'It's hard but life goes on,' evacuees say as oil spill marks 2nd month anniv
The writer interviews a couple in an
evacuation site.
"When are we going home?" "Why were we evacuated only now?" "When is the clean-up going to end?" "Is it ever going to end?"
Such were the questions raised by evacuated families in Barangay Tando, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras now holed up in temporary shelters and tents donated by the Australian Government to the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Home to 44 families, the center is watched by government workers and a team from Petron Philippines tasked to do continued clean-up work in the barangay's coastline.
One huge tent is now temporary home to couple Victorio and Proctusa Gandriste and their five children, Felipe and Bernie Bisayong and their three children, Ramil and Joy Bongar with their only child, Ariel and Martha Gambalan and their two children and Antonio and Arcenia Bonga and their four children.
Closeby lives 82 year-old Magnifico Galvan, a former barangay captain who served Barangay Tando for three straight terms. His family has since lived and loved Guimaras and survived years of hardship through fishing. From their usual P2,000 to P5,000 a week income, Galvan's family now has to contend with the the rotation cash-for-work program of Petron and whatever dole-outs for food ration are distributed to the evacuation centers.
"Mabudlay pero sige lang ah. (It is hard but that's ok)," he began. "Ang amon lang gusto mabal-an kung asta san-o kami diri sa evacuation. (What we just want to know is until when are we going to stay here in the evacuation [center])."
Similar sentiments from those who milled around the area while telling reporters present, "bag-o lang kami iya ginpa-evacuate. Tinlo naman to gani ang baybay. Ang katilingalahan nga bag-o lang kami iya ginpa-evacuate (they just evacuated us. And the shoreline is already clean. That remains a mystery as to why they just decided to evacuate us)."
In a report, TNT learned that evacuation and all other oil-spill activities went through the Capitol though locals mistook such as Petron's call.
With the oil spill now on its second month, "implementation issues" continue to be discussed by both Petron and local government officials particularly those related to clean-up operations. Yet to be resolved is the go-signal on at least thirteen barangays deemed "clean" by Petron which awaits final go of the Joint Inspection Team.
Latest count of affected persons in Guimaras stands to be 25,930.
As an offshoot of the incident, Petron provided livelihood and rehabilitation programs and launched education programs alongside the distribution of relief goods.
To date, all Petron-initiatives go through the Capitol, the distribution of relief assistance included. Cash -for work programs that have since earned the ire of some locals are likewise implemented with coordination and approval of the local government with the list of laborers provided to Petron by the barangay officials.