, we advise salt makers to produce small amount of salt taken from various sites in San Lorenzo and Sibunag and some parts of Buenavista to see to it if it is now safe to produce in large scale,” Gange said.

Meanwhile, the town of Sibunag also suffered the most especially in their seaweed industry. The town is recipient of a P1 million financial assistance from government and non-government organizations to develop or improve the town’s seaweeds industry.

The provincial government’s 30-year development plan starting 2005 until 2035 was interrupted by the oil spill incident.

One of the major features of the development plan is improving seaweed production in Sibunag and Nueva Valencia and the salt making industry of San Lorenzo. (PNA via Balita.org, Jan. 25, 2007)

DOTC okays rules on double-hulled ships

By VG Cabuag
Reporter, BusinessMirror
Jan. 24, 2007

UNDER amended regulations, tankers from 5,000 deadweight tons (dwt) up carrying crude oil, fuel oil, heavy diesel oil or lubricating oil, or any type of lubricant or chemical will have to be double-hulled as further assurance against accidental spills that can destroy marine and coastal environments. But all oil tankers “including tankers below 600 dwt shall be double hulled by April 2008.”

The new rules were issued by the Department of Transportation and Communications Tuesday, and will take effect next April. They will be administered and implemented by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

The rules are in Marina Circular 2007-01, “Rules to Implement Double Hull Requirement Under Marpol 73/78, Annex 1, as Amended, on Oil Tankers Operating in Philippine Domestic Waters.”

Double-hull ships were defined by the circular as those vessels “constructed with wing tanks or spaces that extend for the full depth of the ship’s side and arranged such that the cargo tanks are located inboard of the moulded line of the side shell plating and has a double bottom tank.”

Double bottom, on the other hand, is the general term for all watertight spaces contained between the outside bottom plating, the tank top, and the margin plates.

Sanctions and penalties for violators include immediate suspension of safety certificates of tankers for 60 days, delisting from the Philippine registry, revocation of the vessel’s authority to operate, and a penalty of P50,000 for each day of operation.

The circular was supposed to have been approved by the Marina board, headed by the DOTC secretary, weeks after the MT Solar 1 sank off Guimaras Island in August and spilled some 2 million liters of oil. But the shake-up in high-level DOTC positions delayed its promulgation.

Petron wants more time to comply with biofuels law

PETRON Corp., a major oil refiner, will seek from the government a reasonable transition period for the implementation of the Biofuels Act of 2006, its top official said Friday night.

Petron President and Chief Executive Officer Khalid D. Al-Faddagh said the oil firm, which is partly owned by the government-run Philippine National Oil Co., will work with government in formulating the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the recently approved law, which mandates the blending of biodiesel and bioethanol into diesel and gasoline, respectively.

He assured that the oil firm will comply with the law but wants to be given enough time to meet all the requirements. He said Petron may ask for a one-year transition period.

On the use ethanol, for instance, Mr. Al-Faddagh said there are technical issues with respect to the blending and the percentage.

“I think that time is needed for getting the system ready. It’s just the logistical side of it, which we’re working on. There are still uncertainties that have to be addressed such as if there is enough supply for the whole Philippines,” he told reporters.

He also said that the oil firm needs time to ensure that the blending of coco-methyl ester (CME) or biodiesel into diesel would have no effects on vehicle engines.

“Liabilities on damages that will come out from using CME have been one of the points we have initially raised. We want the rules of engagement to be clear. This is a law and we will comply with it but it has to make clear issues on liabilities,” he said.

Mr. Al-Faddagh said Petron is doing a lot of research and testing to ensure that the use of CME would not be harmful to motorists.

“So we’re working on it. And all we’ve been asking from the beginning is a transition period, and maybe the IRR can clarify this,” he said.

Aside from the technical and safety issues, Mr. Al-Faddagh said Petron is also looking into whether there is enough supply of CME as this would affect costs.

“We have a bigger issue on the steady supply of CME [including] the price of it and how it will be priced. I’m talking about the whole Philippines. We also have to look into the logistic system that has to take care of this blend, so we still have to figure it out,” he said.

Petron is allotting P269 million this year for its ethanol program which will be used to construct new pipes and holding tanks to store the alternative fuel. It has yet to finalize the budget for the use of CME or biodiesel.

Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, for his part, assured that the National Biofuels Board would consult all stake-holders in formulating the law’s implementing rules.

