Nueva Valencia town leads demand for justice and boycott of oil firm's products
Just as Petron Corp. thought everything is over with their declaration that the oil spill affected areas in Guimaras are already 100 per cent clean, a people's manifesto calling for justice to oil spill affected fisherfolk and boycott of the oil firm's products will be launched anew this Thursday, December 28.
This time the move would be spearheaded by the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) of the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer in Nueva Valencia, the town considered as hardest hit by the oil spill.
Based on the record, the town of Nueva Valencia has the most number of barangays affected totaling to 11 rendering 12,600 persons jobless.
In a press statement, Tony Chan, president of PPC, said the people's manifesto will be launched 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Church Convent.
Advance copy of the people's manifesto furnished The News Today (TNT) debunked Petron's earlier declaration that Guimaras is already 100 per cent clean of the havoc wreaked by the oil spill.
It said, "almost five months after the August 11, 2006 Petron / MT Solar 1 Oil Spill - bunker oil still pollutes our shores and mangrove areas, devastates our sources of livelihood, and exposes us to the long-term effects of carcinogenic and other highly toxic compounds."
The people's manifesto claimed that huge volume of oil is still buried in the shores of barangays "San Roque, Lucmayan, San Antonio, Tando, Lapaz, Cabalagnan and Guiwanon with patches of mangroves already dying in said areas."
"We cannot tolerate the lies of Petron: that our shores is now 100% clean, that they are not accountable of their own negligence in ensuring seaworthy contracted carriers, that the bunker fuel is not volatile and toxic; that the spraying of dispersants is not harmful; and that there is no danger of implosion of the sunken oil tanker. Petron’s denial of responsibility and portraying Good Samaritan in this tragedy is gross deception and condemnable(,)" the manifesto added.
The manifesto also declared a boycott to all Petron products even as it called on "our fellow citizens to join us in this worthy cause until (justice is served)!"
The manifesto also enunciated the following demands: (1) That government should execute punitive actions and enforce regulations and policies to compel liability of all those responsible for the tragedy; (2) That PETRON should be fully accountable and must make a thorough clean up of the oil sludge in a manner acceptable not only to the ‘world of science’ but most importantly to the affected people of Guimaras and nearby provinces; (3) That IOPC Fund must provide just compensation to the victims and immediately release the funds in the Province of Guimaras; and (4) That the remaining bunker fuel in the MT Solar 1 must be retrieved immediately.
To note, Nueva Valencia residents affected by the oil spill have not yet received their compensation claims from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF).
IOPCF started releasing money claims of fisherfolk from San Lorenzo, Jordan and Sibunag last week. That of Nueva Valencia, however, is yet to be released due to the delay in the submission of the claimants' papers.
Petron Corp. is the charterer of the sunken oil tanker MT Solar I, owned by Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, carrying 2 million liters of bunker oil which sank off Guimaras waters due to heavy seas last August 11, 2006.