Oil spill victims decry allegations of politics in claims

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer Visayas Bureau
06/28/2007

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Oil spill damage claimants in Miag-ao town denied that irregularities marred the filing and payment claims of residents affected by the Petron oil spill off Guimaras Island in August 2006.

They denounced Iloilo Representative Janette Garin for making these allegations.

In a manifesto passed on June 12, members of the Miag-ao Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) denied that fraudulent claims were made without verification aside from the recommendation of politicians.

Around 523 beneficiaries in Miag-ao received around P1.7 million in compensation for damages incurred from the oil spill.

The claimants said they “underwent rigid screening” by the office of the municipal agriculturist and submitted sufficient documents and requirements proving they were oil spill victims.

They pointed out that the claims were processed before the election period and the signing of Miag-ao Mayor Gerardo Flores was only “incidental.”

The claimants said Garin was the one who made the compensation process “a political gimmick.”

Garin’s statements were contained in an e-mail she sent to Hugh Bayley, a member of the United Kingdom House of Commons.

She named Flores, whom she defeated in the congressional race in the May 14 elections, outgoing Dumangas Mayor Rolando Distura and then provincial board member Niel Tupas Jr. as among the politicians who were recommending the claimants.

Garin also accused the personnel of the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund of allowing the alleged scam to happen because of “wanton laziness” in verifying the claims and of tolerating “barbaric political gimmickry.”

IOPC director Willem Oosterveen earlier disputed Garin’s allegations.

The IOPC is an inter-governmental organization which provides compensation to oil spill victims.

The claimants said, in their manifesto, that Garin’s actions “jeopardized the chances for claims of some 2,000 additional victims.” They also asked Garin for a dialogue in the presence of members of the media.

Garin said she was willing to dialogue with the Miag-ao claimants but she also stood by her allegations.

She maintained that the compensation claims were used for political purposes, from the identification of recipients to the distribution of payments.

Garin said the processing and payments of claimants during the election period went against the agreement reached in a meeting of Iloilo representatives, Petron officials and Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

She said they agreed that the payments for Iloilo claimants would be made after the elections to avoid it being influenced by partisan politics.

Only the claimants from Miag-ao and Oton towns received compensation because the other coastal towns in the First District moved back their filing of claims to after the elections, said Garin.

She said the claimants in Oton were given priority being the worst affected in the district.

Garin said she issued the statement because the country’s reputation was at stake in the receipt of assistance from foreign agencies.

“I came out in the open because we need to be transparent,” Garin said in a telephone interview.

Anti-oil pollution bill enacted into law

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has signed into law Republic Act (RA) 9483 or the Oil Pollution Compensation Act which penalizes oil pollution damage and seeks to immediately compensate those who suffer from it.

Arroyo signed the measure on June 2, 2007, before she left for Rome, Portugal, and China. The bill was supposed to lapse into law on June 4.

The new law seeks to implement the provisions of the 1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and the 1992 International Convention on the establishment of an international fund for compensation for oil pollution damage. It was an offshoot of the oil spill that hit Guimaras island last year due the sinking of the motor tanker Solar 1 ferry.

RA 9483 provides that the ship owner shall be liable for the pollution damage, including the expenses in sea and on-shore clean-up, the loss of earnings suffered by owners or users of the contaminated property and those who rely on it, the damage to human health and loss of life, and the environmental damage and cost of restoration.

However, the owner of the vessel will not be held liable if the incident resulted from war, hostilities, rebellion, or natural phenomenon; if it was caused intentionally by a third party; and if it was caused by negligence of government, enforcement agencies, or if caused intentionally by those who suffered the damage.

The law requires a ship owner to constitute a fund representing the limit of his liability with the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to cover incidents causing pollution damage. Any claim for compensation shall be brought directly to the Regional Trial Court (RTC).

All shop owners shall be required annually by the Marina to maintain insurance or other financial security for pollution damage. A certificate attesting that insurance or any other financial security shall be issued to each ship carrying more than 2,000 tons of oil in bulk.