The Biofuels Act initially mandates a minimum of 1% biodiesel blend within three months after the law takes effect and at least 5% bioethanol blend within two years.

The law also mandates implementation of at least 2% biodiesel blend within two years upon effectivity and 10% bioethanol fuel within four years.

Estimates from the energy department show that the use of 1% biodiesel and 5% bioethanol this year will result to foreign exchange savings for the country of about $167 million annually.

In 2010, the use of 10% bioethanol and 2% biodiesel will result in annual foreign exchange savings of about $389 million. — Iris Cecilia C. Gonzales, BusinessWorld, Jan. 22, 2007

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Is anyone surprised?

P100M paid to Guimaras oil-spill victims

ILOILO City – The International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF), the inter-governmental world organization in charge of compensating oil spill victims, has defrayed more than P100 million for some 11,000 oil spill claimants in the island province of Guimaras.

The beneficiaries are mostly fisherfolk who temporarily lost their livelihood when tanker M/T Solar I of Sunshine Maritime Company sank off Nueva Valencia, Guimaras on August 11, 2006, spilling some of its two million liters of Petron bunker oil.

Captain Patrick Joseph, claims manager of the London-based IOPCF, yesterday showed up on the set of the radio-cable TV talk show Reklamo Publiko to deny reports that IOPCF was not paying fair compensations.

A lawyer and retired judge, David Alfeche, representing Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offices, had been discouraging some beneficiaries from claiming their allegedly insufficient checks and offering their services to them for bigger claims at 12 percent commission on any recovery.

The checks that have been handed out to fisher folk range from P5,000 to P30,000.
Of the 45 claims by resort owners, 33 have been processed.

“Unlike private insurance companies,” Joseph said, “IOPCF does not minimize claims. We pay for economic losses, clean-up, preventive measures, property damage and environmental damage. But saying that someone’s loss is P50,000 and proving that loss are two different things.”

“We are dealing with 11,000 fisher folk. A lot of them were not keeping records. In that case, we waived the requirement for proof of claim. We went into the field and investigated how much they make in a week and multiply that by 12 weeks.”

Joseph denied the story that IOPCF was requiring check claimants to sign a quitclaim that would prohibit them from asking for more compensation. It’s just a document, he added, confirming receipt of compensation for the August 11 incident. They have the right to make another claim for another incident. It also states that checks not cashed within 30 days from date of issue would turn stale or non-negotiable.

Only 120 claimants have not yet received their check.

“Think again,” Joseph reminded those who had refused to receive their checks. “Do not listen to the wrong advice.”

Guimaras Provincial Administrator and lawyer Plaridel Nava, who was in the show with Joseph and two Petron executives, denied having played a role in the preparation of compensations and claim documents. His only role was to notarize the settlement agreement between IOPC and claimants. It was Captain Joseph who had chosen him for the job. He did not reveal his notary fee. (Panay News press release, Jan. 17, 2007)

Order vs. oil spill out soon

By VG Cabuag
Reporter
BusinessMirror, Jan. 17, 2007

AN order further preventing occurrences of oil spills may be approved by authorities next week after its “grammatical errors” have been fixed, according to Maria Elena H. Bautista, the transport department’s maritime affairs undersecretary.

“All of those people who need to sign have already signed. It is now at the desk of Department of Transport and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Leandro Mendoza for his final signature,” Bautista said, adding that the document, once approved, would be implemented by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) by this year.

Earlier interviews with transport officials have indicated that the order, which will also mandate the installation of double hulls for oil tankers, is merely a formality.

Since February last year, Marina, which regulates the shipping industry, had already consulted top tanker associations in the country regarding the order.

But local tanker operators have no choice since petroleum companies are already requiring them to use double-hulled vessel whether or not they deliver black oil.

Of the estimated 214 tankers registered in the country, 21 are capable of carrying black oil.

Last August, the country’s first double-hulled tanker, MT Aston, arrived in Manila and two more double-hulled ships will be delivered between now and March.

Meanwhile, interest in the said order grew stronger after the MT Solar 1 sank off Guimaras Island last August, spilling 2 million liters of oil and contaminating neighboring islands.

The circular was supposed to be signed last September but was deferred after DOTC executives were reshuffled.

Since 2003, European ports have refused access to single-hulled tankers carrying oil.

