Group doubts DENR report on mangrove recovery in Guimaras

A fisherman in Guimaras rows his boat while looking for an area where to catch fish. (Photo by A.Chris Fernandez)

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug. 30, 2007

A nationwide militant alliance of fisherfolks has raised doubts on a government report showing that mangroves contaminated by last year’s massive oil spill in Guimaras are showing signs of resiliency and recovery.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said it wanted a “second opinion” on the state of the mangroves in Guimaras in reaction to a study of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that showed the natural recovery of mangroves.

“Everybody loves a welcome news. But we doubt the credibility of the DENR. It has performed its role to the hilt as no.1 apologist for Petron Corp. and Sunshine Maritime Development Corp, owners of MT Solar 1. That’s why we want an honest-to-goodness second opinion,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in an e-mailed statement.

The assessment of the DENR in Western Visayas conducted in June18-29 showed “significant signs of recovery” of mangroves in areas affected by the oil spill. The report had said that new leaves have grown on affected mangrove trees and those previously monitored as having completelty defoliated.

The asssessment is the third conducted in mangrove areas that were contaminated after the Solar I sank on Aug. 11, 2006 and spilled around 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel.

Scientists are closely monitoring the impact of the massive contamination of mangroves by bunker fuel in Guimaras because there has been no previous studies and researches on the long-term effect of oil spill on mangroves and the ecosystem in the country.

Hicap said an independent scientific study must be done to verify the June 18-29 study conducted by DENR. “The assessment made by the DENR could be motivated by interest groups which want to eliminate the ghosts of last year’s Guimaras oil spill tragedy.”

He said a casual inspection conducted by Pamalakaya and the Iloilo-based environmental group Save Our Lives, S.O.S-Panay and Guimaras last August 11 belied the DENR study.

“What we saw were mangrove areas under the state of catastrophe. We are not scientists, but we know how to distinguish what is real and what is fake,” said Pamalakaya information officer Gerry Albert Corpuz.

A rapid assessment study of an inter-agency team conducted shortly after the oil spill said around 647.98 hectares of mangroves in Guimaras were affected by the oil spill. Of this area, around 468 ha were heavily affected and 179.8 ha were considered slightly affected.

Scientists at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), which is spearheading the scientific researches on the impact of the oil spill, earlier said the rehabilitation and recovery of marine life contaminated by the oil slick could take 10 to 20 years.

Pamalakaya and Save Our Lives, S.O.S- Panay and Guimaras is also calling on legislators to pass a law creating a P10-billion rehabilitation fund for Guimaras that will be utilized over the next three years.

Hicap said the fund should come from giant oil firm Petron Corp. and not from taxpayers’ money. The groups are accusing Petron of being liable for the oil spill, an allegation repeatedly denied by the oil firm.

“The people of Guimaras want Petron Corp. to shoulder the costs of rehabilitation and that’s their collective sentiment and interest. Our groups are just echoing the voices from the grassroots,” the two groups said in a join statement.

They said that of the amount, P6 billion would be used for environmental and marine biodiversity rehabilitation while the rest would be spent for the economic rehabilitation.

Hicap noted the bulk of the government’s P863-million fund allocated by Congress last year and intended for the rehabilitation of the affected areas has not been released a year after the oil spill.

Guimaras mangroves recovering — DENR

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug. 27, 2007

MANGROVES heavily contaminated by last year’s massive oil spill in Guimaras are showing signs of resiliency and natural recovery, according to a study of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The study conducted by a team from the DENR Western Visayas office on June 18-29 showed “significant signs of recovery” including regeneration of mangroves in areas where mortality of mangroves were previously observed.

“Even in severely contaminated sites, regeneration of different species were observed to be growing robustly and in numbers,” according to the report. The assessment is the third conducted in affected mangrove areas after the Solar I sank on Aug. 11, 2006 and spilled around 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel.

New leaves have grown on trees which were previously recorded as having completed defoliated. Prominent growth of lenticels were also observed in heavily contaminated plant parts, according to the report. The lenticels serve as the breathing organ of the mangroves, which when functioning normally, can enhance the recovery process.

The team also observed other signs of natural recovery including the presence of fauna such as shells and worms in the contaminated sites.

The DENR team, however, recommended further physical clean-up of oil-coated debris in three sites to enhance the natural flushing of oil from the mangroves through wave action. The sites include Sitio Dungcaan in Barangay Lucmayan; Sitio Punta Araguy in Barangay Panobolon and Sitio Tamsik in San Antonio, all in Nueva Valencia town.

The team also recommended rehabilitation measures in 21 monitored sites including planting in 152.5 hectares and the establishment of three central and six subsidiary mangrove nurseries.

A perioding monitoring (once every quarter) of the recovery should also be conducted in the 13 severely contaminated sites and assess the status of mangroves, according to the report.

The oil sludge contaminated mangroves in at least 18 barangays in the towns of Nueva Valencia (11), Sibunag (6) and San Lorenzo (1), according to a DENR assessment conducted shortlty after the oil spill.

Based on the assessment conducted two weeks after the oil spill, 13 sites were heavily contaminated and another considered slightly contaminated.

Four sites, all in Nueva Valencia, showed significant deaths of mangroves with at least 509 dead mangrove trees.

The trees that were contaminated showed signs of damage including formation of callus on the trunks and debarking of mature mangrove trees. In some trees, an oily substance was observed leaking out from the inner bark.

Rhodora Capulso, head of the DENR regional public affairs office said the death of mangroves is caused by the oil blocking the lenticels of mangroves.

She denied reports that oil dispersants caused the death of mangroves in Sitio Lucmayan in Barangay Lapaz in Nueva Valencia.

“The dispersants were used in the offshore clean-up and there is a “no-touch” policy adopted by the scientific community in the rehabilitation of mangroves,” Capulso said in a telephone interview.

She said high incidence of mangrove mortality like in Lucmayan were usually concentrated in areas where the oil sludge could not be easily flushed by the sea water.

Arroyo abolishes Task Force SOS

BY CARLA GOMEZ
Visayan Daily Star, Aug. 23, 2007

THE appointment of Rafael Coscolluela, Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas, as Sugar Regulatory Administrator effective September 1 will prevent his continued involvement in Guimaras oil spill-related activities, he said yesterday.

Coscolluela takes over from James Ledesma, who has long been wanting to give up his post as SRA chief.