Ships carrying more than 2,000 tons of oil in bulk cargo shall not be allowed entry into Philippine territory or its exclusive economic zone without a certificate of insurance or financial security for pollution damage.

Any person who has received more than 150,000 tons of contributing oil in a calendar in all ports or terminal installations in the Philippines by sea shall pay contributions to the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC).

Under the new law, those who fail to institute or maintain insurance or other financial security shall pay P100,000 to P15 million depending on the ship’s tonnage.

The owner and master of a ship who operate a vessel without maintaining a certificate of insurance shall pay P500,000 on the first violation, P1 million on the second, and P1.5 million on the third.

Any person who fails to contribute to the IOPC Fund shall pay P3 million on the first violation, P4 million on the second, and P5 million on the third.

Failure to submit a report of carrying crude or fuel oil will pay P500,000 on the first violation, P1 million on the second violation, and P1.5 million on the third.

Those who obstruct the entry of authorized officials aboard any ship shall be pay a fine of not more than P100,000. Any ship apprehended for violating the Oil
Pollution Compensation Act shall be detained.

The fines will increase by at least 10 percent every three years to compensate for inflation and maintain the deterrent function of the fines.

An Oil Pollution Management Fund will be established and administered by the Marina. It will come from contributions of owners and operators of tankers and barges hauling oil and petroleum products in Philippine waters and from fines imposed by the law.

The fund shall be used for the immediate containment, removal and clean-up operations in oil pollution cases and for research, enforcement and monitoring activities of concerned agencies. (JMR/Sunnex, Sunstar Manila, June 16, 2007)

GMA: Guimaras recovery fast – press release

Iloilo City (13 June) – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed satisfaction over the rehabilitation efforts initiated for the recovery of the once oil-spill devastated province of Guimaras.

President Arroyo made this assessment as she listened to the report of Petron CEO Nicasio Alcantara on the activities undertaken in Guimaras to mitigate the effects of oil spill to human and marine life.

Alcantara reported on the cash for work program which resulted to the cleaning up of the oil-spill affected shorelines in less than four months. He said that the scientific community from leading institutions have provided needed inputs for ecological recovery.

He was pleased to report to the President that according to the UPV, the affected mangrove areas are slowly recovering, and based on a study by Siliman University ’s Dr. Angel Alcala, there is no visual evidence of coral damage.

The Petron CEO also reported of the oil retrieval operations conducted by Sonsub, and that the IOPC has ensured that those affected by the oil spill are reasonably compensated.

“About a hundred million pesos has been given to claimants,” he said as he pointed out that Petron has continuing program to ensure the safe transport of fuels.

Another long term rehabilitation program of Petron was materialized with the construction of Library Hub in Jordan, with President Arroyo leading the inauguration yesterday.

The Petron Library hub received an initial 36, 000 books and this will be made available to teachers and administrators for schools within the designated area. Each school is allowed to borrow the book bundles for a period of 30 days.

President Arroyo asked Petron to install computer terminal in each of the 17 high schools, and according to her Petron readily said yes. She stressed that one of her ten-point agenda is education for all where high schools would have computer linkage before her term ends in 2010.

During the occasion, the President was also presented with the MOA signed between Petron and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center to establish a Mariculture livelihood model farm within the Seafdec facilities in Nueva Valencia. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also turned over the P3 million seed capital to four Self-Employment Assistance Kabuhayan Associations for seaweed farming. (Phil. Information Agency)

Petron assures safety of fuel transport in Guimaras – press release

Iloilo City (14 June) — With lessons already learnt from the devastation brought by the Solar! oil spill incident to the province of Guimaras, Petron assured President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the public that they have instituted measures to ensure the safe transport of their fuels.

This assurance was made by Petron CEO Nicasio Alcantara to President Arroyo during the inauguration of the Petron Library Hub, and turn over of multi-million peso-livelihood assistance for the oil spill affected people of Guimaras.

It may be recalled that MT Solar ! sank off the Guimaras Strait in August 11, 2006. The tanker spilled some two million liters of oil and affected 11 coastal barangays in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.

Alcantara said that they have launched in 2004 a shipping alliance project, a continuing program to ensure the safe transport of fuels.

