Happy halloween folks!

Petron oil spill (Editorial cartoon by Manny Francisco, from Cagle Cartoons.)

Oil slick detected in El Nido

By Jofelle Tesorio
Inquirer, Oct. 30, 2006

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – Sporadic signs of oil slick have reportedly alarmed tourists in the town of El Nido, north of Palawan.

Due to fears residue from the Guimaras oil spill might have reached mainland Palawan’s northern tip, the El Nido Tourism Council and the town’s local government immediately asked help from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), an environment body in the province.

Visitors to Intatula beach in the town reported that when they stepped on the sand, there were traces of oil on their feet.

El Nido tourism officer Arvin Acosta informed the PCSD district office about the suspected presence of an oil slick in the area and sent a sample of suspected oil sludge to the environmental monitoring agency for proper verification.

The municipal government of El Nido has also sent a sample to the PCSD Manila office for testing in a certified chemical laboratory.

The PCSD immediately dispatched a technical team to El Nido town last October 26 to check and study the presence of the oil slick.

Signs of a suspected oil slick were reportedly first noticed on October 9 by residents who ply Bacuit and Corong bays. At the time, residents hoped the oil would eventually disappear and did not immediately report the sightings.

(For the full story, click El Nido.)

The Visayan Sea: Wealth of the World

Routes

By Alain Russ Dimzon
The News Today, Oct. 30, 2006

Central Visayans should have more of that desired awareness to value and conserve their marine environmental heritage and wealth.

A study “The Center of the Center of Marine Shore Fish Biodiversity: the Philippine Islands” by Dr. Kent Edward Carpenter of Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia and Dr. Victor Springer of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC shows that the central Philippines and that includes the Visayan Sea, popularly knows as the “Alaska of the Philippines.”

Dr. Carpenter was palpably more concerned over the degradation of the Philippines marine habitats, the most diverse in terms of density. The Philippines, especially Central Philippines, has more species of fish per unit area than anywhere in the world. He compared the richness of Philippine marine life to the terrestrial Amazon River Basin. But he noted a common prevalent situation between the two: biodiversity loss.

After the Eco-Forum environmental program on Central Philippine University (CPU) Channel 8 aired over Sky Cable Network, with the hosts Ms. Lucy de la Fuente, Engr. Aurora Lim, and Mr. Jenier Militar, I found a meeting of causes.

Mommy de la Fuente was a key actor in the operationalization of the NGO Health Aid to the Needy for Development (HAND), which was funded by the German Brot Fur Die Welt (Bread for the World) and the Australian Baptist World Aid Relief Committee (ABWARC). HAND was holistic as it addressed the sectoral concerns of a current standard NGO such as health, education, environment an the other basic services necessary for a simple, decent and sustainable life and living.

Tita Au has been very active in the campaign for renewable energy. She has been a prime mover against the establishment of a coal-powered plant that will dispose by-products into the Visayan Sea, the “Alaska of the Philippines.”

I can only imagine how immeasurable the vigor of these two women, mothers and grandmothers if they would have been in their youth.

Also there during the show were Victor Prodigo (Touch), Fulbright fellow for International Sustainable Development, Joseph William Albaña (Joseph), foremost cultural and environmental worker, Jose Gerardo Deza (Gerard), encyclopedic and unheralded writer par excellence. I found a small group working on a huge concern.

Gerard’s plan to have Dr. Carpenter come over and help in the conservation efforts after the MT Solar 1 sinking that caused an oil spill off Southern Guimaras came before President Arroyo picked up that Philippine Daily Inquirer headline story on Kent (Dr. Carpenter) and her consequent order to DENR Undersecretary Trono organize a marine habitat summit in November this year.

Touch was consultant of Guimaras when the province won the “Galing Pook Award sa Kapiligiran.” He was also consultant of the Banate Bay Development Council, also a winner in another environmental contest.

Joseph is an institution of an advocate for a pro-Filipino culture, arts and heritage and that includes ecological heritage. An organizer of reputation, and an icon of the theater Arts Guild of the University of the Philippines Iloilo (TAGUPCI), he is a theater arts teacher, oration, declamation, and extemporaneous speaking tutor and trainer.

The following day, the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension sponsored a public forum at the UP Iloilo City campus.

After these actions, I expect a unified and organized results-oriented intervention to conserve a wealth of the world most proximate to us Central Visayans: the Visayan Sea.

From the Center by Rolly Espina

ANTIQUE Governor Sally Zaldivar-Perez must be happy over the fact that the oil spill in Semirara involved the oil from the National Power Corporation.

Now, she has nothing much to worry about. The firm, which is state-owned, recently paid a total of P8.2 million to the affected residents of Semirara Island.

Last Dec. 18, 2005, a Napocor barge ran around and spilled thousands of liters of bunker C fuel to the sea. It was considered the first and the worst ever of its kind until the Solar I sank off Guimaras province last Aug. 11 with some two million liters of bunker fuel.

Napocor had paid P6 million to some 187 claimants for damages to their livelihood caused by the oil spill.

The oil firm also provided livelihood assistance in the form of fishing boats and gear to the tune of about P2.2 million to the Semirara Cooperative Aqua Farmers and Folks Association.

Income generating projects implemented are deep-sea fishing and seaweed farming.

The turnover was spearheaded by Napocor president Cyril de Callar and was attended by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Antique Governor Sally Zaldivar-Perez, Rep. Exequiel Javier, Semirara Barangay Captain Reynante Lim and Semirara Mining officials led by Isidro Consunji and George San Pedro.

An applause to officials of Napocor for rapidly processing the payment of claims to the affected Semirara residents.

On the other hand, we have seen on television some residents of a Guimaras barangay lodging their complaint against a municipal agricultural official for allegedly taking over the functions of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The complainants, of course, indicated a series of broken promises and even discrimination in the distribution of relief assistance. Including, worse, the conversion of their daily take of P300 to rice sans consultation with them.

I think it is time for Guimaras Governor Rahman Nava to take a direct hand in probing the questionable actuations of the aggie official. It may be also that the DSWD had not assigned a social welfare officer to the area. Then, Gov. Nava should remind the DSWD officials of the province that the assignment of the agriculture official to the assigned task be put down in writing and explained to the people of the barangay.