In line with the need to streamline procedures related to the Guimaras rehab program, the President has issued Administrative Order 191 that abolishes Task Force Solar I Oil Spill and authorizes the National Disaster Coordinating Council, with the Office of Civil Defense 6 as secretariat, to review and approve proposals and to oversee the utilization of calamity funds for Guimaras’ rehabilitation, Coscolluela said.

Gov. Joseph Marañon said he hopes Coscolluela, as SRA head, will be able to maintain sugar prices at present levels. Sugar is currently selling above P1,000 per 50 kilobag.*CPG

BFAR to assess Guimaras fishery resources

David Israel Sinay
Inquirer Visayas Bureau
Aug. 14, 2007

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will assess the fishery resources of Guimaras following reports of low fish catch in the island province’s municipal waters, the agency’s Western Visayas director said recently.

Drusila Esther Ong-Bayate said fisherfolk associations in Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo and Sibunag, which had been affected by the oil spill a year ago, informed them of the dwindling fish catch.

“We received a lot of reports of the low fish catch in Guimaras. In order to gauge and verify the information, the BFAR will conduct a municipal fisheries assessment,” said Ong-Bayate in a recent interview.

(For the rest of the story, pls. click BFAR assessment.)

Sickness hounds Guimaras residents

By Hazel P. Villa and David Israel Sinay
Inquirer, Aug. 13, 2007

NUEVA VALENCIA, Guimaras—A year after the country’s worst oil spill, cases of asthma, diarrhea, high blood pressure and other ailments continue to hound residents of Nueva Valencia’s coastal villages.

Some are new, undocumented cases, such as those of six young children and six oil spill cleanup workers who said their asthma attacks and difficulty with breathing started two to three months ago.

The villagers, a health worker, and a village chief also lamented the lack of health monitoring and government attention as they relied on meager medicines and self-medication.

Romeo Basco, 25, who had been hired by Petron to do cleanup work on Aug. 19 to Oct. 21 last year at P300 a day, told the Inquirer on Aug. 6 that he had two asthma attacks, the latest of which was on the first week of this month.

Before the oil spill, Basco said he would get asthma attacks only if he gets allergic reactions to salty food and the anti-acid medication Maalox.

“I can’t breathe well. I just drink water and use the nebulizer the barangay health office gave me,” said Basco whose house faces the beach of Sitio Sumirib, Barangay Lapaz here.

Click Sick in Guimaras for the rest of the story.)

Psycho-social rehab pushed in Guimaras

BY NESTOR BURGOS JR.
Visayan Daily Star, Aug. 15, 2007

ILOILO CITY — A research team from a Toronto-based law school has called for a long-term rehabilitation plan in mental and pyschological health for residents affected by the massive oil spill that ravaged Guimaras Island last year, and other disasters.

The three-member team, composed of students of the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, pointed out that there is lack of long-term rehabilitation plans in mental and psycho-social health for the affected residents. The team called for a comprehensive psycho-social rehabilitation program for victims of the oil spill and similar disasters that would include the automatic evaluation of psycho-social needs after the disaster, training of workers on stress management, providing on-site pyscho-social support units and designation of an institute to manage the program.

The recommendation is among several drawn up by the group after conducting a three-month research aimed at improving the emergency response process based on the experience dealing with the August 11, 2006 oil spill in Guimaras.

The research, done in partnership with the Canadian Urban Institute, was conducted with interviews with stakeholders and gathering of data on institutional competency and operational efficiency of the various agencies involved in the response and rehabilitation efforts.

The research also called for major reforms including legislation in the country’s disaster management laws, regulations, guidelines and procedures.

A preliminary study conducted on the pyscho-social impact of oil spill by doctors belonging to environmental group We Heal and the Iloilo Medical Society last year said residents in Sibunag town and in Barangay Lapaz in Nueva Valecia, among the hardest hit areas by the oil spill, showed common symptoms resulting from the disaster.

The most common include trouble thinking clearly, poor sleep, feeling tired all the time, poor appetite, tense or worried and indecisiveness. The emotional symptoms include feeling unhappy, difficulty in enjoying work and loss of interest in activities.

A separate study conducted by sociologist Artchil Fernandez of the Central Philippine University Research Center showed that in areas affected by the oil spill, there was a significant decrease of community cooperation.

Fernandez said in his research that conflicts related to clean up projects on who got hired by Petron Corp. in the cleanup operations strained relationships in the community. Conflicts also arouse over the distribution and rationing of relief packages and goods

There was also a significant increase of family separation because family members transferred to evacuation centers or were forced to work in the cleanup or in other provinces.

The doctors and psychologists recommended that formal studies should be conducted not only on victims but on caregivers or health workers. They also recommended the development of a mental health program in primary health care in order to address the mental health needs of the community.

Task Force Solar Oil Spill remains committed to task – press release

Guimaras (13 August) — One year after the MV Solar I oil spill tragedy, Task Force Solar Oil Spill (TF SOS) Incident Commander Presidential Assistant Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela said TF members are still there together.

Sec. Coscolluela said after a year things are not “quite normal” for there are still signs of adverse effects of the oil spill on the lives of the people of Guimaras. He said they have still more things to do, more problems to address.

“We’ll be here for the long haul, do what needs to be done, know what we have to do and keep doing them. We’ll stay until Guimaras recovers,” Coscolluela said.

He told those who were present during the program commemorating the Oil Spill tragedy, that he had been holding weekly meetings with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), to follow-up releases of the P867 million supplemental fund for the rehabilitation of Guimaras and other affected areas.

So far, he said, only about 25% have been released and it took President Gloria Arroyo’s visit in the province for P50 million to be immediately earmarked for the rehabilitation, where 50% of it had been already released.

He added that they were forced to review and revise some of the proposed plans for rehabilitation because of the instruction of President Arroyo that the calamity funds released as supplemental budget under RA 9358 should be used judiciously by concerned agencies and Local Government Units.

Coscolluela said the President felt there were some items in the proposals which were not necessary, which included some administrative and Information, Education and Communication concerns, which were removed.

By and large, Coscolluela saw their job as a Task Force as dynamic and challenging, with the media who kept them alert on issues and kept information flowing, the partners, who despite, controversies and disagreements just kept on working and doing what they were supposed to do.

He saw the experience as something that should guide the agencies and other sectors to review their disaster preparedness plans and make the vulnerable areas better prepared for any calamity.