Towards this end, Alcantara said “we launched the building of nine new double-hull and double bottom vessels by 2008, ahead of international regulations”.

He said that the first vessel was inaugurated in 2005, followed by another in 2006, and the third vessel which is considered the largest and most modern oil-tanker in the Philippines.

He further told the Preisdent that they have joined the East Asia Response Limited, the largest oil spill response organization in the world.

“This enhances our capability, and that includes the government, to deal with very large oil spills giving us access to rapid response services,” the Petron CEO concluded.
(Phil. Information Agency)

PGMA turns over of P12-M worth of projects in Guimaras

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited Guimaras Wednesday to turn over projects expected to spur the development of the province and hasten its recovery after the 2006 Solar I oil spill incident.

Guimaras will receive more or less P12-million worth of projects ranging from a library hub, classrooms and livelihood programs.

President Arroyo inaugurated the P7-million library hub constructed by Petron Corporation containing some 36,000 books donated by the San Francisco Public Library, Saudi Aramco, Bato Balani Foundation, and other donors.

Likewise, Petron unveiled its P1.5 million four-classroom building in Tando, simultaneous with the turn over activity held in San Miguel, Guimaras.

Four rersidents’ associations that were affected by the spill received initial seed capital to the tune of P525,000 out of the P3-million financial assistance that was given by Petron via the Self-Employment Assistance Kaunlaran (SEA-K-) program through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

President Arroyo likewise witnessed the signing of an agreement between the South East Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) for the establishment of a mariculture project in Igang, Nueva Valencia, the worst hit municipality during the tragic oil spill.

Petron shelled out another P3-million as financial support to the mariculture project. (PNA, June 14, 2007)

Arroyo set to sign Bill calling for oil spill funds

By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief
Gulfnews, June 11, 2007

Manila: President Gloria Arroyo has promised to sign a Bill that calls for the setting aside of funds to handle the costs of oil spills, following the country’s two worst incidents in 2005 and 2006, a senior official told Gulf News yesterday.

“The president supports the Bill that calls for the establishment of the Oil Management Fund, even if she failed to sign it earlier,” said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

“The proposed Oil Pollution Compensation Act was crafted last year, but she could not act on it because she was on foreign trips most of the time,” Ermita said, adding Arroyo has promised not to veto the Bill.

“She thinks the Bill must become law. It is a very important measure especially after we suffered two of our worst ever oil spills in 2005 and 2006, which affected Guimaras and Semirara islands respectively,” Ermita added.

Arroyo has been criticised by several sectors for having not signed the Bill already. The proposed creation of the Oil Pollution Management Fund was included in the Bill after an oil spill off Guimaras Island last year.

Cost

A barge of the government-run National Power Corporation spilled more than 300,000 litres of oil off Semirara Island in Caluya, Antique in December 2005, damaging 113 hectares of mangrove and 40 kilometre of coastline.

The clean-up cost was estimated at 80 million pesos (Dh6.2 million)

An oil tanker, chartered by Petron Corporation, then spilled 1.8 million litres of bunker fuel off Guimaras Island in August 2006.

The worst oil spill in the country’s history damaged 450 hectares (1,112 acres) of mangroves, 116 hectares (287 acres) of seaweed plantations, 15.8 square kilometres of coral reef habitat, and about 220 kilometres of coastline.

The clean up cost was 250 million pesos (Dh19.6 million).

P4-M fund to boost Guimaras, Iloilo mangrove rehab – press release

Iloilo City (7 June) – Rehabilitation of oil spill-affected mangrove areas in Guimaras and Iloilo will be given another boost with the turning over of P4 million by Mirant Philippines to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The announcement was made yesterday by DENR VI representative during the Solar Oil Spill (SOS) press briefing called for by Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas ,Rafael Coscolluela who also heads the Task Force SOS.

DENR press report said that the oil spill from MT Solar I, caused damaged to 687.48 hectares of mangrove areas, 20nhectares of seagrasses, 100 hectares of coral reefs, 994 hectares of fishponds, 107 hectares of seaweeds farms, and 234.84 kilometers of coastline. It also displaced 155,00 people in three coastal towns of Guimaras and two towns of Iloilo.