Guimaras folks have been chafing for sometime now about the slow pace of the decision-making process insofar as the siphoning of the remaining 1.9 million liters of bunker fuel out of Solar I.

They have a legitimate complaint also. It seems that the Petron had called a halt to the PR project of giving out P300 a day to affected residents for their part in the clean-up of the Guimaras shoreline.

That was apparently just a short-lived gesture that did not alleviate the loss of livelihood of the beleaguered residents.

More of a PR gesture rather than an exercise of social responsibility.

(For the rest of the column, click Rolly Espina, Visayan Daily Star, Oct. 28, 2006.)

Slump in fish sales, joblessness haunt Guimaras

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer, Oct. 29, 2006

JORDAN, Guimaras – Residents of Guimaras province are reeling from joblessness and income loss after the August oil spill devastated their livelihood and the local economy, according to a report of a multi-agency team that assessed the impact of the disaster.

The worst hit are residents of coastal villages engaged in fishing, gleaning, beach resort operation, motorized banca (outrigger canoe) operation, salt-making and agriculture, said the 126-page report released on October 26 by the provincial government.

More than half, or 52, of the 98 barangays (villages) of the provinces were directly affected by the oil spill and have oil sludge near the shore or in their coastal waters. The remaining 46 barangays were considered to be indirectly affected.

The report said 69,162 individuals or 46 percent of the province’s population of 151,194 have been directly affected by the oil spill.

The oil spill heavily affected three of the five towns of the province: Nueva Valencia, Sibunag and San Lorenzo. Jordan and Buenavista were less affected but felt the impact of the loss of market confidence in fishery products from Guimaras waters.

The report said that 2,439 fishers who were previously earning an average of P239 to P300 per day were displaced due to the effects of the oil spill on their fish catch, seaweeds and milk fish production.

(For the full story, click Slump.)

Mark this on your calendar…Dinig sa Guimaras 2

The crowd enjoys a performance at the first Dinig sa Guimaras gig at Bela Bar, Sept. 30, 2006. Photo courtesy of paqs69

1 Fish Entertainment Productions will be holding another rock concert to raise funds for Guimaras on Nov. 11, 2006 at The Breakfast Club, located along Aguirre Street, Phase 3 BF Homes, Parañaque. For only P200, get a beer and an earful of Drt, Southerngrass, ERF, Flood, Kinkyhooters, and Hardboiled Eggs.

Funds to be raised from this gig will be distributed through Task Force Sunrise of the provincial government of Guimaras, and environmental group, Greenpeace Philippines.

This site will keep you posted on more developments regarding this fundraising effort.

-From Joseph C. Araneta of 1Fish Entertainment Productions

From our mailbox…on Dr. Kent Carpenter

DR. Kent E. Carpenter’s credentials speak for him. He has worked for more than five years in the field in our country, and has even taught the subject of Ichthyology at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, a fact not mentioned in that Panay News article by Alain Russ Dimzon, a developmental journalist of unassailable repute and a revered and nationally-acclaimed poet of social consciousness in the medium of Hiligaynon poetry.

Ilonggo marine biologists and scientists are among the best and brightest in the country if not this part of Asia; these same scientists have accepted the research of Dr. Carpenter and welcomed it as a bright beacon in our otherwise all-too-often sullied efforts at marine conservation and protection.

The following are web sites covering the work and research done by Dr. Carpenter: www.oneocean.org; www.iucn.org; and
www.sci.odu.edu.

Simply put, using a scientific approach, together with a colleague who is even more renowned and respected in the scientific world, Dr. Carpenter in his study has posited the thesis that the epicenter of marine shore fish biodiversity is right here in central Philippines, nowhere else in the world. The central Philippines is the marine equivalent of the Amazon river basin rainforest in terms of number of species per unit area. This revelation, startling as it is, should be a source of pride for all Filipinos. This link directs you to the PDF file of said study, as published in the scientific journal Environmental Biology of Fishes last year. The paper itself understandably replete with technicalese, the http://www.oneocean.org page cited above will help in understanding the import of Dr. Carpenter’s study, and as correctly presented by Mr. Dimzon in that Panay News article, it is this:

Our marine resource is not only a national treasure and a national heritage; it belongs to the rest of the world as well. Dr. Carpenter is here and spending precious time and effort in letting us be aware of this heritage. The rest is up to us. This unique heritage is not forever, nor self-sustaining; the Philippines is after all number one among those countries with the most threatened ecosystems and the most threatened species. For our sake and the sake of our children and their children’s children, we must help each other in the effort towards protection and conservation of what has been so generously endowed to us. We must do our part in sharing our knowledge and education with those whom we feel such strong empathy for, as is evident in what you have repeatedly expressed not only in this comment but also in your comments on the the SEAFDEC findings on the state of Guimaras corals in the aftermath of this oil spill tragedy.

Together, let us look at our fisherfolk in the eye and say, “Unless you fish sustainably, you won’t have any fish left out there.” These are not my words. I am merely quoting Kent E. Carpenter.

Most respectfully yours,

JOSE GERARDO G. DEZA

Int’l aid groups, RP NGOs commit funds to help Guimaras folk

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer, Oct. 27, 2006

JORDAN, Guimaras – International and local relief and funding agencies and nongovernment organizations have committed to fund the rehabilitation of oil-spill contaminated areas on the island and provide alternative livelihood to affected residents.

At least 13 agencies, institutions and NGOs pledged their support to fund programs and projects in the next five years during the Donors’ Forum organized by the provincial government at the capital town of Jordan on Thursday.

The proposed programs focused on rehabilitation of marine resources especially the mangroves and providing alternative livelihood to affected residents, mostly fishermen and shell gatherers.

Representatives of the agencies and organizations presented their plans and areas of concern during the day-long forum.

The international relief agencies and funding institutions include the Japan International Cooperation Agency, German Development Cooperation, World Vision International, United Nations Development Program, Canadian International Development Agency, Oxfam and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The NGOs that attended the forum were the League of Corporate Foundations, Petron Foundation, Peace and Equity Foundation, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, Save the Children, Taytay sa Kauswagan, Save Our Lives, SOS!, Pagatpat Foundation, and the Panay Rural Development Council Inc.