He also felt the Philippines, with the Guimaras oil spill experience, can share to the rest of the world what unity and cooperation is in a developing country, and what social responsibility is, in the light of the tragedy. (Phil. Information Agency)

Groups score delay in release of Guimaras rehab funds

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug, 13, 2007

A nationwide organization of fisherfolks and an environmental group have scored the delay in the release of the bulk of rehabilitation funds intended for communities and areas affected by last year’s massive oil spill on Guimaras Island.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and the Iloilo-based Save Our Lives, S.O.S!- Panay and Guimaras coalition said in a joint statement that the delay is “scandalous amid the suffering of thousands of residents reeling from the impact of the oil spill.”

The groups issued a statement after hearing the sentiments of residents in a forum in Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras on Saturday, a year after the M/T Solar I sank 13.5 miles southwest of the island and spilling 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel.

“The May 14, 2007 elections is over. The government has ran out of reasons to postpone the release of funds,” said Pamalakaya spokesperson Gerry Corpuz.

Officials had said the delay in the release of the bulk of the P863-million fund intended for rehabilitation programs and livelihood projects have been held in abeyance because of the election period.

But until now, only around P200 million has been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) because of bureaucratic procedures.

The delay had prompted outgoing Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the Task Force Solar I Oil Spill, to ask President Macapagal-Arroyo to issue an administrative order that would fast track the release of the remaining fund.

The P863-million has been allocated to the Department of Agriculture (P100 million), Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (P130 million), Department of Health (P22 million), DSWD (P247 million), local government units (P250 million), UP-Visayas (P50 million), and other agencies (P64 million).

Corpuz said the funds “must be released now and let the people, in total transparency, see how the government would spend this amount for genuine and comprehensive rehabilitation.”

Guimaras officials have also been repeatedly calling for the release of the fund so that the programs and projects could take off.

The two groups also called on the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) to pay the remaining victims of the oil spill for the damages they suffered.

The said the IOPCF, a London-based intergovernmental agency that indemnifies oil spill victims, should not reject the bulk of the second batch of claimants in Guimaras.

“The IOPCF is not in the position to set standards and parameters in identifying the rightful claimants.

That’s ridiculous. It is the people of Guimaras and other affected communities should define and declare who are the rightful claimants with the support of recognized people’s organizations, non-government organizations and respected government officials,” said Corpuz.

The IOPCF earlier said it would likely reject most of around 100,000 claimants because the submitted claim forms were incomplete or the claimants were below 18 years old. It had also doubted if most of the claimants were bonafide fisherfolks who were affected by the oil spill.

The agency had earlier lamented the deluge of claimants especially during the election period, saying it doubted that 80 percent of the island’s population could have suffered economic losses from the oil spill.

Crew of Solar 1 recall ‘8/11’

Philippine Coast Guard Western Visayas commander Luis Tuason Jr. and Task force Solar I Oil Spill chair Rafael Coscolluela toss flowers into the sea on board the Coast Guard vessel BRP Edsa II. The vessel visited the area off Guimaras waters where the ill-fated tanker sank last Saturday, August 11, in commemoration of the disaster’s first anniversary. (ECGarcia, TNT)

By Ronilo L. Pamonag
The News Today, Aug. 13, 2007

As government officials held a mass to commemorate the country’s worst oil spill in Guimaras, the crew of the ill-fated oil tanker Solar 1 opted to remember it in a playful and light-hearted way.

It is but sad that two of their crewmates won’t be around for the ‘celebration.’

“We greeted each other a happy first birthday,” crewmember Reynaldo Torio told The News Today of their text messages yesterday, a year after their ship sunk under rough weather in Guimaras, causing the worst environmental disaster.

Torio is one of the 18-man crew of the ill-fated oil tanker owned by Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation and chartered by Petron Corp. to transport 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel to Zamboanga from Limay, Bataan. Within 24 hours from the sinking, the southern coastline of Guimaras, including the beach resorts and mangroves, was coated with up to an inch-thick of oil.

Saturday morning, Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Edsa Dos went to ground zero. On board were government officials who were part of the Solar One Oil Spill Task Force.

Over at Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras, a forum was held. Gov. Felipe Hilan Nava and Rep. JC Rahman Nava await the release of the P900-million rehabilitation fund President Arroyo promised last year.

We still keep in touch with each other, although we’re with different companies now, Torio said.

But their captain, Norberto Aguro is said to be unemployed and staying in Bataan, he said.

“He could not find a job because his license was revoked, and he had a hold departure order,” he said. But most of his crewmates are now employed with other shipping firms. Torio, who now works for a brokerage firm in Ermita, Manila, is looking forward to be hired by a sister company engaged in international shipping.

His former employer, SMDC, on the other hand, has closed down.

“Sunshine no longer exists. Its license has been revoked following the incident. The last time I heard its two remaining ships, the Solar 2 and 3 were in dry-dock and about to be brought by an inter-island shipping company respectively,” Torio said. There is also a pending case with the National Labor Relations Commission for payment of the crew’s benefits.

Torio said that he was at the helm during the eventful day.

“The waves were very big. The weather was very rough,” he recalled.

They sought shelter at the Iloilo strait because of a typhoon in the morning of August 11. In the afternoon, Aguro insisted that they continue with the voyage to Zamboanga despite the rough weather.

“We objected to his decision to continue with the voyage. But he told us to wait until we become ship captains ourselves,” Torio remembered what Aguro told them.

The air vent at the front broke and started to take in water shortly after they resumed the voyage.

Although the ship was already listing heavily, Aguro did not give the order to abandon ship.

“And so we stayed inside the ship until it capsized. We weren’t able to prepare the life boats because there was no order to abandon the ship,” he said. “I’m lucky I was able to get out of the ship.

But that was just the start. They were in the water for about 14 hours. Drenched in oil, the 16 crew members and two cargo surveyors of Petron Corp. were rescued at around 6 am the following day, August 12.

Two of their shipmates-oiler Victor Morados and able-bodied seaman 2 Art Ian Nabua-perished along with the ship. Their bodies have not been recovered until now.

Although it has already been fait accompli, Torio said that the incident would not have happened had not Aguro been too eager to go complete the voyage and go back to Bataan by August 16, just in time for the fiesta of Barangay Lamau in Limay.

Editorial

MODERNITY VS. THE ENVIRONMENT

The clash of Modern Living of the 21st Century and Environment Preservation is happening in our lifetime. Just look around you – people in Loon, Tagbilaran City and Albur.

Let’s start with the oil exploration issue. The sneaky Australia-based oil explorer (Otto Energy Ltd) mother company of the even sneakier NorAsian Energy Ltd proudly announced it had discovered potential commercial oil recoverables in the Argao-Cabilao in the amount of 270 million barrels. Fine.

