IOPCF assures payments for all oil spill victims
international Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) Deputy Director/Technical Advisor Joe Nichols assured that the organization will pay "at all cost" the oil spill victims in all affected areas in the island-province of Guimaras.
Nichols assurance was in relation to the questions raised by oil spill victims in the municipality of Nueva Valencia. Though, it is hardly hit by the oil spill after Solar I sunk, Nueva Valencia's claims has yet to be processed by the Fund.
Last week, the organization has already settled the payments for oil spill victims in the town of San Lorenzo. There were 1,339 claimants. More or less P22 million was released as compensation fund. The payments were made through checks. The recipients have encashed their checks at the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The thousands of oil spill victims from Barangays M. Chavez, Suclaran, Cabano, Libas, Igcawayan and Sibario were facilitated by Mayor Arsenio Zambarrano last week when they got their checks from the Fund.
"We have told the affected municipalities that all costs that they have incurred in helping claimants, including transport costs of getting fisherfolk to Iloilo are recoverable from the Fund," said Nichols.
Nichols said they are now on the process of releasing the compensation payment for the oil spill victims in the municipality of Jordan. The Fund hopes to finish the releasing of the checks this week. They have started to settle the claims of oil spill victims in Jordan last Monday. All the payments are made at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
As to date, the IOPCF is still waiting for the municipal government of Nueva Valencia to submit the rectified copies of the compensation claim forms. The claim forms will be used as basis for the issuance of the checks for the oil spill victims after they have conferred with the scheme of payment offered by the Fund.
IOPCF Claims Manager Patrick Joseph said in the rectified claim forms, names of the legitimate oil spill victims are contained and the corresponding payment approved by the Fund. The rectified claim forms are so important that the Fund could not take any action on the claims of oil spill victims from Nueva Valencia.
Meanwhile, after Jordan beneficiaries from the town of Sibunag will receive their claims.