Consumers Domain
Petron oil spill and other stories
"As we lie beneath the stars...
We realize how small we are..."
-- from the song "If Everyone Cared" by NickelBack
There are numerous significant issues that currently play around my head. As I sat down to write this article, I can't seem to focus on a topic as other issues crave for my attention too. So well I decided to give tidbits of my mind on these various subjects.
Petron Oil Spill Disaster
Another disaster. And who else carry the heaviest burden? Who else, but the already marginalized groups of people -- particularly the fishers and their families living in the coastal villages of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.
This oil spill may be one of the worst environmental disasters to hit the region and maybe of the whole country too. 50,000 gallons of bunker fuel has already spread and almost half a million gallons more inside the sunken vessel is in danger of bursting out once the tanks containing them give way to the intense water pressure.
I just don't know what's taking Petron too long to react to mitigate the impact of this hazardous oil spill. It's more than a week already (as of this writing) since it happened and last I read is that Petron is still on the stage of having some foreign experts assess the situation. Only after this assessment they say will they determine what needs to be done.
In the meantime, people are losing their livelihood, children are getting sick, animals dying, damage to marine resources growing. Every single hour is important to contain this disaster.
Let us be vigilant in making sure that Petron and the owner of the Solar 1 vessel are held accountable to the full cost of the damage, rehabilitation and long term assistance to the affected families. And also that the government does not dilly-dally in ensuring proper response to the disaster.
Nursing Board
My heart goes out to those examinees who honestly passed the Nursing Board Exam, the result of which was marred by controversies surrounding a leakage of the test questions.
In this country we know that thousands of families depend on a son or a daughter who are taking or have finished the Nursing course for their survival. These families invest so much resources and hope for their children's education, review and the examinations. Now, their hopes are suspended as the slow legal processes delay the oath-taking of their sons and daughters.
I can also understand the concern of those who want the nullification of the exams. For sure the issue is not simply an issue affecting the current batch of nurses but transcends the whole Nursing profession in the country. This event is actually a tip of the ice berg and palliative solutions should be avoided.
A big part of the blame goes to the PRC which failed to safeguard the credibility of the examinations. This column hopes for the immediate resolution of the issue.
Super-Maid!
It's a bird... It's a plane... No, its super-maid! I don't know how to exactly react upon reading this report about training our people to be super-maids. I am angry and frustrated but at the same time tickled by the idea.
I don't know what is going on the minds of the country's leaders. I don't know why they take pride in making Filipinos super-maids or maybe super-slaves! Instead of trying to solve the problems of unemployment, which is actually manifested by our professionals who are forced to work as maids in other countries, this government would rather dwell on cashing in on the problem itself.
Well, the more super-maids the more dollar remittances. The more remittances, the more the country's economy is kept afloat. This dependence on remittances in turn removes the burden from this government to invest more in sound economic policies and repudiate its current skewed pro-debtor, pro-globalization policies.
Killing of the Impeachment
With all the sad stories for the past weeks, the greatest tragedy of all is still the killing of the second impeachment complaint against the country's fake president. I have written on this issue for so many times already and I need not say more.
The government of Gloria Arroyo is rotten to the core. And Gloria's allies in the House of Representatives have proven once again how politics in this country has turned from bad to worse.
(Send your comments and reactions to: for text messages to 0919-348-6337; for e-mails to ianseruelo@yahoo.com; and for blogs to http://consumersdomain.blogspot.com.)