The Department of Energy quickly gave them a deadline to start drilling and end by March 2009. Fine.

But wait a minute. Wasn’t this the same consortium that – after having agreed with the stakeholders of the issue: fisher folks, LGU, environmentalists, tourism defenders that no seismic survey will be done without resolving issues – did one anyway on the sly -with a little help from scheming and public-insensitive officials and judges?

And hey, has any Bohol official looked at the fine print of the LGU sharing agreement in the oil find so that the terse complaint aired by the Palawan governor Joel Reyes over Station DYRD that his province never got its fair share in the deal leading to a pending case in the Supreme Court – will no likewise happen to our beloved Bohol?

One cannot be termed over-critical when past facts and antecedents point to grossly irregular ethical behavior of certain companies, industries and officials. What NorAsian did in the sinister seismic survey and the highway robbery of Palawan are not the imaginings of the fertile minds of paranoid environmental warriors. They are all well documented.

Everyone is well aware that an oil find as it did in Texas many years ago -exploded commerce beyond every Texan’s imagination.But they paid precious little price for it.

What about elsewhere?

Oil explorations and rigs can cause oil spills -that is a grim possibility. Let’s not go too far and see what has happened to Guimaras island -victim of the country’s largest oil spill.

Because of the spill , the Barangay Tando, fishermen who used to catch 30 kilos a day (average) – now Mang Ambo can hardly get two kilos.

The fish has gone.Some folks were compensated P 14,000 which could not even buy a boat and fish net. The BFAR could not even say if the shell in the area is edible.

Tourism had suffered when for months the blue was murky with greyish black ink – though most have settled in coves nearby. Mangroves were destroyed and the seaweed industry was crushed. Even the mango population was threatened because water under the ground was contaminated costing millions of pesos in disinfectants to the government. For a while water was not potable. We know because we have met some of the suppliers of the disinfectants.

It is a worst case scenario, true – but it can happen. We have prided our Bohol to have tourism as our flagship industry – is it endangered now? Who is seriously looking into this? Despite denials, scientific proof had surfaced there were already negative effects of the seismic survey on marine life and biodiversity.

In the same vein, Rep Edgar Chatto (chair of Tourism in the House) should explain in detail and reconcile how the handsomely presented International Cruise Port in Cabilao island (in the same town of Loon) – engineered by the Philippine Ports Authority – will fare with all those oil rig structures and barges crisscrossing the sea path once the oil exploration begins in 2009.

This is serious matter that capsulizes the ongoing struggle between modernity and the environment as this editorial postulates as a title. Public vigilance must continue.

What about the promised Water Treatment of City Mayor Dan Lim to prevent the cascading of waste and impurities to the clear Bohol waters of Tagbilaran Bay and the city sea port? Where is it? Has the city SP prepared a budget for it? This the mayor must give this importance because the Bay serves as a showcase to all visitors who after all give business to the city and the province.

The Water Treatment project may not be as thrilling and visible as a spanking new Agora edifice in downtown CPG but the long-term impact on the environment -and tourism in general – of such project cannot be overstated.

Finally, we must find a closure to the Sanitary Landfill debate over the Albur location.Modern living creates waste every day -whether we like it or not -and we have to dispose them. A city and a prime island tourist destination like Panglao without a regular sanitary landfill is unacceptable.

The issues of just compensation, water protection of Albur sources, and a fair billing system for users should put the issue to rest. We can start being less parochial in our thoughts, perhaps.No town is an island – sufficient unto itself. Shalom. (The Bohol Chronicle, Aug. 12, 2007)

Guimarasnons mark first anniversary of oil spill

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Inquirer, Visayas Bureau
08/11/2007

GUIMARAS ISLAND, Philippines – Flowers were tossed into the seas off Guimaras Saturday to remember and honor the victims and heroes of last year’s massive Petron oil spill.

Aboard the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Edsa 2, members of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council and the Task Force Solar I Oil Spill led the commemoration of the sinking of M/T Solar I on the same spot where the 998-gross-ton tanker chartered by the oil company Petron sank a year ago.

The Solar I spilled 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel in what was considered the country’s worst environmental disaster.

The officials and reporters attended a mass as the ship traversed the route of the tanker from the Guimaras Strait to waters 13.5 nautical miles southwest of Guimaras Island.

Police chaplain Fr. Heintje Canete said the mass was offered for all the victims, especially to Victor Morados and Art Ian Nabua, crew members of the sunken tanker who remain missing and have been presumed dead.

(For the rest of the story, pls. click Oil spill anniversary.)

Oil spill contingency plan revision proposed

BY NESTOR P. BURGOS JR.
Visayan Daily Star, Aug. 11, 2007

LOILO CITY – Have we learned from last year’s massive oil spill that struck Guimaras? Are we better prepared to deal with a similar crisis?

A year after the M/T Solar I sank off Guimaras Island and spilled 2 milion liters of bunker fuel, major reforms in the country’s capacity to respond to similar incidents have not been institutionalized.

Commodore Luis Tuason Jr., Coast Guard commander in Western Visayas, said the Coast Guard has not completed drafting a revised National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

He said the NOSCP should be based on a comprehensive framework in dealing with oil spill disasters drawing valuable lessons from the Petron oil spill. Outgoing Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the regional Task Force Solar I Oil Spill, said there was a need to revise the NOSCP especially in dealing with pollution and contamination of the shoreline.

Coscolluela said the incident highlighted the need to institute major reforms including legislation to effectively respond to and address similar disasters in the future.

“Our experience showed that we were not prepared to deal with an oil spill especially of the magnitude that struck Guimaras,” Coscolluela said.

He also said that there was “much haphazard response by victims, well-meaning volunteers and officials.”

The crisis also showed that there was little or lack of understanding on the various agencies’ mandates, responsibilities, relationships and protocols, according to Coscolluela.

Aside from revising the NOSCP, Coscolluela recommended the following measures: Train and equip all responders and vulnerable communities; Provide needed resources in strategic stations ready for immediate mobilization and response; Ensure effective, consistent, credible communication; Redefine mandates and functions of concerned agencies through legislative review and revision; Clarify responsibilities of cargo owners and shippers; and Focus on maritime safety, effective regulation and accident prevention.

Where have all the fish gone?

