Clean or not clean, Petron leaves it up to DENR
Oil refiner Petron Corporation admitted yesterday that the areas affected by the oil spill in Guimaras is not 100% clean.
We never claimed that the areas affected by the oil spill are 100% totally clean and without any micron of oil, Petron spokesperson Carlos Tan clarified.
It is for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to declare whether or not the areas are clean, he said.
He, however, stressed that they are willing to conduct another round of clean up operations if the DENR is not satisfied.
"If the DENR says, 'Petron, this area is not thoroughly clean,' then we'd be willing to go back and clean it all over again," Tan said.
Tan also said that they never ventured to conduct clean up operations in the mangrove areas because they lack the expertise.
"We might be causing more harm than good to the mangroves," he explained.
According to Tan, they left the task of cleaning and rehabilitating the affected mangrove areas to the DENR.
The clarification comes in the wake of the call by the Parish Pastoral Council of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Nueva Valencia town to boycott Petron products.
In their manifesto, the PPC said, "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!"
Reacting to the call of the PPC to boycott Petron products, Tan asked, "would the oil be washed out if they boycott."
Nonetheless, he said that they are willing to sit down and talk with the parish officials regarding the oil spill.
"Nothing good would come out of boycotting," Tan said.