During the press briefing, PA Coscolluela appealed to the media to help inform the public of the reported fake letter bearing the forged signature of Mr. Joe Nichols of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund or IOPC, informing local officials of Guimaras regarding that the second batch of claimants will be paid in June.

“This is an unfortunate incident which could become a source of embarrassment for the country,” Coscolluela said.

He stressed that the IOPC is still evaluating the compensation claims and they will make proper announcement for the release of payments. (Phil. Information Agency)

IOPC exec laments solon’s allegation that politics tainted payment of oil spill claims

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, June 8, 2007

The head of the inter-governmental organization which provides compensation to oil spill victims has lamented allegations that their organization allowed itself to be used by politicians during the election period in the payment of claims for victims of the oil spill.

International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund Director Willem Oosterveen said it was unfortunate the final stages of the payment of the claims had become the “object of political canvassing” in connection with May 14 elections.

Oosterveen made the statement in a letter dated May 9 to Hugh Bayley, a member of the United Kingdom House of Commons.

Bayley had called the the IOPC’s attention on the alleged irregularities after he received an e-mail from Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Garin.

In her e-mail, a copy of which was furnished to the Philippine government with Oosterveen’s letter, Garin alleged that fraudulent claims were made which had no verification aside from the recommendation of politicians. She identified the politicians as Miag-ao town Mayor Gerardo Flores, whom Garin defeated in last month’s elections, Dumangas Mayor Rolando Distura and provincial board member Niel Tupas Jr.

She also accused IOPC personnel of allowing the alleged scam to happen because of “wanton laziness” in verifying the claims and of tolerating “barbaric political gimmickry”.

Oosterveen refuted Garin’s allegations.

“Some of my colleagues in the Fund Secretariat have worked tirelessly to have these claims assessed and to make the payments as adequately and quickly as possible, even giving up their Christmas holidays in order to alleviate the hardship on those most seriously affected,” he said in his letter.

He said they have no facts to substantiate the allegations but would not hesitate to stop or suspend the payments if they have proof.

The IOPC official defended the process they have adopted in the processing and verification of claims of oil spill victims which requires the claimants to submit a duly filled up claim form signed by five officials (barangay captain, local fisheries officer, municipal mayor, governor or congressman).

“It’s the Fund’s view that process adopted has worked extremely well, although it was recognized at the outset that a small number of people who were not bonafide fisherfolk might get through the system,” said Osterveen.

He said they have adopted “flexible approach” different from the one they used in other oil spill incidents because a very large number of fisherfolks who operate on subsistence or semi-commercial basis could not provide documentary evidence to prove their losses.

He admitted that the process was “not perfect but (was) the most appropriate way of ensuring that compensation was paid to bonafide fisherfolk.”

The News Today sought Garin for comment but she is out of the country for a conference.

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the regional Task Force Solar I Oil Spill, said these controversies and allegations of irregularities surrounding the compensation of victims of the oil spill could become an international embarrassment.

He said Philippine officials are concerned that these issues will be tackled during the international conference of the IOPC Fund set on June 12-16 in Montreal, Canada.

Coscolluela said they are also concerned with the impact of the circulation of the fake letter sent to Guimaras officials announcing that the second batch of claimants in Guimaras will be paid starting this month.

“This prank is an unfortunate incident. We do not know who is crazy enough to do this,” said Coscolluela.

IOPC officials had denied sending the letter saying that they have not finished verifying the more than 100,000 claims submitted.

Coscolluela said they would look deeper into the incident but expressed doubt that they would identify those responsible as it is impossible to trace the source. The letters were mailed to barangay officials from the post office in Iloilo City.

He said the prank could be part of an attempt to embarrass IOPC officials who had earlier publicly blamed the deluge of claimants in Guimaras to the political intramurals between rival candidates in Guimaras.

Election ban blamed for late release of Guimaras rehab funds

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, June 7, 2007

Ten months after a massive oil spill struck Guimaras Island, less than a third of the government funds to rehabilitate the affected areas and communities have been released.