Fisherman Glenn Gabito laments the disappearance of fish as he inspects his oil-smeared fishnets in Barangay Tando, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras whose shorelines and waters have been polluted by the Petron oil spill. PDI

Text and photo by Hazel P. Villa
Inquirer, Aug. 11, 2007

NUEVA VALENCIA, Guimaras – Tama gid ka pigado (Extremely difficult time),” is the oft-repeated phrase of fishermen in the coastal villages of Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras province that was heavily affected by the country’s worst oil spill on Aug. 11, 2006.

Glenn Gabito, 41, a fisherman and father of eight children in Barangay Tando said the last time his fishnet got 600 kilos of fish in a single fishing expedition was Jan. 1 this year. Since then, he couldn’t even get two kilos.

“The fish have not returned. I have been out fishing for three days but I came back with nothing. There’s no income because there’s no fish,” said Gabito in Hiligaynon on Aug. 6.

“Even small fish, none at all,” said Gabito whose house in Tando beach was heavily tarred with bunker fuel oil from Petron-chartered MT Solar I that leaked 1.2 million liters of oil.

Before the oil spill, fishermen could get 20 to 30 kilos of fish a day and, on really good days, about a hundred kilos or more, netting an income of P500 to P1,500, he said.

(Click Where fish.)

Helping Guimaras heal itself thru ecotourism

Children and their parents enjoy the crystal clear waters of Binabaywan Island, San Roque, Nueva Valencia. PDI

By Ma. Diosa Labiste
Inquirer, Aug. 11, 2007

NUEVA VALENCIA, Guimaras – An ecological tour of Guimaras has been bringing visitors to the island to see how it is healing itself from the damage brought by the oil spill.

Green Forum Western Visayas, an environment-watch group, has teamed up with two fishing villages in Nueva Valencia town to offer a “restorative tour,” a day-long visit to swim, snorkel and hear stories of people getting back on their feet.

Nueva Valencia was worst hit by the oil spill after the oil tanker, MT Solar I, carrying more than two million liters of bunker fuel of Petron Corp., sank off Guimaras a year ago today. More than 3,000 families were affected. The oil spill spread to 220 kilometers of shorelines and 454 hectares of mangroves. About 50 ha of seaweed farms were also ruined.

Many families have received payments from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) and millions of pesos were released to scientists and universities for researches on oil spill. The unsightly bunker fuel that once enveloped the coasts was no longer visible, except perhaps on some far-out coves.

But the mood was far from “back-in-business” because near-shore fishing had yet to recover and villagers were still worried about getting sick from eating fish and shellfishes.

(For the rest of the story, pls. click Helping Guimaras.)

‘A bad dream that won’t go away’

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug. 10, 2007

GUIMARAS ISLAND — Joel Villagracias still clearly remembers that night.

He and his family were asleep in their nipa hut when they were first roused by the cries of their youngest child who had difficulty breathing.

And then the pungent odor struck them, so strong that they felt dizzy.

Only later they did realize that the shoreline, 60 meters from their doorstep, was already covered with thick black liquid which villagers later called “bangker (bunker).”

“The sea was black and so were the sand and rocks. Our boats were also covered with oil,” Villagracias, 42, said recalling the scene hours after the M/T Solar I sank 13 nautical miles off Guimaras on August 11, 2006, spilling almost 2 million liters of bunker fuel and triggering the country’s worst environmental disaster.

His family along with 200 other residents of Barangay Tando in Nueva Valencia town were forced to leave their homes in September last year after health officials raised fears of serious health risks. Villagracias along with his wife Margie and their six children aged 3 to 18 stayed for nearly two months in tents at an evacuation center at the village proper.

They have long gone back to their house in Sitio Iraya but life has not gone back to normal for them.

“It’s like a bad dream that still doesn’t want to go away,” said Villagracias.

He said he has gone back fishing since December last year, but like thousands of other residents affected by the oil spill he is still reeling from the loss of livelihood and damage to the island’s rich natural resources.

The International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF), a London-based intergovernmental agency that indemnifies oil spill victims, gave Villagracias P12,000 as compensation for pollution damages. But he said this was hardly enough to pay debts incurred during the months that he was unable to go fishing.

Villagracias said fish catch has not returned to pre-oil spill levels. “I used to get three kilos of shrimp before. Now I get five pieces.”

His wife Margie has started working as a laundrywoman to help him feed their family.

The disaster is also still taking its toll on the island’s once pristine beaches and natural resources with scientists still expecting continued impact on the environment.

Dr. Rex Sadaba, a mangrove expert and head of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) Oil Spill Response Program, said at least 442 mature mangrove trees have died at the 1,143-hectare Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMAR) in Barangay Lapaz in Nueva Valencia.

Another 200 mangrove trees covering 400 square meters in Sitio Lusaran in the same village have also died. Other contaminated trees that have survived are experiencing defoliation (falling off of leaves).

“This is indicative that mangroves are still undergoing stress from the bunker fuel that have coated the trees and blocked their breathing pores,” said Sadaba.

UPV is spearheading the long-term monitoring and research program to determine the impact of the oil contamination on environment, aquaculture, fisheries and social health.

Scientists who attended a conference on the oil spill last year have called for continued monitoring and more extensive research because the effects could take years to manifest and last.

But Sadaba said the bulk of the researches and monitoring has not started because of the delay of the P50-million fund intended for the program.

The delay in the funds has also put on hold rehabilitation projects and alternative livelihood programs.

The Department of Budget and Management has released only around P200 million of the total P863 million fund intended to for the rehabilitation of the affected areas and communities.

Congress last year alloted the fund in the supplemental budget after the President declared a state of national calamity two weeks after the oil spill.

The fund is allocated to the Department of Agriculture (P100 million), DENR (P130 million), Department of Health (P22 million), Department of Social Welfare and Development (P247 million), local government units (P250 million), UPV (P50 million) and other agencies (P64 million).

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the regional Task Force Solar I Oil Spill, has asked President Macapagal-Arroyo to issue an administrative order to streamline the procedures and requirements for the release of the remaining funds.

With no funds for the government’s rehabilitation projects, the affected residents have to make do with programs initiated by non-government organizations and private groups.

Barangay Tando is a recipient of a livelihood and rehabilitation project of the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives which aims to help residents cope with the long term effects of the oil spill. The project involves the donation of four motorized boats, fishnets and other gear for deep-sea fishing to fishermen and the raising of goats.

Petron Corp. had also donated a four-room elementary school building in the village.

Petron Foundation executive director Malou Erlie said they have provided around P20 million worth of livelihood projects and grants to Guimaras. They also plan to put up an Internet system for the province’s 17 public high schools worth P3.6 million.