The University of the Philippines in the Visayas has offered its technical assistance especially in research and monitoring of the effects to the environment and community.

The League of Corporation Foundations (LCF), a network of at least 69 corporate foundations, including the Philippine Daily Inquirer, is planning to establish mangrove nurseries and support a mangrove rehabilitation program, said Allan Victorino, chair of the LCF communications committee.

The LCF also plans to bring in computers for public schools and provide alternative livelihood like hog raising and poultry production and cosmetology.

Guimaras moves to revive fishing

By Jaime Laude
The Philippine Star 10/27/2006

A come-on for fisher folk to return to fishing following the Aug. 11 oil spill could just be the start of an annual festival in the province of Guimaras.

Rafael Coscolluela, presidential adviser for the Western Visayas and Task Force Guimaras regional chairman, has broached the idea of holding a fiesta in the island province where fish caught from waters off the province will be cooked and served to fishermen and other residents.

“We would like to advise the people to (get) back into fishing and start eating fish,” he said.

Speaking to reporters at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday, Coscolluela said the festival will be known as “Balik Isda” to encourage residents to return to fishing.

“It would be done soon,” he said.

However, there is no date yet for the fish festival, he added.

Coscolluela assured Guimaras residents that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has already certified that the fish around Guimaras are safe to eat.

Following the oil spill, fish caught in waters off Guimaras are not sold in the market or eaten because residents fear that they could be poisonous.

During the press conference, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr., National Disaster Coordinating Council chairman, gave an update on efforts to rid the sunken M/T Solar I of its remaining bunker fuel cargo.

Meanwhile, an international fund on oil pollution is set to process the claims of some 3,000 to 4,000 fishermen whose sources of livelihood were affected by the oil spill from a sunken tanker off the island of Guimaras, the government said yesterday.

Cruz said the Guimaras provincial government and the office of Rep. Edgar Espinosa are helping affected constituents gather the necessary documents required by the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) to process their monetary claims.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Cruz said this would be done to ensure that the fisherfolk would be paid compensation before the government files its claims before the IOPC.

“Marami ng claims ng fishermen, ang na-submit sa IOPC para naman matugunan ang claims ng mga nawalan ng trabaho (“There are several claims from fishermen already submitted to the IOPC, so the claims of those who lost their livelihood could be attended to),” he said. “The provincial government came up with an agreement with the claimants in order for them to comply with IOPC requirements.”

Cruz said this would ensure that the claims would be reasonable based on actual income lost and expenses incurred because of the oil spill.

Resort owners in the area are making their own negotiations with the IOPC, he added.

Cruz said with the provincial government helping residents process their claims, there would be less chances for bloating declared losses and expenses.

Industry standards would determine how much a fisherman earns for a day, which would be multiplied by the number of days since the oil spill took place, he added.

Dr. Anthony Golez, Office of Civil Defense administrator, said the IOPC would pay for whatever claims that cannot be shouldered by the insurance company of the ill-fated M/T Solar I, which sank off Guimaras with thousands of liters of oil on Aug. 11.

The tanker was hired by Petron Corp. to deliver bunker fuel to Zamboanga.

Meanwhile, Cruz said the IOPC executive committee is set to come out with a resolution today approving the proposed siphoning of the remaining bunker fuel inside the sunken tanker, some 600 meters under the sea. — With James Mananghaya

European, Japanese firms line up for oil siphoning

DEFENSE Secretary Avelino Cruz on Thursday said three companies based in Norway, Japan and Britain are interested in conducting the oil-shiphoning operations in Guimaras Island.

The siphoning of the remaining bunker fuel from the sunken M/T Solar I is targeted to start in January to take advantage of good weather conditions.

Cruz said the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPCF) has agreed to pay for the operations, estimated to cost anywhere between $8 million and $10 million.

He added that based on the last inspection, the oil leak from the oil tanker was minimal and controllable. Solar 1, carrying at least two million liters of oil, sank off Guimaras on August 11. Officials said the oil spill had polluted at least 220 kilometers of coastline, fishing grounds, marine reserves and tourist spots.

Anthony Golez, National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) spokesman, earlier announced that the IOPC is set to formally approve the compensation funds for the Philippine government’s claim.

Included in the claims are compensation for the fishermen and villagers of Guimaras province whose livelihood and property were affected by the oil spill.

“By Friday in London, IOPCF will be concluding its meeting and [the government’s] claims will be signed and included in the minutes,” Golez announced.

Golez made the announcement after returning from London Wednesday where he met with IOPC officials and lobbied for the compensation claims.

“The papers were immediately processed and several member agencies or governments told us that the approval of the Philippines’ claims was the fastest in IOPCF history,” Golez said.

IOPCF has 125 government members. Its fund comes from contributions of member countries.

Golez said each government’s contribution is based on the profit in transactions with oil companies in its country. He said that the excess funds that cannot be shouldered by Solar 1’s insurance company will be paid by IOPCF.

He also advised Guimaras residents affected by the oil spill to speed up the completion and processing of their claim documents. (From ABS-CBN News, Oct. 26, 2006)

Guimaras fishers first in line for compensation

By Joel Guinto
INQ7.net, Oct. 26, 2006

FISHERMEN whose livelihoods have been affected by the oil spill off Guimaras province will be the first to receive compensation from an international organization of oil firms, officials said Thursday.

The agreement was reached when Philippine officials met with representatives from the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) in London earlier this week, officials said.

Defense Secretary and concurrent National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) chairman Avelino Cruz Jr. said an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 fishermen were affected by the spill.

“We will start with the claims of the fishermen,” Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Anthony Golez told a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo.

“We advise the fishermen to properly prepare their claims,” said Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela.

Coscolluela said the IOPC could deny excessive claims or those with improper documentation.

(For the full story, click Fishers’ compensation.)

There’s hope in PBSP’s livelihood rehab plan

By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Inquirer, Oct. 26, 2006

(Last of a series of an I-Team Report)

THERE IS HOPE.