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the regional Task Force Solar I Oil Spill, said the release of the bulk of the P863 million fund has been delayed because it was affected by the ban on public spending during the election period.

Coscolluela said in a press conference that only P199.5 million released or 30 percent of the fund has been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

He said the release of the bulk of the fund was “held in abeyance” because of the election period. The fund is part of the supplemental budget approved by Congress last year to finance rehabilitation programs and livelihood projects for affected residents and areas in Guimaras.

The release include P61.5 million for the Department of Agriculture (DA), P1 million for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), P5 milllion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), P40 million for Guimaras local government units, P60 million for the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) and P32 million for other agencies.

The release of the remaining P663.5 million needs the endorsement of the National Disaster Coordinating Council to the Office of the President which will direct the DBM to release the fund.

But Coscolluela said with the election over, there is no legal impediment for the release of the remaining fund.

The DBM is expected to release the first half of the fund after the directive has been issued by Malacañang. The second half will be released after the agencies have liquidated the first disbursement.

Coscolluela stressed that the fund must be utilized before the end of year or they will be reverted to national treasury.

He said that with the implementation of the rehabilitation program the oil spill incident is “coming to a close.”

IOPC reduces number of 2nd round claimants

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, June 6, 2007

Out of the more than 100,000 claims submitted by the second round of claimants for pollution damages from the Petron oil spill in Guimaras, only 2,600 have been found duly accomplished, the head of the regional task force on the oil spill said.

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the regional task force Solar I Oil Spill, said the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund has set aside the rest of the claims because they lacked information.

Coscolluela made the announcement as he warned against a spurious letter sent to barangay officials in Guimaras announcing that payments for the second batch of claimants will be released starting this month.

He said IOPC claims manager Patrick Joseph has denied that any official of their organization issued the letters. The IOPC is a London-based intergovernmental agency that indemnifies losses resulting from oil spills.

Coscolluela said that Joseph has informed him that no payments are possible this month because the IOPC is still validating the claim forms submitted by the second batch of claimants.

The IOPC has finished examining the forms but have not started validating the claims, said Coscolluela.

“The IOPC said the letter is a fake and that the signature is a forgery,” Coscolluela said in a telephone interview.

He said the IOPC claims office in Guimaras got hold of a copy of the letter sent to barangay captains on the island after the barangay officials tried to verify the notice.

The one-page letter dated May 18 informed the barangay captains that the payment for the second batch of claimants for pollution damages resulting from the August 2006 oil spill will be released starting this month.

The letter, purportedly signed by IOPC Deputy Director Joe Nichols, also instructed the claimants to bring valid identification cards and their residence certificate.

The IOPC earlier raised alarm over the large number of claimants for the second batch. It said the number of claimants, including the 11,400 already paid, is already 80 percent of the total population of Guimaras Island. It pointed out that the oil spill could not have affected such a large number of residents.

Nichols had also lamented how the compensation fund was used for political reasons by rival Guimaras officials during the election campaign period.

Coscolluela said they could not yet explain the proliferation of the fake letters and who is responsible.

“What could be the motive and who will benefit from this?” said Coscolluela.

The IOPC last year paid around P118.5 million to more than 11,000 residents of Guimaras Island whose livelihood were affected after the Solar I sank on Aug. 12 spilling 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel it was transporting for Petron from Bataan to Zamboanga. The victims each got around from P4,800 to P32,000.

It has also paid P2,790,614 to 819 residents of coastal villages of Iloilo city and P57 million to around 11,000 claimants of Iloilo province.

GMA backs creation of fund on oil pollution

By Joyce Pangco Pañares
Manila Standard, June 6, 2007

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will support the bill establishing an Oil Pollution Management Fund, a proposal that came up following the Guimaras oil spill in August last year.

A similar measure, the proposed Oil Pollution Compensation Act, was crafted last year but the President could not act on it because she was on foreign trip most of the time, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said .

“Definitely she supports that even if she failed to sign it. That is a very important measure and she will not veto it,” Ermita said.

