Team Everest, RP-UN group, Army soldiers pool in town for the job
Massive containment and clean-up efforts in the Province of Guimaras will now see a diverse and "all-star cast" volunteers as members of the Team Everest join and assist locals to do the job. A group of experts from the RP-UN Humanitarian Aid Team are also in town as 150 Army soldiers take a break from the battle field and began making oil spill protective booms.
Team Everest was headed by former Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Art Valdez who all led a hand to the locals and handed 200 specialized oil spill boots valued over $400 each or roughly P21,000 for each pair.
"We are here to help," USec Valdez simply stated as he went to present his team, Mt. Everest expedition stars Ted Esqueria, Leo Oracion, Erwin Emata, Carina Dayondon, Fred Jamili and Vince Rodriguez.
The RP-UN Humanitarian Aid Team on the other hand was headed by Jesus Gary Domingo, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs' International, Political, Legal and Security Affairs. Domingo's group were earlier tasked to do the evacuation efforts in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, a total of 150 soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army will take temporary residence in Nueva Valencia and set up tents in Barangay Lapaz.
Major Lyndon Sollesta told The News Today (TNT) that the soldiers will stay "for as long as they are needed" thus no definite time for their new assignment. Hundreds of oil spill booms will be made by the Army group in coordination with the local fisherfolks.
Clean-up operations have now dispatched four teams from Petron as tugboats were deployed aided by small seacrafts. On top of the booms, skimmers, jet sprayers, dispersants and sorbent pads comprise the clean-up paraphernalia as manual clean-up operations were also maximized in the affected coastline of the barangays.
Petron in its fact sheet claimed that 24 kilometers of shoreline had been cleared with two barangays declared clean. A total of 95 metric tons of debris had been collected while treatment of the collected oil has yet to be finalized. Location for the disposal site set to speed up biodegratioin is still being worked on by the Provincial Government of Guimaras.