IOPCF defends oil spill compensation given to Guimarasnons

By Maricar M. Calubiran
The News Today, Jan, 12, 2007

INTERNATIONAL Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) Deputy Director Joe Nichols debunked retired judge David Alfeche’s pronouncement that the compensation received by Guimaras residents affected by the Solar 1 oil spill was “disadvantageous.”

“I am afraid that the statement allegedly made by retired judge David Alfeche Jr. that the agreement was disadvantageous to claimants in that they have to irrevocably waive their rights for further court claims is incorrect,” said Nichols in a statement sent to this paper.

In last week’s press conference organized by K8/11, a civic organization, Judge Alfeche also said many of the affected fisherfolk were unaware of the implication of signing the agreement in their desire to immediately receive their oil spill compensation.

Alfeche specifically pointed to the provision that the claimants irrevocably waive their rights to further claims from the owners of Solar 1 in relation to the oil spill damage. The same agreement would prevent the residents from seeking future claims if another oil spill would happen from the wreck.

The tanker, as well as an estimated 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel, have yet to be removed. He said there is still a possibility of another oil spill because thousands of liters of bunker fuel are still inside the tanker.

In Guiwanon, an island barangay in the town of Nueva Valencia, at least 234 residents have refused to sign the final settlement agreement drafted by the IOPCF.

Alfeche also cited the case of the victims in the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989. He said until now the affected residents continue to receive payments from Exxon. Their payments have also been increased.

Alfeche, along with Monsignor Meliton Oso of the Archdiocese of Jaro, have called on residents of Guimaras affected by the oil spill to reject the settlement agreement.

The Archdiocese has tapped the Sapalo and Velez Law Offices to help the residents seek higher compensation.

Oso, director of the Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center, also said the affected residents were being paid a “pittance” for surrendering their rights to seek just compensation.

In an e-mail, Nichols explained that if oil from the wreck spills again before or during the salvage operations of Solar I scheduled in early March, and if the fisherfolk on Guimaras were to suffer from further pollution of their surroundings, “they would be perfectly entitled to claim further compensation.”

Nichols stressed that the IOPCF has made this position very clear from the outset. The Fund held a series of workshops for officials of the Guimaras provincial government and representatives of the fishing communities on the island shortly after the oil spill.

During those workshops, the IOPCF described the scope of compensation available under international Conventions (1992 Civil Liability Convention and 1992 Fund Convention) and explained the claims assessment and payment process, including the terms of the settlement agreements during those workshops.

He explained that the IOPCF currently has two types of receipts and release agreements with the Guimaras residents. Those fishers solely engaged in catching wild stocks of fish and shellfish have been offered compensation for losses of earnings over a period of three months (11 August to 11 November, 2006).

Nichols added that the Fund believes that fishing activities after the three-month period returned to normal and so those fisherfolk are being asked to sign full and final settlement agreements for that period. “However, there is another group of fisherfolk, who besides being engaged in catching wild stocks of fish and shellfish, are also engaged in aquaculture, such as the cultivation of seaweed,” he said.

The Fund has not yet completed its assessment of the claims for losses in the aquaculture sector, so fisherfolk engaged in such activities are being asked to sign an interim receipt and release agreement. Once their remaining losses have been assessed, those claimants will also be asked to sign full and final settlement agreements when they receive their compensation, said Nichols.

Compensation does not bar future claims by Guimaras fishers

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer, 2007-01-09

ILOILO CITY – The final agreement signed by those affected by the Petron oil spill in Guimaras would not bar the claimants from seeking compensation for future oil spills coming from the sunken Solar I, an official of the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund said.

IOPC Fund claims manager Patrick Joseph disputed the claims of some groups, including the Archdiocese of Jaro, that the settlement agreement was disadvantageous to the claimants.

“I think there is some misinformation,” Joseph said in an interview.
He explained that the agreement “specifically refers to the sinking of the M/T Solar I on August 11, 2006.”

The one-page agreement in English and with a Hiligaynon translation is signed by claimants upon receipt of Land Bank checks from the IOPC as payment for economic losses resulting from the oil spill.

In the agreement, the date of the sinking of the tanker and the resulting oil spill was specifically indicated, Joseph pointed out.

The tanker sank 13 miles southwest of Guimaras Island while transporting more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil for Petron from Bataan to Zamboanga. The Coast Guard believes around 300,000 liters had spilled into the sea, contaminating coastal areas with oil sludge.

