Guimaras fisherfolks to receive compensation by Christmas
The International Oil Pollution Compensation and marginal fisherfolks displaced by the oil spill in Guimaras have agreed on the amount of reparation.
Carlos Tan, Petron Corporation spokesperson, told The News Today Tuesday that the IOPC, of which the oil refiner is a member, and all of the fisherfolks from the San Lorenzo town, and some from Sibunag and Nueva Valencia have already agreed on the amount of compensation for lost income because of the oil spill tragedy last August.
Tan said that the IOPC will be paying each affected fisherfolk somewhere between $20-$60 per week for a total of 12 weeks, the amount representing the unrealized income for not having gone out to sea and sell their catch because of the oil spill. The actual amount would depend on their classification.
They will be receiving their checks before Christmas, Tan said of the affected fishermen.
Presently, the IOPC is negotiating a payment scheme with local banks to facilitate the releasing of checks, Tan said.
Joe Nichols of the IOPC said that an estimated 13,000 fishers from Guimaras filed their claims for lost income as a result of the oil spill caused when a Petron Corporation-chartered tanker carrying bunker fuel sunk off the island last August. Some were denied for being duplicitous, Nichols said.
Owners of beach resorts, fishpens and fishponds, however, will have to wait longer.
Tan said that they have not yet reached an agreement with the IOPC on the amount of compensation. Regarding fishpond and fishpen owners, Tan added, they are still filing their claims with the adjusters.
With those of resort owners, they and the IOPC are still on the accounting phase, he said.
A few weeks after the sinking of tanker Solar 1, which was carrying two million liters of bunker fuel last August 11, the IOPC scheduled a series of workshops to educate those affected by the oil spill on the process of the filing their claims.
The tanker’s insurer, the Protection and Indemnity Club, has already contracted subsea construction services provider Sonsub for the offloading of the remaining oil from the sunken Solar 1 early next year.