The bill, authored by Senator Pia Cayetano, who chairs the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, seeks to establish who should shoulder the cost of emergency containment and cleanup operations as well as the compensation for damages to health and livelihood during oil spill incidents.

“This measure is the product of the series of hearings and on-site inquiries we conducted during two of the worst spill incidents that struck the country in the last two years,” Cayetano said.

The lawmaker was referring to the Napocor power barge 106 oil spill off Semirara Island in December 2005 and the Solar I oil spill off the coast of Guimaras Island in August 2006.

An estimated 200,000 liters of bunker fuel spilled off the waters of Semirara Island and damaged 113 hectares of mangrove and beach area.

Last year, the worst oil spill in the country’s history occurred off the coast of Guimaras where some 1.8 million liters of bunker fuel chartered by oil giant Petron Corp. polluted the island’s waters.

Ermita said a salient point of the bill is the creation of the fund which will be used to cover containment and cleanup operations by the Philippine Coast Guard in the case of an oil spill.

It will also require any person or firm that will ship more than 150,000 tons of oil to report and pay contributions to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund.

The bill was approved by the Senate in February and has been transmitted last month to Malacañang for the President’s approval. Congress rules state that a bill will become law 30 days after it has been approved or if it is signed by the President into law.

Three months ago, the IOPC has started paying nearly P3 million to the residents of Iloilo City who were affected by the oil spill in Guimaras. An additional P57 million will also be released to around 11,000 more claimants elsewhere in the province.

Last year, the IOPC paid around P118.5 million to more than 10,000 residents in Guimaras as indemnification for their losses resulting from the oil spill.

UK University Launches RP Coral Reef Protection and Ecotourism Program

Imagine a coral reef population that steadily expands as a habitat of marine diversity. Imagine as well the joy of beholding the various shapes, shades and colors of marine life, and the resources that these will provide to future generations.

The Central Visayan Sea is steadily moving in that direction, and will receive a boost when the UK-based Durham University’s Coral Awareness and Research Expedition 2007 (DU CARE 2007) enters the Visayan seas next month.

DU CARE follows a tradition of support and solidarity in environmental protection nurtured by the dedication, determination, and consistent support of the government and people of Great Britain.

Universities and non-governmental organizations based in the UK, with the assistance of the UK Embassy in Manila have sustained an increasing involvement in coral reef protection, environmental awareness and education, and eco-tourism in the Central and Eastern Visayas for the past few years.

British volunteers working with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and NGOs such as Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) have been recognized for their exceptional contributions to protecting marine biodiversity in the country.

DU CARE will resurvey all reef check sites in the Visayas Sea from previous years to assess the level of improvement or degradation in reef health.

Scientists and students will pay particular attention to establishing new reef check sites, particularly in areas damaged by the recent oil spill in Guimaras Island, in order to assess the damage inflicted.

An important aspect of the project is awareness building among local schools to educate students about the crucial importance of marine conservation for the fishing trade of future generations.

Capabilities of local people will be enhanced in carrying out detailed anthropological surveys to gain local insights on existing sanctuaries and the extent of local knowledge of marine conservation.

To ensure sustainability from the start, DU CARE will involve local states and local executives. DU CARE will engage barangay captains, government officials, the Coastguard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in their initiatives.

During these visits DU CARE will present the results of their surveys and discuss methods already in place for preserving the seas, in addition to potential suggestions for the future.

DU CARE 2007 combines specialist knowledge and expertise with NGO determination and grit. It is the fourth in a series of expeditions, which have been extremely successful.

In just six months, spread over three years, marine sanctuaries have been installed in damaged areas; strong links have been established with the Coastal Dynamics Foundation in Cebu; public awareness of sustainable fishery and conservation effects has increased significantly and a great improvement in the marine biodiversity of protected areas has been seen.

The work of the CDF, including links with DU CARE, is to be screened in April this year in a documentary on the Visayan Sea by BBC Earth Reports.

