|
Saturday, August 26, 2006
2007 budget to fund Guimaras’ economic recovery, cleanup
CONGRESS will definitely provide enough funds in the proposed 2007 national budget for the environmental rehabilitation as well as the economic recovery of Guimaras province and other areas affected by the country’s worst oil spill disaster.
"We will see to it that adequate funds will be made available, as needed," Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, chairman of the House committee on aquaculture and fisheries, said shortly after Malacañang submitted to Congress next year’s proposed P1.137-trillion national spending program.
Villafuerte said the new appropriations would be on top of any "cleanup funding" that may be included in the proposed P46.4-billion supplemental budget for this year.
He also stressed that the new funding would be "without prejudice to Petron Corp.’s financial obligation to restore Guimaras and outlying areas to their pristine conditions prior to the spill."
"Right now, it is impossible to assess thoroughly in absolute terms the ecological destruction and the economic losses, as the agencies concerned are still scrambling to contain the spill and minimize immediate adversities," Villafuerte said.
"Considerable damage has already been done. However, we have yet to calculate fully the extent of the catastrophe, simply because further degradation is taking place even as we speak," he lamented.
Villafuerte described the stricken MT Solar I, chartered by Petron, as "an ecological time bomb that could set off any moment" until it is either floated, or the bunker oil stored in it is drawn off.
"No effort and no expense should be spared to head off a bigger calamity," he said.
Villafuerte bewailed the "severe corruption" of the 1,143-hectare Taklong Island national marine reserve, the coral reefs and mangroves of affected areas and the richly bio-diverse Guimaras Strait, which is home to endangered species.
"Obviously, this will have massive and long-term adverse consequences on the fishing and seashell-gathering communities as well as seaweed farms and other aquaculture industries there," he added.
Fishing is the primary source of livelihood of Guimaras’ 155,000 residents, many of whom have since lost their subsistence, and are now earning just one-third their usual income, getting paid P150 per day helping in the cleanup of contaminated shorelines.
Villafuerte said Malacañang was right to order the deployment of more vessels, equipment and personnel to check the spill early on, and not to wait for Petron to deal with the crisis.
Petron has drawn widespread criticism for its slow and inadequate response to the emergency, and for rashly declaring that oil had ceased to gush out of the sunken tanker, only to be disclaimed by the Coast Guard.
The tanker sank off Guimaras on Aug. 11, with more than two million liters of oil. Over 200,000 liters were instantly discharged into the unspoiled seas, and the ship’s cargo hold continues to spew 100 to 200 liters every hour, according to the Coast Guard.
(August 26, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
