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Thursday, August 31, 2006
Oil spill reaches RP’s rich fishing grounds
The sunken tanker responsible for the Philippines’ worst environmental disaster is leaking less oil, but the slick it caused has reached the country’s richest fishing grounds, the Coast Guard said yesterday.
Daniel Gayosa, who is commanding the search and rescue vessel EDSA II at the wreck site, told reporters the 998-ton tanker Solar 1 was leaking “less than 10 liters” of oil per day.
It seeping about 500 liters per day shortly after it sank in deep waters south of Guimaras Island last Aug. 11.
“We still don’t know if there is still oil in there. Those tanks are also watertight and it’s possible some of them are still intact.
(But) we still don’t know their status,” Gayosa said.
He said the oil that had leaked was “down to a sheen” two weeks after black sludge contaminated hundreds of kilometers of coastline and damaged a large marine reserve in Guimaras.
He added that since the oil had thinned it will not cause as much damage as before.
There are now reports of oil in the Visayan Sea. It and the Sulu Sea comprise the Philippines’ richest fishing grounds.
The Coast Guard and private vessels had been trying to contain the oil slick within the Guimaras Strait to prevent it spreading to the two fishing grounds.
Four Japanese nationals and five Filipino incorporators of the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp., owner of Solar 1, were placed under the watch-list of the Bureau of Immigration.
In a memorandum to Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr., Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. ordered that Mototsugu Yamaguchi, Hiroyasu Yamaguchi, Tomoki Tsubomoto, Hiromi Irishika and their Filipino partners Dionisio Parulan, Gregorio Flores, Clemente Cancio, Roberto Mena and Angelita Buenaventura be included in the watch list.
On top of possible reckless imprudence charges, the nine are also subject of an investigation for a number of violations in connection with the oil spill.
But sources said the four Japanese incorporators have already left the country or were outside the country when the oil spill took place.
Gonzalez said the names of the Japanese executives were gathered by investigators from the articles of incorporation of the shipping company, wherein it was learned that they provided P4 million of the P5 million start-up capital of the shipping company.
Meanwhile, help poured in from other provinces for Guimaras, with Cebu Province giving the biggest amount, at P5 million.
“I came to bring here the voice of three million Cebuanos who commiserate. Your tragedy is our tragedy, your grief is our grief.
I know that you cried,” Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia told Guimaras Gov. Joaquin Carlos Nava, who thanked Garcia for the assistance.
The League of Provinces of the Philippines handed out P500,000 to Guimaras, while Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo and Negros Occidental shelled out P200,000 each.
Southern Leyte Gov. Rosette Lerias, who herself has had to attend to several disasters in her area, also pledged to send assistance in cash and in kind.
Each mayors of Aklan promised to give aid from their calamity fund, but will give these directly to the Guimaras municipalities instead of the provincial government.
Nava, in a special meeting of the governors’ league members from Visayas, said the incident only reinforces the need for the country to put in place a system or “protocol” in attending to such kind of disaster.
“An SOP for oil spill must be established. As it is, we saw no protocol on how we should work on the incident,” Nava told his colleagues.
Visayan Sea Squadron head Antonio Oposa also made a presentation before the governors and rallied them to support the move to declare the Visayan Sea a protected area.
“People only value what we have lost or about to lose. Thanks to the oil spill, finally people are beginning to focus on the unparalleled wealth of the Philippine seas. We must seize the momentum of concern and convert it to action,” said Oposa, also national environmental team leader of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
Siquijor Gov. Orlando Fue asked whether the seas will be closed to marginal fishermen, but he was assured small fishermen will benefit from the declaration because commercial fishers will be strictly regulated.
Moreover, Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon shared the success of declaring his Sagay town a protected area.
“We had a strong opposition and it was not even a good idea politically. But we initiated alternative livelihood, conducted information campaign to make them understand, and lastly, political will,” said Marañon.
With that, the governors passed a resolution to support the move to have the Visayan Sea, reported to have the richest marine life in the world, declared a protected area.
Aside from the declaration, Oposa also called on the governors to enforce marine laws, specifically on conservation. (AFP/Sunnex)/JPM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 31, 2006 issue)
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