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Saturday, September 02, 2006
Oil slick now in Iloilo City
By Ruby P. Silubrico
RESIDENTS who are living along the shoreline of Arevalo and Molo districts are now worried that the city beaches will be affected after the oil sludge has been spotted in six coastal villages here.
Police Regional Office-Western Visayas director Geary Barias Friday made this confirmation after the Philippine Coast Guard informed him that some areas in the two districts are affected with the spill.
The villages affected in Molo are San Juan, Boulevard and Calumpang while those in Arevalo, are Sto. Niño Sur, Sto Niño Norte, and Calaparan.
The residents noticed a brownish greasy substance on the water.
With this, fisherfolks and residents fear that their livelihood would be affected as well as the beaches.
The City Government, through Mayor Jerry Treñas quickly acted to prevent the oil spill from the sunken M/T Solar 1 tanker to reach the city's waters.
Don't Worry
On the other hand, Barias said the residents have nothing to be alarmed of because "it's just only little amount of oil spill unlike in Guimaras."
"Maybe it was carried away by the waves and there's no health hazard to the residents because of the small quantity," Barias said.
Affected
Two days ago, Treñas confirmed that the municipalities of Oton and Tigbauan were affected.
Dumangas Mayor Rolando Distura Friday said that number of areas affected along the coastal towns in northern Iloilo is the same.
"I hope that it would not further damage other barangays (villages)," he said.
Long Time
Meanwhile, after admitting that the country is helpless in addressing accidents like the oil spill, Malacañang said they expect the cleanup to take a while along with the rehabilitation of the areas that have been affected.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said while they welcome recent developments identifying the source of the spill, it would still take some time before it is completely resolved.
"The cause of the crisis is now in full view. We are well on the way of sealing any more leaks and offloading the oil as directed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This may take a long time but we are confident that a comprehensive rehabilitation plan, supported by all stakeholders will mop up this spill," he said.
His statement came at the heels of President Arroyo's admission that the Philippines is helpless in addressing accidents as big and as serious as the oil spill.
The Philippines even needed the assistance of foreign countries in the cleanup as well as in the relief assistance for the affected places and residents.
Bunye however assured that the government, through Task Force Guimaras, remains on top of the situation, including environment, health and justice issues.
"The government will sustain all socioeconomic interventions until the communities are back on their feet. At the same time, this experience will leave us enduring lessons not to repeat this man-made calamity again," he said.
He also assured that those found responsible, including those who may have been lax or too lenient in their duties, would be dealt with accordingly.
Lieutenant Commander Harold Alder, Philippine Coast Guard station commander, assured residents of Iloilo that only oil sheen had been found in the coastal waters near the province's boundaries. He said the oil sheen would dissipate in due time as it is exposed to sunlight.
Meanwhile, the government has barred the owners of Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, including its four Japanese incorporators, from leaving the country amid the ongoing probe of the oil spill.
Hold-departure
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. issued a hold-departure order against Mototsugu Yamaguchi, Hiroyasu Yamaguchi, Tomoki Tsubomoto, Hiromi Irishika and their Filipino partners Dionisio Parulan, Gregorio Flores, Clemente Cancio, Roberto Mena and Angelita Buenaventura.
Gonzalez directed Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez to place them under the hold-departure list following reports that they have closed their local office since the incident took place.
"They used to be just under the watch-list but now I issued an HDO because they have closed their local office. They can't be located by our process servers," he said.
Gonzalez said the incorporators of Sunshine Maritime, which owns Solar I, may be held liable for civil damages in connection with the oil slick.
It was also learned that one of the Japanese incorporators, Horoyasu Yamaguchi, is facing a perjury case before a Makati City court.
"The President's marching order is to make a thorough investigation. We are looking for the more serious case so that we have more progressive results. Since we are investigating this, we might as well investigate every direction to ensure the conviction of guilty ones," he said.
Cancio, the president of Sunshine Maritime; Nicasio Alcantara, chairman of Petron; Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard; and Solar I captain Norberto Aguro are set to testify in the inquiry to be conducted by the justice department's task force chaired by Undersecretary Ernesto Pineda.
Ship crew Herminio Renger, radioman; Jesse Angel, pumpman; Reynaldo Torio and Victor Morados, both oilers, were also called to appear after the Board of Marine Inquiry found out that all four have expired General Tanker Familiarization certificates.
The investigation team was given 30 days to submit its report and recommendations. (With LABB/Sunnex)
(September 2, 2006 issue)
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