“If there is another catastrophic release of oil from the wreck, then we will repeat this process again and it will be a new date and we will compensate the same claimants one more time,” Joseph said.

Lawyers tapped by the Archdiocese of Jaro has said the agreement would prevent the residents from making future claims in the event that another oil spill happens before the remaining bunker fuel inside the wreck is removed.

The Church along with environmental groups and non-government organizations have also called for higher compensation for the victims, claiming that the amount being paid by the IOPC is not enough to cover the losses of the residents.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo has backed the demands of residents of Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras for just compensation of the victims and the full cleanup and rehabilitation of the affected areas.

“I am in sympathy and solidarity with you in expressing your just demands from the government and Petron for restitution for the damages brought about by the oil spill last August 2006. The government and Petron have the moral obligation to hasten the full relief, rehabilitation and recovery of your tragically damaged villages,” Lagdameo said in a letter addressed to parishioners of Nueva Valencia.

Joseph said the amount of compensation was derived from IOPC field surveys and based on the type of fishing the claimants were engaged in. The IOPC also computed the claimants’ daily earnings before the oil spill and their total losses for 12 weeks.

“We did not arrive at these numbers from nothing,” he said.

The IOPC started paying claimants from the Nueva Valencia on Tuesday at the Iloilo provincial capitol and will finish releasing the checks on January 20. Nueva Valencia is the worst hit among five municipalities of Guimaras and accounts for 5,211 of the total 13,000 claimants.

The IOPC will give out P57.39 million to Nueva Valencia claimants, according to Mayor Diosdado Gonzaga.

Many of the claimants said the compensation was smaller than what they needed to cover their losses but they said they needed the money immediately.

“I have no choice even if I deserve more,” said Emily Yufalen, 24, a fish vendor from the island-village of Guiwanon and a mother of three. She received a check worth P13,947.

The victims received amounts ranging from P3,000 to P30,000 depending on the type of fishing they were engaged in and their income.

Joseph said victims who were not satisfied with the amount offered by the IOPC should show proof to show that the IOPC calculations were wrong.

He said they would be willing to re-assess the computations for damages “if it is proven that (the victims’) losses are more than what we have assessed.”

CBCP backs boycott call against oil firm

By DAVID ISRAEL SINAY
Panay News, Jan. 10, 2006

ILOILO City – The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) supports the call of the residents in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras to boycott the products of Petron Corp. whose chartered oil tanker sank in August last year, causing an oil spill.

Archbishop Lagdameo (Photo from Dyaryo Pilipino.)

In an endorsement letter dated January 2*, CBCP President and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo sympathized with the residents who are demanding for a just restitution from Petron.

The Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center (JASAC) wants to make the boycott call a nationwide campaign.

JASAC Director Monsignor Meliton Oso said the boycott manifesto had been faxed to all the dioceses in Western Visayas and to the national office of the social action center to be circulated in other dioceses and 97 prelatures in the country.

In the manifesto, the residents said the oil spill “tragically damaged” barangays and their livelihood.

The Parish Pastoral Council of Nueva Valencia, led by parish priest Antonio Chan initiated the manifesto calling to boycott Petron products on December 28, 2006.

During the manifesto’s launching, residents of San Lorenzo and Sibunag towns also came to Nueva Valencia to show their solidarity.

The municipality of Nueva Valencia was worst hit by the oil spill but the coastal barangays of San Lorenzo and Sibunag towns were also tarnished by the bunker fuel oil that leaked from the sunken M/T Solar 1.

Petron chartered the tanker to transport its 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil to Zamboanga. Unfortunately on August 11, 2006 it sank off the rough seas of the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait.

Chan said their boycott call “will be an ongoing campaign.”

JASAC’s Oso said “all priests were furnished a copy of the manifesto. We hope for the community to support this.”

“We encourage (parishioners) to stop patronizing (Petron products), encourage friends to support (the initiative) and to post streamers rejecting Petron products,” Oso said further.

DEMAND

Nueva Valencia residents want the government to execute punitive actions and enforce regulations and policies against those responsible for the tragedy; that Petron be held fully accountable and must make a thorough cleanup of the oil sludge in a manner acceptable not only to the “world of science” but most importantly to the affected people of Guimaras and nearby provinces; that the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund must provide just compensation to the victims and immediately release the funds in the province of Guimaras; and that the remaining bunker fuel in the M/T Solar 1 must be retrieved immediately.

