Guimaras officials score DENR over oil spill projects
JORDAN, GUIMARAS—Guimaras officials have scored the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for implementing oil spill rehabilitation projects in areas that were not affected by the oil spill.
Guimaras Gov. Felipe Nava said the DENR is implementing livelihood projects using rehabilitation funds even in communities that were hardly affected by the August 11, 2006 oil spill.
"I'm not contented with what's happening. We are in the dark and we don't know if this are beneficial to the people of Guimaras. I think we should correct this (because) we are wasting precious money," Nava said yesterday during a presentation of updates on the rehabilitation programs marking the second anniversary of the oil spill.
The DENR is implementing a livelihood project for oil spill affected areas costing P35.451 million with P29.7 million intended for Guimaras Island.
The fund is part of the P130 million allotted to the DENR from the P867.4 million rehabilitation fund for areas affected by the oil spill after the M/T Solar 1 chartered by Petron Corp. sank in stormy seas off Guimaras spilling more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil it was transporting from Bataan to Zamboanga.
The DENR projects include the production and utilization of "sibukao" in Barangay Taminla and bamboo production and processing in Barangay Dagsaan. Both villages are in Buenavista town.
DENR Regional Technical Director Alicia Lustica said the projects benefit 60 households Dagsaan and 150 residents in Taminla.
But Jimmy Baban, provincial planning and development officer, said the projects should be focused in Nueva Valencia and Sibunag.
Nueva Valencia is the worst affected by the oil spill of the province's five municipalities. Sibunag was also affected because the oil spill hit the southwest portion of the island.
Baban pointed out that Buenavista, located in the northeast section of Guimaras and where the DENR projects are located, was hardly affected by the oil spill.
"The rehabilitation fund suppose to be given for those who lost their livelihood during the oil spill," said Baban.
Nava lamented the implementation of the DENR projects despite the holding of two meetings between stakeholders and government agencies last year to coordinate programs and efforts to avoid duplication and to ensure the actual needs of affected communities.
"We did interfacing sessions because we have limited funds and we want to maximize the impact," said Nava.
"But (the DENR) will spend P35 million for only five organizations... We have to use the money wisely," he said.
Lustica said the projects in Buenavista benefits people's organizations of the Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) areas.
Even if they are in upland areas, the residents were also affected by the oil spill, she said.
Lustica said the DENR also has livelihood projects in Nueva Valencia but she said other agencies also have projects in the area which the DENR does not want to duplicate.