This is the battle cry of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the country’s leading corporate-led nongovernment organization, as it takes on the challenging role of crafting and implementing a long-term livelihood rehabilitation program for the fisherfolk and other residents affected by the oil spill in Guimaras province.

Covered by PBSP’s three- to five-year Guimaras Area Resource Management (ARM) Program are the estimated 4,019 households, primarily from the municipalities of Nueva Valencia and Sibunag, whose income from fishing, seaweed farming and aquaculture was slashed by the oil spill.

PBSP estimated that it would take as much as P90.96 million to bankroll all the livelihood projects outlined in its area resource management program, of which P52.64 million would be shouldered by the private sector led by PBSP.

This would go to the purchase of seedlings, seaweed materials, fish stocks and training.

A total of P10.16 million will come from government, P23.71 million from other nongovernment organizations and P4.45 million from the community itself.

Data from the provincial government showed that daily fish catch in the area went down from an average of 5 to 10 kilograms a day to just one to two after the MT Solar I sank on Aug. 11 in rough weather off Guimaras while ferrying for Petron Corp. 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil from Bataan to Zamboanga del Sur.

(For the full story, click Livelihood rehab. Earlier posting here.)

After oil spill, Semirara folk start rebuilding lives

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer, Oct. 26, 2006

SEMIRARA ISLAND, ANTIQUE – Ten months after a massive oil spill polluted this island, residents have begun slowly rebuilding their lives, away from media glare now focused on Guimaras that is reeling from the nation’s worst environmental disaster.

Fishermen and shell gatherers say their catch has slowly increased although it is still less than before the oil spill.

“It’s a bit better,” says Ildefonso Decanta, 49, a fisherman from Barangay Semirara, of his catch in recent months. He now gets at least five kilos of fish per day, which he sells at P50 per kilo. But he hopes this will increase to 10 kilos, just like before the oil spill.

Nenita Genivacio, 62, says she now gets five plastic packs of shells daily. She sells each pack for P15 to P20. This is still lower than the 10 packs she used to gather, but she believes things will get better.

On Dec. 18, 2005, a National Power Corp. barge, battered by strong winds and waves, ran aground off Semirara Island as it was being towed by a tugboat to Oriental Mindoro from Masbate.

About 360,000 liters of bunker fuel was spilled from the nearly 900,000 liters stored in the barge’s four fuel tanks, causing damage to mangroves and marine life in parts of the 5,045-hectare island.

(For the full story, click Semirara lives.)

From our mailbox…another shipment of donations

GUIMARAS DONATION DRIVE UPDATE

We’ll be sending another round of donations by the 2nd week of November. Donations in kind are appreciated : gloves (industrial/household), masks (preferably haz mat), rubber boots (industrial/fishing), old clothes, canned goods/ noodles, and medicine.

You can drop off your donations at #12 Highland Drive, Blueridge A, Katipunan, Q.C. or email cleanupoilspill@gmail.com if you want us to pick them up. Please don’t forget to send in your contact info.

Cash donations are also welcome. You may send them to us to be used for buying these goods for you. We also have a new account set up by Batas Kalikasan for the Guimaras effort. You can deposit cash donations at:

Metrobank PESO savings acct # 500-3-50004384-0 Ayala Acacia branch
payable to: Batas Kalikasan Foundation Inc.

We’d like to remind you guys to include your name and contact info with your donations so they can be properly addressed. For cash deposits, please email us your scanned deposit slips so we can send you a receipt. 🙂

Deadline of donations for the coming shipment is on Nov. 4, 2006. Thanks!

– From Lette Teodosio of the Visayan Sea Squadron

Coverup not cleanup in Guimaras

Bassinette Noderama
The Guardian Iloilo,
Oct. 17, 2006

MY maternal relatives based in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras have owned fishponds for several generations. Our place was one of those affected by the country’s worst oil spill caused by the sinking of M/T Solar I in August 11.

I avoid writing on this topic because it is very difficult to control my emotions. There are many things I want to include, but it is better that I don’t.

Looking at the Guimaras tragedy, I should say it is very painful to see the destruction of what used to be paradise. The old folks shed blood, sweat, and tears to develop what used to be virgin territory into a productive stretch. The younger ones just inherited the fruits of the previous generations’ sacrifices. It’s heart-wrenching to see the damage in my playground.

My childhood memories include a house perched on the highest part of the mountain. Other houses were several kilometers away. Everything in sight was beautiful.

From the porch, the sparkling waters off the island offered a refreshing sight. Wild birds flying over fishponds broke the monotony of the pristine landscape. Abundant marine resources not only ensured our food, but also allowed us to buy whatever we wanted.

Even poorer folks did not go hungry because they could also avail themselves of nature’s bounties. From the waters, they could get fish, crabs and lobsters, shells and seaweeds and sell them. They could also grow rice, fruits and vegetables and sell them all the same. Others also engaged in cottage industries.

Sadly, high levels of toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide prompted health officials to ask these coastal residents to evacuate. Some villagers sought refuge among relatives, and some went to evacuation centers. Many subsisted on dole-outs because their primary source of income was cut off.

Anyone who visits the spot can empathize with a victim, but the feeling is different if you yourself are the victim. A visitor who can smell the stench of bunker oil can choose to leave immediately; a resident who has no other place has to get used to it.

We are very grateful that aid and relief poured in from all sources. Many people even have sleepless nights just figuring out what to do to help us.

Indeed, it is very difficult to control my emotions. I’m writing this as a reaction to the reports that disaster managers plan to bury in the island the left-over oil sludge. What if we creatively package the oil sludge and deliver some to their homes as Christmas souvenirs?

I doubt that Guimaras is already cleared of oil debris and therefore safe from toxic gases, when the municipal health officer of Nueva Valencia herself said that they have not issued a clean bill of health on the 12 affected barangays.

Lately, when a group of media men including our Managing Editor Francis Allan Angelo visited some affected areas, residents and officials of six barangays attested that the beaches may look clean on the surface but there is still oil underneath. A resident also said they were ordered to cover with sand some affected areas. They also applied fresh coat of cement on the seawall.