“(The) bunker oil still pollutes our shores and mangrove areas, devastates our sources of livelihood, and exposes us to long-term effects of carcinogenic and other highly toxic compounds,” the manifesto read.

The residents also belied the claims of the country’s largest oil refiner that the oil-smeared shores of Guimaras are “now 100-percent clean.”

“We cannot tolerate the lies of Petron… that they are not accountable for their own negligence in ensuring seaworthy contracted carriers, that the bunker fuel is not volatile and toxic; that the spraying of dispersants is not harmful; and that there is no danger of implosion of the sunken oil tanker,” the manifesto further read.

PETRON’S SIDE

“We have spearheaded the cleanup in cooperation with concerned agencies and organizations,” countered Rafael Ledesma, Petron Public Affairs Officer.

But he admitted that “we have not included mangroves and rocky shores. (The cleanup) involves only the shores. Experts told us not to touch the mangroves as doing so may cause more damage to the environment.”

Ledesma said they will continue to monitor the area despite having finished cleanup already.

Petron has now shifted its focus on the rehabilitation and the setting up of alternative livelihood for the residents, he revealed.

“We committed to establish mangrove nurseries and marine aquaculture for the residents,” Ledesma added.

Ledesma said they are “not bothered” by the threat to boycott their products.

“In spite of the campaign, we will doing everything to restore Guimaras (to its original state),” he said.

WHERE’S THE REHAB PLAN?

The residents said the scientific conference “funded” by Petron in November last year was supposed to draw long-term rehabilitation and recovery plans “but fell short in addressing the prime concerns of the people: resources for alternative livelihood, means of monitoring and supporting persons heavily exposed to toxic fumes, methods and approaches for thorough and total cleanup, and immediate retrieval of the remaining bunker oil in the M/T Solar 1.”

They added, “deterrent measures and punitive actions against the culprits were not discussed in the conference and worse, the residents of the affected municipalities, with Nueva Valencia as the hardest hit, were not given a chance to participate.”

Ledesma, however, clarified that local government units had their representatives during the scientific conference.

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We will post the CBCP endorsement letter as soon as it has been made available to us.

Mirant’s P5-M mangrove nursery in Guimaras

By Bassinette Noderama
The Guardian Iloilo
2007-01-09

TO help in the rehabilitation and restoration program of mangroves affected by the oil spill in Guimaras, Mirant Philippines Foundation Inc. (MPFI) donated P5 million for a 5,000-square meter nursery (with 200,000 seedlings) at Brgy. Tando, Nueva Valencia.

The launching ceremony was led by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary Angelo Reyes and MPFI executive director Robert Calingo. Before the ceremony, there was a comprehensive mangrove rehabilitation planning workshop at the Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center.

The workshop tackled the extent of damage. It was said that 438 out of 957.5 hectares of mangroves in Guimaras were affected by the oil spill. In the neighboring province of Iloilo, 7.3 hectares were affected in the town of Concepcion and 18.6 hectares in Ajuy.

“Mangroves are vital to the food chain of marine environment because plankton, sea grass, and shellfish are dependent on it. The oil spill also saw the importance of mangroves. You know what, it is a good protection from oil spill,” DENR Regional Director Julian Amador said.

The nursery in Tando is the first of three central nurseries to be set up. The other central nurseries will be in the town of Sibunag and in the island of Panobolon. Seven subsidiary nurseries will also be put up.

It may be recalled that last year, a 26-hectare mangrove plantation was launched in Panobolon, an island barangay in Nueva Valencia. The memorandum of agreement (MOA) to implement the project was signed by Guimaras Governor Rahman Nava and Timoteo Olarte, head of the DBP Area Management Office in the Visayas.

That plantation was destroyed by the August 11 oil spill that is considered as the worst environmental disaster to hit the country.

My late mother’s relatives have fishponds in Nueva Valencia. Her ancestors who originally had fishponds in Dumangas passed on their interests to descendants. Fishponds and mangrove forests are parts of my life.

Mangrove forests shelter fish and other aquatic organisms like shells and crustaceans. They are good spawning grounds. Thickets of the aquatic trees provide protection from strong winds and wave action.

As a child, whenever I would tag along to the fishponds, I would always play among the aerial roots of mangrove trees. They are good picnic grounds if one knows how to deal with them.

