Oil spill clean up 'almost' done, evacuees back home soon
The second month anniversary of the oil spill incident off the waters of Guimaras is marked by an "almost" clean bill of health. Or so, the reports state pending official nod and approval from the government.
As it is though, some 140 kilometers of shoreline has been deemed clean with over P15 million in payroll to local laborers and five of the hardest hit villages soon to be brought back to normalcy. Based on official records of the Provincial Government, clean-up must be on a 220 kilometer radius however a top Petron official shared to The News Today (TNT), actual shoreline affected based on the company's verification and evaluation was placed between 150 to 160 kilometers only.
This, as Petron Philippines, the country's largest oil refiner and owner of the spilled bunker fuel play the most major role in what analysts termed "environmental drama", "ecological nightmare" to advocates.
With continued estimated leak of 120 liters a day, remaining bunker fuel inside the compartments of ill-fated tanker MV Solar 1 will be siphoned. A decision reached by industry's experts alongside representatives from the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) team. The wreckage, the decision now stands, will have to stay in the accident site, about 600 meters deep, south off Guimaras waters. To retrieve or even attempt to retrieve the sunken tanker is "outrageous," Joe Nichols, IOPC Deputy Director quipped.
In a press conference Wednesday, Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas Rafael "Lito" Coscolluela confirmed the five areas ready to be occupied anew by the evacuated families. Such as he added that efforts are underway to have the fisherfolks regain their lost livelihood at sea amid concern of "overfishing."
Yet as Cosculluela stressed, "we definitely want them (fisherfolks) to go back" as he went on to identify barangays Tando, Lusaran, Sumirib in the Municipality of Nueva Valencia and Alegria in the Municipality of Sibunag as "initial areas almost ready and clean."
Retrieval of the wreckage, he admits will have to be set aside however he would have wanted it salvaged and brought to shore if only to provide answers to the ongoing probe.
Said Presidential Assistant further said latest government effort is moving towards "genuine compensation" for all affected locals, implementation of comprehensive community program and siphoning of the remaining oil in the accident site.
Lessons learned in the oil spill, he continued, caused him to push for proper action from concerned government agencies such as the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). He also wants a check on existing environmental laws and effect change on what he said were "inherent difficulties in the system."
Meantime, IOPC executives disclosed of a multi-million dollar compensation for Petron and the Philippine Government with the Philippines a member of two international treaties on the matter of sea disasters involving the threat of oil pollutants.
Far more worse oil spills such as the one in France has been duly compensated and handled, Nichols explained while expressing his dismay on the "doom and gloom" media reports of local media on the Guimaras incident.
Report on the good news, he told reporters present in Wednesday's press conference, while adding that as it is, land-based sources in oil pollutants are actually greater than what is being leaked by the sunken tanker.
Nichols' statement raised brows from most of the media present while others shrugged off his sentiment.
Also present in the press conference were Petron's Carlos Tan, Felimon Antiporda and Malou Erni, IOPC Claims Manager Patrick Joseph, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials. A team from the Philippine Science High School were also present, the group tasked to do an independent study on the ill-effects of the oil spill.