The pictures that appeared on the front page of last Saturday’s issue of the Guardian proved all these. Such schemes rather make for a cover-up, not really a cleanup.

Since a picture “says a thousand words”—so I am more convinced by the facts presented by my newspaper colleague plus the pictures he took on location—rather than the pronouncements given by people who claim that Guimaras is already cleared of oil debris. After all, to see is to believe.

We need to see action, mayor says

Residents of Guimaras join a prayer rally at the Nueva Valencia public plaza to demand the removal of the oil from the sunken tanker Solar I and for assistance from the government and Petron. Photo from Panay News web site

BY NESTOR P. BURGOS
Panay News, Oct. 25, 2006

NUEVA VALENCIA, Guimaras – “We welcome the report that finally the oil will be recovered. But we need to see action rather than words. That is what we have been waiting for these past 73 days,” Nueva Valencia town Mayor Diosdado Gonzaga said yesterday.

About 500 residents from 10 villages severely affected by the oil spill yesterday joined a prayer rally at the Nueva Valencia public plaza to demand the removal of the remaining oil from the tanker and for assistance from the government and Petron for rehabilitation and livelihood.

The rally led by the Save Our Lives, SOS! Panay and Guimaras was also joined by Gonzaga, provincial board member Josephine de la Cruz and barangay officials from Guiwanon, Canhawan, Napandong, Lucmayan, Pandaraonan, Dolores, Tando, San Rogue, Igang and Sto. Domingo.

It was also joined by the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, United Church of Christ of the Philippines, Madia-as Ecological Movement, Gabriela and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.

“We want President (Macapagal-Arroyo) to ensure that the oil from the tanker will be removed because we will not have any peace as long as it is there,” Simeona Molato, 65, barangay health worker in the island-village of Guiwanon said.

Fr. Andy Mark Loma, Save Our Lives, SOS! spokesperson, said the plight of the affected residents especially the evacuees have been “forgotten.”

“They need continued support especially since the work offered by Petron has been stopped,” Lona said.

Take the ‘Xtra challenge’ Petron!

In a series of messages flashed along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares, Greenpeace yesterday told Petron to take the “extra challenge” and stop their oil spill that continues to menace human lives and the environment. The messages, parodies of Petron’s ubiquitous “Xtra challenge” ads, were projected onto walls and buildings along EDSA and other roads in Metro Manila. Photo from Greenpeace web site

Click here for the story.

Donors’ forum on Guimaras

From Task Force Sunrise

FUNDING institutions and non-government organizations that would want to rehabilitate the disaster-stricken province of Guimaras will be presenting their respective plans in a forum this week as an initial step at harmonizing all assistance for communities ruined by the Petron oil spill.

Dubbed “Guimaras Donors’ Forum,” the activity will serve as the provincial government’s primary mechanism for facilitating substantive dialogue and harmonization of development assistance that flooded Guimaras following what has now become the country’s worst environmental disaster.

The forum, set on October 26, 2006 at the Shirven Hotel in Barangay San Miguel in Jordan town, is organized by the provincial government of Guimaras through Task Force Sunrise, the quick response team created to address the disaster.

“This will serve as venue where the province and the donors can discuss coordination and areas for collaboration for the rehabilitation of the island and at the same time finalize commitments to various programs and initiatives,” says Guimaras Gov. Rahman Nava, MD., also the task force chair.

At least 11 international funding and relief agencies have already confirmed attendance to the forum, among them the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the German Development Cooperation (GTZ), World Vision International and the United Nations Development Programme.

NGOs attending the forum include the Petron Foundation, Mirant, Peace and Equity Foundation, the Philippine Business for Social Progress and the Panay Rural Development Council.

The forum will be highlighted by the presentation of the rapid assessment report on the extent of the damage wrought by the Petron oil spill and the framework for rehabilitation of the provincial government.

On the other hand, international agencies and NGOs will be given 10 minutes each to present their programs for Guimaras, their capacity and their resources.

Petron oil spill blamed for drop in fish catch

By DAVID ISRAEL SINAY
Panay News, Oct. 25, 2006

ILOILO City – The oil spill caused by the sinking of Petron Corp.’s chartered vessel, M/T Solar 1 caused a drop in fish catch in affected coastal barangays, fishery experts said during yesterday’s 1st Western Visayas Bangus Congress.

The oil spill also drove away fishes from spawning in the coastal areas of Arevalo District in Iloilo City all the way to the shores of Antique Province – considered as the “fry ground” of Western Visayas.

“Inevitably, the planktons and fish eggs, among others will be affected. Eventually, it will impair the marine ecosystem,” Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Director Drusila Esther Ong told Panay News.

Fishes have the tendency to “look for better breeding ground” or “other areas for habitat,” added Ong.

“If the places in their life stages are affected, they are also affected,” Ong disclosed. “Mangroves are their hatchery ground. Mangroves were disrupted. Their trunks were covered (with bunker fuel).”

Meanwhile, Ong said most pond operators still prefer traditional fish production. Most preferred for this, Ong said, is the wild milkfish because of its longer survival characteristic compared to hatchery-bred fingerlings.

Furthermore, Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Director Diosdado Cadena revealed that the oil spill has affected the survival rate of the fingerlings, hurting pond operators of wild milkfish.

“Fingerlings, initially, is a very technical input for fish producers. The disaster caused an incremental increase on the prices of the (wild milkfish) fingerlings. Cost of production is affected,” Cadena disclosed.

He said that fish producers have the tendency to adjust rather than just deal with the prices in the market.

Fish are jumping, but living not easy

By Leila Salaverria
Inquirer, Oct. 25, 2006

(Third of a series of an I-Team Report)

FISH ARE jumping, but the living is not easy on oil-smeared Guimaras.

Spooked by the worst environmental disaster in the nation’s history following the sinking of the MT Solar I on Aug. 11 off the island-province, fishermen aren’t going after what used to be the main source of their livelihood.

“There seems to be a lot of fish visible actually now from the shoreline of Guimaras and the people are just looking at them,” says Rafael Coscolluela, presidential adviser for western Visayas who is in charge of recovery operations in the area.

