Monday, September 18, 2006
Governor vows to file libel for oil dispersant issue
By Jay Dooma Balnig
GUIMARAS Governor JC Rahman Nava was angered by the report tagging him as the one who dealt with Petron Corporation regarding the oil dispersants and vowed to file a libel case against those behind the allegations.
In an interview, Nava lambasted Petron for "making such allegations. This is a serious matter. This is libelous!"
The issue, published September 14 as a blind item in a local daily in Iloilo, said: "Guv sells dispersants to us also. At his price, mahal." The newspaper quoted a source from an official of Petron who asked not to be named.
Nava admitted that several Petron people visited his office. "In fact, they told me that their chairman wants to talk to me in Manila. But I told them, my office is in Guimaras." Nava added.
Nava lambasted Petron for being inconsistent.
"My demand is very simple. Bring your waste out of Guimaras," he said.
On Sunday, a group of local scientists headed by Giovanni Tapang, physicist and national chairperson of Advocates of Science and Technology for People, and Aloysius Baiz, environmental chemist from Center for Environmental Concerns, called for a press conference.
They talked about the long term effect of the MT Solar 1 oil spill in Guimaras's eco-system.
They said they will work out a scenario-building to guide ongoing research and coordinate future assessments so that national resources and expertise can be maximized.
Their long-term goal is to build a scenario on what to expect, and develop protocols on what to do in the aftermath of similar oil spills.
(September 18, 2006 issue)
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