But while they welcome any assistance for affected residents and communities, environmental and non-government organizations say that Petron and the owners of the sunken tanker should be held accountable for the destroying the livelihood of thousands of residents and damaging the island’s rich marine resources including around 220 km of coastline, 454 hectares of mangroves and 58 ha of seaweed plantations.

Justice also remains elusive for Victor Morados and Art Ian Nabua, crew members of the Solar I who remain missing and are presumed dead.

“Despite the government’s pronouncements of sparing no one in making those responsible for the oil spill accountable, we have not heard anyone being charged, tried and jailed for this man-made disaster,” said Ma. Geobelyn Lopez, coordinator of the Save Our Lives, SOS! Panay and Guimaras, a group composed of non-government organizations, scientists and environmentalists.

“Moving on, recovery and rehabilitation can never be complete without justice,” said Lopez.

Guimarasnons remember oil spill first anniversary

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug. 10, 2007

Guimarasnons commemorating the first anniversary of the massive oil spill that ravaged their island and forever changed their lives will treat guests to sea food in a day long program today, Friday, at the provincial capitol at the capital town of Jordan.

Charry Galia, provincial economic and development officer, said the seafood feast is part of their efforts to show that sea food from Guimaras is already safe to eat.

“We continue to enjoy the bounties of our seas despite the tragedy that struck us last year,” said Galia.

A Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Noel Lozada, parish priest of the San Miguel de Archangel parish, before the start of the program which is expected to be attended by representatives of local government units.

Guests will be updated with a situationer of the island and the current rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts done by various agencies and organizations.

Photographs of the oil spill, response and cleanup efforts and other events will also be exhibited at the provincial museum, said Galia.

On August 11, the day of the anniversary, members of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council and representatives of the member agencies will attend Mass to be celebrated on board the Coast Guard ship BRP Edsa 2 at the site where the tanker sank around 13 nautical miles southwest of Guimaras. The Mass will be followed by a wreath laying.

The M/T Solar I sank 13 miles southwest of Guimaras on August 11 last year. The tanker was transporting 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel from the Petron depot in Bataan to Zamboanga when it encountered rough seas.

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The fish may be safe to eat, question is, are there any fish to be caught?

Petron income up 4%

[Business World (Philippines) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge} Oil refiner Petron Corp. posted a net income of P1.75 billion for the second quarter of the year, higher by 4% than its P1.68-billion income for the same period last year.

In its annual stockholders meeting July 26, Petron President Khalid D. Al-Faddagh said the increase could be attributed to higher sales volume and improved operating efficiency.

“Despite difficult market conditions, we continued to focus on programs aimed at ensuring our market leadership and sustaining our growth momentum,” Mr. Al-Faddagh said.

For the first half of 2007, the firm registered a net income of P2.7 billion, up slightly from 2.69 billion in 2006.

Sales volume in the second quarter increased to 14.10 million barrels from 13.04 million barrels.

But sales volume for the first six months went down to 25.85 million barrels from 26.59 million barrels in the same period last year.

Petron said the decrease was caused by higher oil prices which in turn, affected domestic demand.

As a consequence, the company’s total revenue for the first half was P98.78 billion, down from P106.97 billion last year.

Petron managed to trim down its operating expenses to P2.54 billion, lower by 8% from 2.77 billion in 2006.

The firm said this was due to more efficient operations.

Mr. Al-Faddagh said among the initiatives that they have implemented to ensure efficiency are the use distribution optimizer software which reduces transshipment costs and generates vessel schedules more efficiently, the use of point-of-sales system that automates processes of its service stations, and the implementation of off-sites automation that lets them manage their inventories better.

Petron officials said they were expecting better margins when their $300-million petrochemical project starts coming on-stream in the first quarter of 2008, starting with the Petro Fluidized Catalytic Cracker (PetroFCC).

The project shall produce petrochemical propylene which will allow the company to convert more black products like industrial fuel oils into higher-value white products like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.

Another component of the PetroFCC project is the BTX unit, which will yield benzene and tolunene, which are used in the packaging industry.

The unit is expected to become operational by the last quarter of 2008.

“We will soon reap the rewards of our diversification into petrochemicals. As the local oil industry matures, this initiative will give us new revenue streams and raise Petron’s level of profitability in the coming years,” said Petron Chairman and Chief Executive Nicasio I. Alcantara.

In May, Petron acquired the LPG retail business of its competitor Chevron Philippines Inc. to boost its market share in the LPG business. The sale entailed 64 dealers and seven refillers.

The company said this increased its LPG volumes in the second quarter by 22%.

In the same month, Petron commissioned oil tanker M/T Petro Anica to enhance its supply chain.

This was part of the company’s aim to buy modern vessels for product deliveries.

Last year, Petron managed to retain its leadership in the oil industry, cornering an overall market share of 38.8%.

Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. came second with 31.4% while Chevron has 15.1%. New players managed to get 14.6%.

Petron, the country’s largest oil company, is the only oil refiner that is listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange. Saudi Arabia Oil Co. and the government each hold a 40% stake in the firm.

The remaining 20% stake is held by the public.

Petron shares closed at P6.40 July 26, up from P6.20 last July 25 .

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And as usual, no mention of the Guimaras oil spill. But no wonder, the funds Petron had spent on its sham cleanup hardly made a dent in its bottomline, because these were reimbursed by the IOPC. In contrast, the affected fisherfolk were paid a pittance despite their sole livelihood virtually erased by the the oil spill. The beaches are still dirty, the soil stinks, there are no fish, and no tourists. Yes, everyone should applaud Petron for its higher income…now read on…

IOPC likely to reject remaining oil spill claimants

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug. 9, 2007

GUIMARAS ISLAND — A London-based inter-governmental agency that indemnifies victims of oil spill pollution said it is likely that it will reject, “most, if not all,” of around 100,000 additional claimants for damages from Guimaras Island.

The International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund said in the June 12 report of its executive committee that the claims will be rejected because of the doubts raised by the high number of claimants and defects in the submitted claim forms.

It noted that the number, combined with the number of claimants that had previously submitted claims, represented about 80 percent of the population of Guimaras.

“The majority of the claims registration forms were incomplete and that a significant number were from people under the age of 18 years, the minimum age at which people are allowed to engage in fishing,” the report said.

The agency has paid a total of P169.9 million to 22,644 claimants (11,321 claimants amounting to P113 million in Guimaras and 11,323 amounting to P56,937,752 in Iloilo) for economic damages resulting from the oil spill, according to the report.