“Not yet, they were told,” Coscolluela says.

The Department of Health issued warnings on food safety in the affected coastline after the Solar I sank in stormy waters off Guimaras while ferrying 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil for Petron Corp. from Bataan to Zamboanga.

A 24-member research team from Silliman University commissioned by Petron conducted a weeklong rapid assessment and found that the oil spill had polluted 184 kilometers of coastline, 1,141 hectares of the mangrove ecosystem and about 88 ha of seagrass beds in Guimaras alone. It also spoiled tourist resorts and polluted fish haunts.

Coral reefs do not appear to have been affected, the team reported. (Site administrator: An independent Seafdec report disputes this.)

(For the full story, Fish jumping.)

Reinventing Guimaras: An island of unfulfilled dreams

ROUGHLY the size of Singapore, the sleepy island-province of Guimaras has been rudely roused from its dreamy slumber by a 20th-century environmental scourge – an oil spill.

Ironically, this may also catapult it to 21st-century modernity if development plans are achieved.

By law, the island was made a province in 1992, when it belonged to the derogatory “Club 20” of the poorest provinces in the country. Unable to create jobs for lack of investments, its local government units were also unable to deliver basic services to their poorest.

Guimaras became a province after the passage of the Local Government Code that transferred to local government units (LGUs) the task of providing basic services, which the national government used to do. The law also devolved to LGU personnel, assets, equipment and the tough task of economic survival.

Unfortunately, the new local governments did not have the proper structures, leadership, technical competence and resources to handle the demands of “devolved governance.”

Many development experts feel the province will have to dramatically reinvent itself if it is to fulfill the development promise brought about by its misfortune.

(For the full story, click Reinventing Guimaras, Oct. 25, 2006.)

PBSP bares P131.5M Guimaras rehab program

THE Philippine Business for Social Program (PBSP), a corporate-led foundation dedicated to the promotion of business sector involvement in social development, is proposing a P131.5-million rehabilitation program for Guimaras.

The program, according to its 31-page “Guimaras Area Resource Management Program” report, has three components, namely rehabilitation of the socio-economic system, resource or environmental regeneration and organizational development.

Under its proposal, PBSP and its members would be shelling out P81.6 million or 62 percent of the total program cost, while the government and the community will put up a counterpart of P11.4 million and P5.7 million respectively. The remaining P32 million will be sourced from other initiatives.

The funds will then cover livelihood rehabilitation (P90.7 million), ecological system rehabilitation (P12.5 million), organization system and basic services (P19.5 million), and administration (P8.7 million), adds the report.

“The goal of the (program) is the economic rehabilitation of the communities affected by the oil spill through business sector commitment and the provision of livelihood interventions that provides income above the poverty threshold,” the report said.

(For the full story, click Sunstar Iloilo, Oct. 25, 2006.)

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AFTER failing miserably in living up to Petron’s CSR, chairman Nick Alcantara has managed to hoodwink some of the most honorable CEOs on PBSP’s Board of Trustees to spend for what his company should be paying for in the first place.

Check out this link to know the good people on PBSP’s Board of Trustees, and the other members who have sadly colluded with Petron in downplaying the Guimaras oil spill.

Microbes eating oil in Pandacan to the rescue

SCIENTISTS and scholars, as well as engineers and environmentalists, will have to be adept both in operating robotic arms from submersibles and seeding oil-eating microbes to find a lasting solution to the oil spill from Guimaras island-province. Luckily, they don’t have to look far.

Experts from the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) have found an indigenous source of oil-gobbling bacteria that can clean up Guimaras in a jiffy.
Unfortunately, the bacteria, found in great abundance in the oil rich esteros (creeks) of the oil depots in Pandacan, Manila, will have to give up their lives in the process of cleaning up the oil.

But scientists are not worried over the microbes’ supreme sacrifice. The microbes can multiply as quickly as they gobble up the oil – at the prodigious rate of doubling their population every 20 minutes. This translates to a reproductive rate of 7,200 times a day, according to DoST scientists.

The bacteria, scientifically known as Pseudomonas aeroginosa, is one of four indigenous oleophiliac (oil-eating) microbes that can be inoculated into oil spills to wipe them out in no time at all, says engineer Romeo N. Cabacang, chief of the Microbiology and Genetics Division-Industrial Technology Development Institute of the DoST.

Cabacang says the microbe, which thrives in the oil-rich esteros of Pandacan, is not only a voracious oil-eater but also a prodigious reproducer.

(For the full story, click INQ7.Net, Oct. 24, 2006.)

Greenpeace urges Petron to hasten oil retrieval

• Protest message: ‘73 days and still ticking’

By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer, Oct. 25, 2006

BUILDINGS, fences and every free surface in Makati City were turned into walls of protest on Monday night when environmental advocates toured the country’s financial district to rouse an oil giant allegedly sleeping on its responsibility for the country’s worst oil spill.

Armed with a powerful manual projector, members of Greenpeace Southeast Asia displayed around the city their demands for Petron Corp. to own up to its liability in the massive oil spill that hit the coasts of Guimaras and Iloilo.

“We have noticed that there are efforts to downplay the role of Petron in the oil spill, while it should be the one mainly accountable. We want to target the public to pressure Petron…this is the only way to neutralize the efforts to downplay its [liability],” said Beau Baconguis, Greenpeace toxics campaigner for Southeast Asia.

Like ticking time bomb

On walls, buildings and even the steel Metro Rail Transit (MRT) tracks over Guadalupe Bridge, Greenpeace volunteers directed messages urging Petron to pay for the retrieval of the MT Solar I, the Petron-chartered tanker which sank off Guimaras on Aug. 11 amid turbulent waters while carrying 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil.

“Guimaras is like a ticking time bomb. Why is it taking too long to retrieve the oil? The threat to marine life will continue until oil [in the tanker’s hold] is retrieved,” Baconguis told the Inquirer.

Among the messages displayed were “73 days and still ticking,” in reference to the number of days since oil began leaking from the Solar I, and “Petron, take the xtra-challenge,” a dare which parodies the oil firm’s commercial.

“Petron should take the challenge to stop the oil spill,” Baconguis said.