Mangroves produce numerous aerial stilts or prop roots. The roots extend out from the main trunk into the water, forming dense thickets. These aquatic trees have tough, leathery leaves. There are large flowers. As the fruit ripens, a sharp root grows from it. When the fruit falls, the root is pushed into the mud. It becomes a new plant.

Aside from sheltering fish and other aquatic organisms, mangroves are also good sources of firewood and charcoal. However, cutting was restricted to branches only. The main trunk was never touched. We were careful in conserving the very useful trees.

Seeing the devastation in what had been developed and taken cared of by our ancestors was unimaginable. What used to be paradise was turned into purgatory. Scientists said that the full effect of the oil spill will be known after several years.

We’re very thankful to the people who help us start again. The mangrove nursery is a good start. It is said that a hectare of the aquatic trees can increase fish production by at least one ton.

Fisherfolk have returned to their craft. The sight of growing mangrove trees is an inspiration that life goes on no matter what happens.

Just compensation for oil spill victims sought

By Nestor P. Burgos

ILOILO CITY — The Archdiocese of Jaro has called on residents of Guimaras Island affected by the oil spill to reject a settlement agreement that waives their right to file future damage claims related to the oil spill.

In a press conference on Thursday, Msgr. Meliton Oso, director of the Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center, also called for Petron Corp. and insurance firms to pay “just compensation” to the affected residents.

Oso said the affected residents were being paid “pittance for the surrender of their rights” to seek “just compensation” from Petron Corp. and the insurance firms.

The Archdiocese has tapped the assistance of the Sapalo and Velez Law Offices to help the residents seek higher compensation.

The International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund has started paying Guimaras residents affected by the oil spill. The checks being released by the IOPC range from P3,000 to P32,000. The IOPC is a London-based intergovernmental agency that indemnifies losses resulting from oil spills.

Around 13,000 residents have filed for claims for economic losses arising from the oil spill after the M/T Solar 1 sank in stormy seas off Guimaras on Aug. 11. The tanker, which was transporting more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil for Petron from Bataan to Zamboanga, spilled over 300,000 liters of its fuel content in the waters off Guimaras, coating coastal areas with oil sludge.

Nearly half of the claimants from the five municipalities of Guimaras have received payments. The IOPC aims to complete the payments for Guimaras claimants by next month.

In an earlier interview, IOPC deputy director Joe Nichols said the amount of compensation was derived from claims of losses reported by the claimants and the average income of claimants before the oil spill.

Retired Judge David Alfeche Jr. said the one-page agreement signed by the claimants upon receipt of cheques from the IOPC was “disadvantageous to claimants.”

He pointed out the provision that states that claimants “irrevocably” waive their rights for further court claims from the owners of Solar I related to oil spill damage..

Alfeche said this agreement would bar the residents from seeking future claims if another oil spill would happen from the wreck.

“The Solar I is still there and there is a possibility, even if remote, that oil spills could happen because the bulk of 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel is still inside it,” Alfeche said in the press conference.

Many of the affected fisherfolk could have been unaware of the implication of signing the agreement in their desire to receive the compensation, said Alfeche.

Affected communities of the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 continue to receive payments until now and have even increased their claims, according to Alfeche.

But Plaridel Nava II, Guimaras provincial legal officer who notarized the agreement signed by the claimants, refuted Alfeche.

“They (residents) can still claim for damages if another oil spill from Solar I happens,” said Nava.

At least 234 residents of the island-village of Guiwanon in Nueva Valencia town have signed a statement refusing to sign the final settlement agreement.

Alfeche said they would assist the residents who had not signed the agreement and had not received any compensation to ask for higher compensation from the IOPC.

But he said it would be difficult for those who were already paid and who had signed a quitclaim because they would need to get the quitclaims nullified. He said the litigation would take a long time and would be expensive because they would be against the IOPC and Petron. (Cebu Daily News, Jan. 6, 2007)

Oil spill areas need more cleaning — DENR

By Ronilo L. Pamonag
The News Today, Jan. 7, 2007

Areas in Guimaras province affected by the oil spill need to be cleaned all over again, the government said Wednesday.

Regional Director Julian Amador of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) identified four areas in Guimaras and two in Iloilo that Petron Corporation needs to “revisit.”

“We have not yet issued any clean bill of health for the areas affected by the oil spill,” Amador said.

“Generally the environmental quality of Guimaras has already recovered except in terms of oil and grease content of the coastal water in some areas, particularly in the hardest hit areas of the municipality of Nueva Valencia and some of its islands, and the Municipality of Sibunag,” the DENR said in a statement.

