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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Closure of areas with oil spill set
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday ordered Task Force Guimaras to start sealing off portions of the Guimaras shoreline contaminated by the oil spill to prevent residents, particularly children and loiterers, from being exposed to possible health risks.
Arroyo also directed health authorities to step up their medical assistance to affected residents and clean-up workers as Health Secretary Francisco Duque III beefs up its medical personnel deployed to the area.
"Public health is among the President's top priority concerns in this campaign and we will exhaust all measures to ensure that the damage brought by the oil spill will not take its toll on the health of the local residents who have had enough of the adverse effects of this tragedy," said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.
Arroyo on Wednesday made a third visit to Guimaras to check on the ongoing cleanup and relief operations on the affected barangays, particularly in Nueva Valencia, the hardest hit town in the island.
The President also met with the Task Force led by its chairman, Defense secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) head Avelino Cruz Jr., while in the island to plot their next actions.
Cruz said his team already came up with 10 critical tasks "in order to restore the environment, the livelihood and the tourism industry of Guimaras to as close to as what it was before, and in some areas, even better."
He said these include: improving the "cleanup of the oil spill in the sea and shorelines of Guimaras by recovering the oil in the sunken vessel as recommended by Petron, salvage experts and insurance companies;" and submission of a proposed law to Congress implementing the other provisions of the 1992 civil liability compensation relating to oil spills.
Cruz said the other tasks are: identification of dedicated sea lanes; and implementation of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) ruling requiring all tankers to be equipped with double hulls and double floors by April 2008 in order to prevent another oil spill from happening again.
It also includes continuing of ongoing relief programs; and implementation of science-based responses that will provide needed inputs in the integrated rehabilitation plan that the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, the Department of Science and Technology, the University of the Philippines (UP)-Visayas, and the Worldwide Wildlife Fund is developing; and implementing the integrated rehabilitation plan for Guimaras once the plan is completed.
Also part of the 10 critical tasks are the implementation of the socio-economic plan to be drawn up by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the PDCC that would provide alternative livelihood, including enhanced fishing techniques for fisherfolk, whose main source of livelihood is fishing; and the continuous implementation of the health department's surveillance and treatment of people whose health may be affected by the oil spill.
The last task is the pushing for the Philippines' application to the International Oil Pollution Fund worth US$310 million to address property damage, expenses incurred in the cleanup operation and in the implementation of preventive measures, lost profits and, expenses incurred in the restoration and rehabilitation of the environment.
Confusion
Local folks in affected villages in Guimaras are now confused with the signature drive facilitated by various village chiefs in Nueva Valencia.
Mayor Diosdado Gonzaga is now investigating the alleged signature campaign being conducted on a blank paper.
A resident of Barangay Cabalagnan, who requested anonymity, complained that he is one of the signatories on the blank paper being circulated by Punong Barangay Escolastico Eunangga.
Gonzalez said he is now validating the said complaint.
Since September 4, residents of affected villages in Guimaras executed their affidavit to support the class suit against Petron and Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation (SMDC) being prepared by lawyer David Alfeche Jr.
It was not clear on what was the purpose of the blank paper bearing signatures.
Gonzaga suspects the signature gathering is for the use of village chiefs to account for their affected residents.
But, several individuals suspect that this may be used against Petron and SMDC.
Gonzaga added that before, many oil spill affected individuals did not register their names in their village chiefs' listing.
But during the distribution of goods and relief assistance, the number of affected persons tripled, said Gonzaga.
Local folks also complained against their respective village chiefs on the manner of selecting workers for the Petron clean-up drive.
According to reports that reached Gonzaga, the manner of selection of workers showed that those who are friends and relatives of the village chief are first to be accommodated. (JDB/Sunnex/Sun.Star Bacolod)
(September 8, 2006 issue)
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