The group had originally planned to project the messages onto white cloth that volunteer climbers would hang from an empty billboard frame on the northbound side of EDSA’s Guadalupe stretch. But its projector proved powerless against the strong lights illuminating surrounding commercial billboards. The group then decided to use friendlier surfaces.

Monday night’s protest was part of Greenpeace’s effort to air its demand for Petron to “speed up the process of extracting the oil as soon as possible by guaranteeing the expected costs, immediately intensifying relief operations, committing to pay for the continuing cleanup, rehabilitating and monitoring the area (Guimaras), and compensating [affected] communities for [residents’] lost income since Aug. 11 up to at least a year,” the group said in a statement.

Oil pollution fund panel OK’s siphoning operation

By Carla Gomez
Inquirer, Oct. 24, 2006

BACOLOD CITY – The International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC) executive committee has approved the funding for pumping the remaining bunker fuel out of the sunken tanker Solar I, Presidential adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela said Tuesday.

“Success. We got approval [for the oil retrieval operation] but the formal resolution will be out Friday. We had some difficulty with the Spanish delegation, but overwhelming support from everyone else.” Coscolluela said in a text message from London, where the committee met on Monday.

There were no further details since Coscolluela, who also heads the oil spill cleanup operations in Western Visayas, could not be reached through his cell phone.

IOPC claims manager Captain Patrick Joseph has said that IOPC Fund executive director Mans Jacobsson had informed the executive committee that the siphoning operation was necessary and was admissible for IOPC funding.

The IOPC provides compensation for oil pollution damage caused by spills from tankers.

The Solar I sank on August 11 with 2.1 million liters of Petron bunker fuel and caused an oil spill that has polluted the coasts of Guimaras and Iloilo.

Since typhoons are still expected to pass through the Philippines right through December, the operation to retrieve the oil remaining in the tanker would have to be undertaken early next year, Joseph said. The operation would require between 20 and 30 days of calm seas since the hardware that will be deployed cannot operate in foul weather, he explained.

The development came at about the same time the government was supposed to begin siphoning efforts at the sunken MT Solar I, which now rests at the seabed near Guimaras Island.

Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr earlier said that “engineering works” were already underway at the 998-ton vessel while awaiting the IOPC’s decision.

He then said that the actual siphoning could begin by the third week of October.

On October 16, however, Cruz said that it would not be advisable to siphon off the oil sooner than December.

Citing information from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (Pagasa), Cruz said six significant weather disturbances were still expected to hit the country.

“That is their target…December [or] January, because the prediction of Pagasa is that there are six more typhoons coming this October and November. It’s not
favorable if you siphon off the oil when there is (a) typhoon,” Cruz told reporters.

National calamity

Two weeks after the August 11 oil spill, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo acknowledged the Guimaras oil spill a “national calamity.”

Some 39,000 residents in Iloilo, Guimaras and Negros Occidental have been coping with toxic fumes and oil sludge on their shores.

The ecological devastation spoiled close to 234 km of coastlines in 58 villages.

About 200,000 to 300,000 liters of fuel had already leaked out of the vessel, but oil sheens and blobs of petroleum have been occassionally sighted in the area where the tanker sunk.

Also in London, Doctor Anthony Golez, administrator of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), did not say how much money the IOPC released, but expressed willingness to provide additional details very soon.

“(We) will be back in Manila on Wednesday. It might be worth your story,” he GMANews.TV.

Up to $310 M

Petron Corp., which chartered the ill-fated vessel, is a member of the IOPC. The Board of Marine Inquiry (BMI) earlier found that the oil firm “overloaded” the Solar I with industrial fuel.

Last August 28, President Arroyo announced that the Philippines may draw some $310 million from the IOPC for oil spill cleanup and recovery efforts.

The compensation will be made available under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention (CLC) and Fund Convention.

Compensation is available under both the Civil Liability and Fund Conventions for loss of income as a direct consequence of an oil spill. Preventative and clean up costs incurred by governments and other bodies may also be claimed.

In cases where pollution damage exceeds the compensation limit under the Civil Liability and Fund Convention, the supplementary IOPC Funds can top up the remaining amount.

“The Philippines, being a signatory in the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions, has the right for compensation,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

“The biggest amount the fund can pay is $310 mllion,” she said. (With a report from GMANews.TV)

NBI readies criminal case vs Solar 1 owner, captain

By Tetch Torres
INQ7.net, Oct. 24, 2006

THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started searching for victims of the oil spill in Guimaras Island in preparation for a criminal case to be filed against the owner and captain of the ship that had caused the environmental disaster, an official of the Department of Justice said.

“We need to find out exactly how many and who are the people affected by the spill. Affected meaning they got sick, they have relatives who died because of the polluted water and the likes,” said Ernesto Pineda, justice undersecretary, of the task to be undertaken by a team of NBI agents, led by Edgar Villarta.

MT Solar 1 sank off Guimaras Island on August 11, causing one of the worst oil spills in the country. Norberto Aguro was the captain of the ship owned by the Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation (SMDC).

Aside from the families in Guimaras, Pineda said the NBI would also talk to the relatives of the two missing Solar 1 crew.

A study conducted by Siliman University said the damage to potential fish products, which would have come from the mangroves, wood, and sea grass in the area, was estimated at P32.8 million.

Reports also say that several residents have gotten sick and some have even died because of the heavily polluted water.

“We need all these people to further strengthen our case. Of course, it’s not only the government but we also need private complainants before we file the case,” Pineda said.

Meanwhile, Pineda said Petron Corp. whose bunker fuel was being carried by Solar 1 at the time of the accident could face a separate civil case for overloading.

“We are still waiting for more evidence from the Marine authorities,” Pineda said.

Central Philippines has highest marine biodiversity

Bassinette Noderama
The Guardian Iloilo
Oct. 24, 2006

LAST week, the project manager of the Species Identification Data Program of the United Nations led a forum on marine conservation here in Iloilo City.

Dr. Kent Edward Carpenter, co-author of the scientific paper titled “The Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity: The Philippine Islands,” was the guest speaker at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Iloilo campus. More significantly, Carpenter discussed the implications of the M/T Solar I oil spill in Guimaras.