“Six sites were recommended for immediate physical clean up or only removal of floating debris to hasten the natural washings through exchange of tidal waters. The debris blocks the tidal water exchange,” Amador said.

Amador noted that oil and grease volumes went down to around 10-20 milligrams per liter, down from the highest level of 250 mg/l in the early days of the oil spill in August.

Amador has already requested Petron to assist in the cleanup by providing the resources.

“We have already brought this matter to the attention of Petron,” said Task Force Solar I Oil Spill chair Rafael Coscolluela.

The oil refiner, through its Petron Foundation, organized coastal cleanup operations, which they formally terminated October last year.

But with the recommendation of the DENR, Petron gave their commitment that they will conduct another round of cleanup operations.

“We will do whatever it needs to be done based on what the Task Force SOS instructs. We will abide by the instruction of the Task Force,” said Malou Erni of the Petron Foundation.

About 180 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill when tanker Solar 1 sunk off the coast of Guimaras last August. It was carrying two million liters of Petron bunker fuel for delivery to Zamboanga when it sunk under heavy seas.

Sonsub, the Italian firm contracted to offload the remaining bunker fuel, is currently fabricating equipment to be used for the operations, which is expected to start next month.

IOPCF claims

In a related development, Petron said the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) has already settled P42 million worth of claims arising from the oil spill. These were claims filed by marginal fishers in Guimaras, particularly in the towns of San Lorenzo, Jordan and Sibunag.

Claims of fisherfolk from Nueva Valencia, considered the hardest hit, will be paid starting next week.

According to Coscolluela, 17,000 claims were filed with the IOPC. But only about 13,000 were approved. Majority of these claimants were fisherfolk.

Approved claims filed by the seaweed and fishpond operators, and those of resort owners will be paid after those of the fisherfolk have been settled.

Payment of approved claims is expected to last until March this year.

Guimaras dads block proposed ‘fishtival’

By Ronilo L. Pamonag
The News Today, Jan. 5, 2007

Guimaras officials don’t want yet to pop the champagne yet with a sunken tanker in their midst.

Local government officials from Guimaras did not approve a proposal to hold a festival aimed at dispelling the “fish scare” caused by the oil spill while tanker Solar 1 is not yet removed.

“We consulted them about our proposed festival to popularize and regain market confidence in Guimaras seafoods, that it is safe for human consumption,” said Remia Aparri of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Guimaras during a press briefing yesterday by the Task Force Solar One Oil Spill.

But the officials of Guimaras said they want to celebrate only after the ship has been removed or the remaining bunker fuel offloaded, Aparri said.

BFAR consulted local government officials last December 27 about the province-wide seafoods festival, which the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund has already committed to fund.

Aparri said that the IOPCF expressed its willingness to fund the festival because of its financial effect on the fisherfolk. “If people would buy fish caught from Guimaras, there would be no more reason for these fisherfolk to claim unrealized sales because of the oil spill,” Aparri explained.

Majority of the claimants with the IOPC are marginal fisherfolk affected by the oil spill.

The BFAR has been hard put in convincing consumers that fish and other marine resources caught in the waters around Guimaras are safe for human consumption.

In the wake of the country’s worst oil spill, fish brokers have already refused to buy fish caught by Guimaras fishers. Those already brought were returned upon knowing that these were from Guimaras.

To address this issue, the BFAR issued several favorable advisories regarding seafoods from Guimaras.

Gov’t eyes end to Guimaras oil recovery efforts by March 15

PIA Press Release

ILOILO CITY (3 January) – March 15 or 16 are the expected dates when the recovery of the remaining bunker oil from the sunken MT Solar I in Guimaras island shall have been finished.

Secretary Rafael Coscolluela, Presidential Adviser for western Visayas and chair of the Task Force Oil Spill said in yesterday’s press brieifing that preparations are being done for the needed requirements for the SONSUP, an Italian firm based in Singapore, contracted to conduct the massive siphoning operations.

In a separate interview with Secretary Coscolluela, he said SONSUP is coordinating closely with the Philippine Coast Guard to meet all requirements so that they can proceed with the operations by last week of February 2006.

Secretary Coscolluela said that the remaining oil in the sunken vessel poses no threat or danger to cause further damage.

“There has been no changes in the amount of oil leaking out of the sunken vessel. The leak is very minimal that as soon as it surfaces, it tends to dispersed right away,” Coscolluela said.