The IOPC, has still to settle the claims for around 1,000 claimants from Guimaras who have tapped a Manila-based law firm to claim compensation reaching P280.3 million.

The Fund said that among the 1,000 claimants, it has already settled the claims of around 166 residents and another 228 claimants had already received settlement offers. The remaining 633 claimants need to submit further documentary evidence to confirm that they were bona fide fisherfolk and that they had suffered pollution damage.

The IOPC has also paid compensation to 49 resort owners totaling P1,501,195. It is still assessing 317 claims in the tourism sector, mainly from owners of small resorts and tour boat operators, for a total of P147,677,105.

Another 17 owners of beach properties have claimed for compensation reaching P5,775,599 for damage and loss of sand from their property due to the clean-up operations.

The IOPC is also assessing the claims of 407 seaweed farmers amounting to P52,265,526 and of 313 fish pond operators amounting to P340,209,239 million. It also has not issued payments to the claim of the Philippine Coastguard for P439,806,223 for expenses incurred during the response operations to the oil spill.

The Fund has paid an initial $3.7 million out of the total $4.5 million to three contractors involved in the offshore cleanup and $5,810,726 for the oil removal operations from the sunken tanker. It has also reimbursed Petron Corp. P118 million for the costs of shoreline cleanup.

The IOPC is also assessing the proposal of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource to conduct post-spill studies and the rehabilitation of coastal natural resources, particularly mangroves, costing P130 million. It also has yet to decide on the claim of local government units in the towns of San Lorenzo, Sibunag and Nueva Valencia for a P18,665,892 as costs and daily salaries of the municipal staff who had been involved in the response to the incident.

Guimaras tourism still reeling from effects of oil spill

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
The News Today, Aug. 9, 2007

GUIMARAS ISLAND — The tourism industry of Guimaras is still reeling from the effects of the Petron oil spill a year after the disaster ravaged the island’s natural resources.

Tourism, one of the pillars of the local economy, has continuously slumped after the oil spill despite a campaign to reverse the negative impact of the disaster on the industry.

Tourist arrivals went down from 181,915 in 2005 to 172,985 last year, based on data from the provincial tourism office.

Charry Galia, provincial economic and development officer, said the decrease is still conservative because the tourism figures for last year included thousands of volunteers, scientists, researchers and all other personnel involved in the containment and clean up operations who flocked to the island.

The decline continued this year with only 87,094 tourists going to the island from January to June. This is a drop from the 108,926 visitors recorded for the same period in 2005 and 91,667 in 2006.

The decline in visitors pushed earnings from tourism down by P37.5 million from P204,312,500 in 2005 to P166,810,100 last year.

The Department of Tourism had initially placed losses incurred by resort owners two weeks after the oil spill at around P3.54 million in canceled bookings and lost opportunity.

While tourism officials had said that only 20 percent of the beach tourism was affected by the oil spill, other destinations on the island also suffered because of the impression that the entire island had been contaminated by the oil sludge.

A rapid assessment report conducted by a multi-agency team said 25 tourism sites, including 11 beach resorts, were directly affected by the oil spill while another 33 were indirectly affected.

Fishing, the main livelihood of most residents has also failed to return to pre-oil spill levels even as fisherfolks have resumed their fishing activities.

Many affected residents especially in the worst affected areas have not recovered from the loss of their livelihood and income, said Galia.

Galia said fish catch is still lower than before the oil spill especially in areas where mangroves were heavily contaminated by bunker oil.

She said the rejection of International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund, a London-based inter-governmental agency that indemnifies victims of oil spill pollution, of the overwhelming number of second batch claimants has also affected legitimate claimants who have no means of recovering their livelihood.

Galia said that out of the 125,614 claimants for the second batch, only 134 have been considered for payment by the IOPC. The rest were rejected for various reasons because the claimants were, among other reasons, below 18 years old, not residents of Guimaras, used fictitious names or were not engaged in fishing activities.

‘PAY ALL OF US!’

Oil spill victims ‘used’ and abandoned – priest

By DAVID ISRAEL SINAY
Panay News, Aug. 9, 1007

GUIMARAS – A parish priest accused the national government of neglecting the victims of last year’s oil spill here, and blamed it for the “low” compensation that the affected residents received.

Father Noe Lozada, parish priest of St. Michael Archangel in Jordan town, also blasted “unscrupulous people who exploited the disaster.”

Because of this, Guimarasnons have been unfairly branded as “liars, deceivers and opportunistic,” he lamented.

Lozada said the government has not introduced “lasting solutions.”

“Do not blame the victims of oil spill. Blame the system of governance that we have. Politicians will only visit our place during the election,” said Lozada, who had been in the island for 22 years as a priest.

Last month, the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) rejected almost all the second batch of compensation claimants. Of the 125,614 claimants for this batch, it only considered 134 claims.

“From the beginning, I know these people (from the IOPC) will never compensate (those affected with the) maximum amount. They haggled to the lowest bargain until we just collapse in exasperation,” Lozada stressed.

“Only if the IOPC had been strict during the approval of the first batch of claimants, this will never happen. Why are they being strict now?” Lozada wondered.

A total of 11,227 claims (first batch) have been paid by the IOPC reaching P118,852,193.
According to Guimaras Gov. Felipe Hilan-Nava, the 134 claims are again being screened for final approval by the IOPC.

IOPC made some startling discoveries, among these were the incomplete information on the claim registration or insufficient signatures verifying that the claimants are bona fide fisherfolks; some claimants already received compensation but applied again; others were underaged; and several more were not even coastal residents but inland villagers.

The IOPC tapped fisheries experts from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF) and the London Offshore Consultants to help assess the claims of those seeking compensation.

But for Lozada, “it is wrong that only the fisherolks are compensated. Once fishing is affected, all the people of Guimaras are affected. The whole island must be compensated. Everyone of us must be compensated.”

“The government could have helped the people to fight for their right to get maximum benefits and maximum compensation,” said Lozada during a multi-sectoral dialogue on the effects of the oil spill at Shirven’s Hotel in Jordan town on Tuesday.

Lozada said he was saddened by “unscrupulous people who exploited the disaster.”

“We were treated by these multinationals to a certain place and slaughtered. They know our leaders will fight against each other and confuse the people,” Lozada said, referring to the filing of the second batch of claimants which was done during the election period.

Gov. Nava confirmed that some unscrupulous politicians used the claims to further their own agenda at the expense of the unsuspecting residents using it as “part of their campaign slogan… they misguided the people into making money the easy way.”