Carpenter’s study showed that central Philippines has the world’s highest marine biodiversity according to different categories of distribution type, habitat type, and major taxonomic group.

Our area is said to be part of the heart of the Coral Triangle. The triangle is formed when the Sulu-Sulawesi corridor at the border between the Philippines and Indonesia is connected to Papua New Guinea.

Scientists discovered that the Coral Triangle harbors 600 species of corals, 1,200 species of fin fish, 700 species of algae, 33 species of mangrove, five of seven known species of sea turtles, and at least 24 species of crustaceans.

The preliminary Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis indicated that out of the almost 3,000 combined ranges of generalized map of marine species in the Coral Triangle, the central Philippines has the highest marine diversity.

Our country has the highest concentration of marine species per unit area. Other studies may have identified Indonesia as the area with the highest coral reef diversity simply because the world’s biggest archipelago occupies a much bigger zone.

Threats to the Philippine marine resources compelled three groups— Conservation International-Philippines, First Gen Corp., and First Philippines Conservation Inc.—to forge a partnership to address the problems.

They came up with the Sulu Sulawesi Seascape Project, a venture seeks to build a strong foundation for a long-term conservation program to address threats to biological diversity on three countries—Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines

The visit of the esteemed marine biologist to Iloilo City was timely. The M/T Solar I oil spill off Guimaras has already damaged our marine resources. The threat of bigger damage is a Damocles sword that we have to watch out for as long as there is still bunker oil in the sunken tanker.

It may be noted that the seascape project spans three countries. Water molecules and marine organisms have no idea about territorial boundaries so they just go wherever particular conditions take them. Factors such as water current, wind direction, environmental temperature, and chemical composition determine the spread of organisms.

Water movement may be hampered by barriers such as land mass or environmental conditions. Contaminated seawater, such as that coming from the vicinity of Guimaras can affect life forms along its path.

There is always domino effect in any ecosystem, particularly in relation to the food chain where action and reaction are the pattern. Of course, we also consider that contaminants, such as bunker oil, may undergo natural dispersal and/or decomposition.

Environmental protection should be everyone’s concern. Preserving our marine biodiversity is important because marine resources play a big role in our life.

While these natural treasures may be lost because we take them for granted—sadly, we realize their real value of a thing when they’re already gone.

Retrieval a complicated engineering operation

By Leila Salaverria
Inquirer, Oct. 24, 2006

(Second of a series of an I-Team Report)

EXPERTS are fast-tracking intricate engineering preparations for the dangerous task of removing the remaining bunker fuel oil from the sunken MT Solar I as international insurers and scientists decide on the most auspicious time to carry out the retrieval operations.

It will not be easy, say Philippine officials and environmentalists, who have been knocking their heads to see to it that the recovery effort, to be financed by the London-based International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC), will come off without a hitch.

Just assembling the equipment will take weeks for the operation that will have to take place on a clear day, when the sea is calm.

The Solar I was carrying 2.1 million liters of oil for Petron Corp. from Bataan to Zamboanga del Sur when it went down on Aug. 11 in choppy waters off Guimaras, causing environmental damage to the island’s rich marine life and resorts.

Siphoning the oil will require vessels with dynamic positioning (DP) systems that will allow them to remain fixed in an area above the Solar I by using their propellers and thrusters. Mooring or anchoring is not feasible in the sea 630 meters deep, where the crippled tanker sits on the floor.

(For the full story, click Retrieval.)

Breaktime : Relief moods

By Conrado R. Banal III
Inquirer, Oct. 24, 2006

LET me advise the kids – among those 3,000 or so families living in Guimaras – to stay out of the ongoing debate over the two-million-liter oil spill in the seas near their homes.

According to a report from NGOs, those families are going hungry. Thanks to the oil spill, they have lost their livelihood. Even the so-called relief goods are now getting there in trickles. There is not enough food for everybody. Thus, malnutrition among the children must be getting worse.

Prior to the oil spill, or what the media called the “worst environmental disaster” in this country – courtesy of the sunken tanker MT Solar I, which was carrying bunker fuel oil for our beloved Petron Corp. (majority-owned by the Saudi firm Aramco in partnership with our government) – about 20 out of 100 children in the area were said to be suffering from malnutrition.

Nobody dares to come up with a guess today. The figure must be somewhere up there in the stratosphere.

And so those poor people, barely surviving prior to the disaster, should better stay out of the dead-serious debate on how our government should attack this complicated issue, which is way beyond their understanding. They don’t have to wait that much longer, anyway. Judging from the leisurely pace of the resolution of the crisis – i.e., who must pay up – I would say that the debate should be over in their next life.

(For the rest of the column, click Conrad Banal.)

‘Cleanup’ of oil spill poses more health hazards

Inquirer, Oct. 24, 2006

THIS is in reference to the news item on the admission of Petron Corp. that they were given instructions to just cover the traces of MT Solar 1 oil spill on Guimaras Island. (Inquirer, 10/19/06)

I was in Guimaras late August and saw with my own eyes what the workers reported. When I visited the village of La Paz in Nueva Valencia town, for example, I noticed that something was wrong with the way the shore looked then: The stretch near the water was black with sludge, while the inner stretch was white with sand. When I dug a few inches into the white sand, I uncovered black sludge underneath. Even the black oil stain on the breakwater was painted over.

Worse, in the island village of Guiwanon in Nueva Valencia, recovered oil sludge and contaminated debris were dumped and buried in an uncontaminated farmland near the shore.

It is deplorable that those who were responsible for the oil spill – an accident, they claimed – would have no qualms about exposing the affected communities to more health hazards by merely sweeping the contamination under the rug, so to speak. We wonder what could happen should the affected areas be finally declared clean after this sweep-the-dirt-under-the-rug method of cleanup.

Where is justice here? After the worst disaster ever to hit the Guimarasnons, an attempt is apparently being made to fool them. Petron must face up to their responsibility by doing a thorough cleanup of the oil spill.

–REY PALACIO, coordinator, Research & Public Information, Citizens’ Disaster Response Center, West Triangle Homes, Quezon City