He said that the situation is closely monitored so that should there be an increase in volume of the leakage, then there will be appropriate measures to be taken.

He likewise announced during the press conference that fisherfolk in San Lorenzo, Jordan and Sibunag have already received their respective claims from the IOPC. Next to be settled is for the towns of Nueva Valencia on January 8-20, and Buenavista on January 22-31, followed by fishpond and seaweeds operators, then claimants from Iloilo province.

In the same press conference, Petron commitedto retrieve the 200 sacks of oil debris in the island barangay of Guiwanon and will also return to finish the cleaning of areas in Tando and San Antonio in Guimaras. However, Petron clarified that they will act based on the recommendations of Task Force SOS. (Philippine Information Agency)

So what happened to the Guimaras ‘fish fest’?

By Maricar M. Calubiran
The News Today, Jan. 3, 2006

THE Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Club, insurer of the ill-fated MT Solar I, is reportedly waiting for a “fish festival” in Guimaras which is aimed at helping the fisherfolk affected by the country’s worst oil spill.

The P&I Club allegedly gave funds to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) last year for the holding of the “fish festival” but no such activity was held.

Joe Nichols, Deputy Director/Technical Advisor of the Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) said he was told by the P&I Club that it had already given the budget to BFAR last year for the proposed “fish festival” and yet nothing has been heard about it.

Nichols, however, declined to give details on how much money the P&I had given to BFAR for the proposed festival. He said the amount was enough to hold the event and promote the sea produce of the island. IOPCF and P&I Club officials had wanted the public to buy fish and other fishery products from Guimaras again, and eventually restore the confidence of the buyers in Guimaras sea produce. IOPCF and P&I Club officials were in the island last year and wanted the bureau to immediately schedule the festival to help the Guimarasnons.

M/T Solar I sank off Guimaras waters last August 11 and spilled tons of industrial fuel oil. The oil spill in Guimaras is the worst oil spill recorded in the country. The spill affected the lives of the thousands of residents particularly the fishers, pond operators, and resort owners.

Nichols said fish and other fishery products from the waters of Guimaras have long been declared safe for consumption.

BFAR Director Drusila Esther Ong was not immediately available for comment.

Petron tries to have PR expenses reimbursed

By Maricar M. Calubiran
The News Today, Jan. 3, 2007

NOT only are the residents affected by the oil spill file compensation claims with the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF), even Petron Corp. owner of the 2 million liters of bunker oil which spilled off the waters of Guimaras is filing reimbursements with the IOPCF.

An official of the IOPCF disclosed that Petron initially asked to be refunded P180 million but the Fund only released P60 million as the other expenses were not related to cleaning and disposal of oily debris in the areas affected by the oil spill.

IOPCF Deputy Director and Technical Advisor Joe Nichols said bulk of the reimbursements asked by the oil firm were “public relations expenses.”

Nichols said as a rule, IOPCF will only reimburse Petron in all its cleaning and disposal expenses.

He said the Fund could not refund expenses such as “bribes” to public officials, public relations, aid packages and food to the oil spill victims.

Nichols said Petron was so helpful with the Fund in organizing claims workshops but some of their claims were not pollution-related items.

The issue on alleged bribes involving four provincial board members of Guimaras cropped up two weeks ago.

Petron reportedly offered bribe money to Board members Allan Chavez, Rolando Gadnanan, Vicente de Asis and David Gano.

Of the four board members, only Gano immediately confirmed they were treated with lunch and were offered money when they went to Bulacan for a conference. Gano said he returned the money to Petron’s driver.

Meanwhile, it took weeks for Gadnanan, De Asis and Chavez to comment on the alleged bribe money. The three claimed they also returned the money.

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NOW that really is cheap! Petron wants to have its PR expenses reimbursed? I would think that even if the IOPCF allowed such items to be claimed, it still wouldn’t give the money to Petron because of its half-assed PR/media relations stunts!

If you recall, not only was Petron trying to bribe government officials aside from those already mentioned here, it was also trying to bribe local media in exchange for “happy news.” For awhile, its hired PR consultant was successful (despite the awfully low fees for the local media which I’ve been told started at P500…duh!). But after being scored for the dastardly deed, the company pulled the plug on the practice. Or so we thought. Apparently it’s now been targetting public officials.

Corporate social responsibility…indeed.