Lozada took to task the government. “The President, the Senate, and the battery of lawyers in Congress should have helped us. (But) there was none … we were just given small things,’ he said.

He said the government only offered pallative solutions to the oil spill catastrophe that displaced thousands of fisherfolks who lost their livelihood.

DOUBTFUL CLAIMS

Sinister claims dragging oil spill compensation

By DAVID ISRAEL SINAY
Panay News, Aug. 7, 2007

GUIMARAS fisherman Glen Gabito shows his fishing gear that has been rendered useless by the oil spill one year ago. He said he refused to accept the P14,000 compensation because this was way too small. (Photo from Panay News)

GUIMARAS – Almost a year since the oil spill that ravaged several kilometers of coastal areas and marine life of this island province, the struggle of the affected residents for just compensation continues.

A total of 11,227 claims (first batch) have been paid by the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) reaching P118,852,193. The second batch of claimants, however, is having difficulty.

Gov. Felipe Hilan-Nava said the IOPC is carefully checking each claim and weeding out dubious ones. There are 125,614 claimants for the second batch but the IOPC has considered only 134 claims.

The 134, added Nava, are still being screened for final approval.

IOPC made some startling discoveries, among these were the incomplete information on the claim registration or insufficient signatures verifying that claimants are bona fide fisherfolks; some claimants already received compensation but applied again; others were underage; and several more were not even coastal residents but inland villagers.

Nava disclosed that of the five municipalities in Guimaras, only claimants from Jordan and San Lorenzo towns were approved with 129 and five claims, respectively.

The IOPC made a surprising discovery — the number of claimants exceeded the number of population in Sibunag, Nueva Valencia and Buenavista towns.

According to Nava, the municipality of Sibunag has a population of 17,802 but the number of claimants from there reached 21,152; Nueva Valencia has a population of 36,813 but the claims from there totaled to 37,764; and Buenavista has a population of 44,853 yet the number of residents seeking compensation reached 45,451.

“In the last meeting of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (in Manila), I left the room. I didn’t like the tenor of (Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael) Coscolluela and the Petron Corp. that residents here were opportunistic,” he said.

Nava, however, admitted he was surprised by the number of claimants.

“Almost all claims were rejected because of this,” he lamented.

ABUSED

The oil spill hit Guimaras on August 11, 2006. Coastal residents and fishermen complained of low fish catch, or no catch at all. Some had health-related complaints. They were later promised compensation by the IOPC.

But Nava said some unscrupulous politicians used the claims to further their own agenda at the expense of the unsuspecting residents. They used it as “part of their campaign slogan (during the last elections) … they misguided the people into making money the easy way.”

The IOPC tapped fisheries experts from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF) to help assess the claims of those seeking compensation.
Claimants file damage claims with the amount of compensation derived from declaration of losses and their average income before the oil spill.

Those seeking compensation claimed they were fisherfolk, shell gatherers, fingerlings gatherers and fishpond operators, among others.

Due to the lack of credentials to support the claimants, village chiefs were the ones facilitating the identification of residents directly and indirectly affected by the oil spill to be endorsed by the agriculture and fisheries council, mayor, municipal agriculturist, congressman, or the governor.

Last month, Coscolluela claimed that the second batch of claimants was “politically accommodated”. These claims were filed before the elections…somebody might have advised them to file their claims justifying their loss (brought about by the spill),” Coscolluela said.

“The local officials find it hard to reject them outright. They just leave the validation of the claims to the IOPC. The claimants demanded for endorsements from the agriculture and fisheries council, from the mayor, from the municipal agriculturist, from the congressman, or from the governor,” Coscolluela added.

GMA help on speedy release of Guimaras rehab funds sought

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

THE head of the regional task force on the Solar I Oil Spill is requesting President Macapagal-Arroyo to direct the fast-tracking of the release the bulk of rehabilitation funds intended for victims and affected areas of last year’s oil spill in Guimaras.

Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela, head of the Task Force Solar I Oil Spill said he has requested the President to issue an administrative order that will streamline the procedure for the release of the bulk of the P863-million fund which has been delayed because of bureaucratic procedures.

Coscolluela said most of the rehabilitation and livelihood programs and projects have not been implemented nearly a year after the oil spill because of the delay in the release of funds.

Congress last year allocated the fund to finance the containment operations of the country’s worst environmental disaster and to rehabilitate communities and the environment affected by the oil spill.

But only around P200 million has been released by the Department of Budget and Management.

These include releases to the Department of Agriculture (P11.5 million for livelihood), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (P1 million), Department of Social Welfare and Development (P5 million for livelihood) University of the Philippines in the Visayas (P60 million for rapid assessment and other researches), and local government units of Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental (P60 million).

Among those that have not been release are funds for the Department of Foreign Affairs Marine and Ocean Affairs Center (P5 million), Department of Science and Technology (P26 million), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (P65 million) and Department of Health (P22 million for disease surveillance).

Coscolluela said most of the proposals were already endorsed by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to Office of the President or the DBM for release of funds.

He said the President wants to shorten the procedure and has even suggested that she delegates her authority to approve the release of the funds to the NDCC or Task Force Guimaras.

Coscolluela said there is an urgency to require the release of the funds to the various government agencies before the end of the year because otherwise the funds will be reverted to the national treasury.

The oil spill affected 5,437 families or 26,740 individuals in Guimaras alone after the M/T Solar 1 sank in stormy seas off Guimaras on August 11, 2006 and dumped more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil it was transporting for Petron Corp. from Bataan to Zamboanga.

It also contaminated fishing grounds and devastated the island’s rich marine life and tourism sites.

Philippines: The Black Stain of Oil

By Jason Margolis
Frontline/World, Aug. 2, 2007

The islands impacted by last year’s oil spill in the Philippines are known for their breathtaking beauty: white sand beaches lined with coconut groves; fishermen standing waist deep in clear blue water flinging their nets; children standing on the shores waving to tourists.

I came to this remote area on the island of Guimaras quite by accident. As a reporter with the public radio program The World, one of my beats is to cover alternative energies, such as wind or biomass. Working for a news show that’s international in scope, I’m curious about what solutions countries are adopting as the world starts to move slowly away from fossil fuels. Some work being done in the Philippines had caught my attention. Filipinos, I had learned, aren’t using corn or sugarcane to power their cars; they’re starting to use their local crop, the coconut.

(Read/watch Jason’s report on Frontline.)