This is proof of the biological and economical importance of the area, and of the urgent need to maintain its outstanding beauty and prosperity. (PNA in Bayanihan.org, June 5, 2007)

Barrel-bottom survival rates

By Juan Mercado

High-profile disasters, like the Solar I tanker oil spill that blackened Guimaras’ coastline, shoved lowly mangroves into the headlines. But the more lethal threat to this threatened resource rarely makes prime-time news because it is silent: the barrel-bottom survival rates of replanted trees.

In Magallanes, Agusan del Norte, 53.8 hectares were replanted at a cost of P2.28 million. But trees survived in only one hectare, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Seafdec) scientists report. Floods swept the rest away.

Isn’t this stumbling backward into the future?

“Hundreds of millions of dollars [went] to rehabilitate thousands of hectares over the last two decades,” Seafdec’s Jurgenne Primavera and J.M.A. Esteban told a De La Salle University conference. “[But] long-term survival rates of mangroves — the main and only meaningful index of success — hover at 10 percent to 20 percent.”

(For the rest of the story, click Asian Journal, June 5, 2007.)

Philippine Gov’t Proposes Oil Spill Fund Legislation

By Komfie Manalo – AHN News Writer

Manila, Philippines (AHN) – A senior senator in the Philippines wants to do more for residents affected by disasters. On Monday, Senator Pia Cayetano proposed a bill seeking to establish a fund that would cover the cost of cleaning up oil spills and compensate residents affected by the disaster.

Cayetano, author of the bill said, “The usual finger-pointing on who should shoulder the cost of emergency containment and clean-up operations and for compensating damages to health and livelihood during oil spill incidents is about to end.”

(Click AHN, June 4, 2007)

Alternative livelihood for Guimarasnons gain ground – press release

(Members of Sebaste Seaweeds Growers show how they grow seaweeds. The News Today, May 21, 2007)

Some nine months after the ill-fated Solar 1 oil spill incident, Guimaras residents greatly affected by the disaster are back on their feet again. This time, with renewed enthusiasm as they avail of the P3-million alternative livelihood program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Petron Foundation.

Recently, 25 members of Brgy. Sebaste Seaweeds Growers SEA-K Association in the municipality of Sibunag concluded their three-day capability-building workshop on seaweed production. No less than DSWD Undersecretary Cecilia Yangco attended the closing program.

“The workshop is just one of the trainings that the members need to undergo before they will be provided with seed fund so as to equip them with the knowledge and skills on entrepreneurship and basic management. They were also oriented of the SEA-K program,” explained DSWD6 OIC Regional Director Teresita S. Rosales even as she lauded the members for their perfect attendance during the three-day workshop.

SEA-K or the Self-Employment Assistance–Kaunlaran is an integrated program of all livelihood projects of DSWD. It aims to build the capability of the “economically active poor” to access credit resources to start a feasible micro-enterprise and to sustain and maximize its use for their empowerment and development.

Municipal Social Welfare Officer Marlyn Divinagracia said seaweed production has been a thriving industry in Sibunag. What the community lacked, however, was fund support.

“When the alternative livelihood program was launched in Sibunag as part of the rehabilitation of the province, the people readily proposed for seaweed production given its potentials and wide market,” Divinagracia said.

She added that Sebaste is among the 15 SEA-K associations target to be organized and provided seed capital in Sibunag. Meanwhile, five other SEA-K associations are also being organized in the municipality of Nueva Valencia where members will be trained on geotextile.

Adelina Sobrevesana, Sebaste SEA-K Association president, shared that the program is a big help to the community as seaweed growers have bonded together into an organized group.

“The ‘kanya-kanya’ mentality has been eliminated. The members now give complementary support to each other and have come to respect other members’ ideas,” Sobrevesana said.

For her part, Yangco encouraged the members to take active part in their Association’s undertakings so as to sustain their industry eventually paving the way for their economic upliftment.

“It is only through starting your own business that you’ll have better chances of achieving better lives as long as it is coupled with hardwork and perseverance,” Yangco said.

The alternative livelihood program for oil spill affected residents in Guimaras is also supported by the Technical Assistance and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Tourism and local government units of Guimaras. (DSWD-6 PR, The News Today, May 21, 2007)