Thursday, August 24, 2006
Arroyo orders release of P20-M cash aid for affected provinces
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan and Roberto L. Bacasong
BACOLOD CITY -- To minimize the impact of the problems caused by the oil spill in Guimaras, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered Wednesday the immediate release of P20 million from the government's coffer for the provinces of Guimaras, Negros Occidental and Iloilo.
Of the P20 million, P10 million will go to Guimaras while Negros Occidental and Iloilo will get P5 million each.
The Provincial Board also approved Wednesday the request of Negros Occidental Governor0 Joseph Marañon to declare the entire province under a state of imminent danger.
As this developed, the 23 cities and municipalities in the province can also declare their respective localities under a state of calamity and make use of their calamity fund, which is five percent of their Internal Revenue Allotment.
In releasing the P20-million fund, the President said the amount would be used for immediate disaster response relative to the August 11 sinking of m/t Solar 1, which has continuously leaked bunker fuel and caused a spill on the sea surface and in marine reserves and coastal environments.
The P20 million, however, will be chargeable against the country's Calamity fund for Calendar Year 2006 and will be subject to reimbursement by Petron Corporation to the Bureau of Treasury, said Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council Chairman Avelino Cruz Jr.
Last Tuesday, the President formed the Task Force Guimaras to immediately address the ill effects of the oil spill on the marine resources, coral reefs, mangroves and human lives.
The task force is also aimed at preventing a disaster of similar magnitude from happening again.
Comprising the Task Force Guimaras are the departments of environment, health, social welfare, transportation and energy as well the Coast Guard and Maritime Industry.
The 998-ton tanker was chartered by Petron Corporation to deliver 2.7 million liters of bunker fuel from its refinery in Limay, Bataan to Zamboanga del Sur when it sank due to bad weather last August 11.
Reports from the Philippine Coast Guard in Western Visayas said the threatened areas in the province include the cities of Bacolod, Himamaylan, Sagay, Cadiz, Victorias, Bago, Escalante, Silay, Talisay, Sipalay and San Carlos.
As to the towns, also at risk are Hinigaran, Ilog, Valladolid, Pulupandan, Pontevedra, San Enrique, Binalbagan, EB Magalona, Calatrava, Toboso, Manapla and Hinoba-an.
Meanwhile, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines will field an international team of legal and scientific experts to conduct a fact-finding investigation into the recent massive oil spill in the seas off the Guimaras Province.
In his letter to Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon, the new IBP President Jovy Salazar said they've already mobilized the IBP-National Environmental Action Team (Neat) headed by environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr. to set in motion the fact-finding investigation
Immediately, Oposa also mobilized his national and international network of lawyers-specialists in maritime law to organize the core fact-finding team, added Salazar.
Salazar also said scientists from the WWF (World-Wide Fund for Nature) and Siliman University will be joining the Core Team as the Scientific Advisors.
The team, Salazar said, will also pinpoint the potential liability of responsible parties and recommend measures to prevent another incident.
"It will also report its findings to the Washington DC-based International Network for Environmental Compliance, the Secretariat of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, other international bodies and to the Philippines' concerned government agencies," he added.
In a parallel effort, Oposa and Hector Teodosio, both team leaders of the Visayan Sea Squadron, called into action its volunteer-members from the Provinces of Iloilo and Cebu to assist in the seaborne clean-up operations.
They will also be coordinating with the squadron members of Negros Occidental as the squadron is also mobilizing its underwater team to help assess the underwater damage.
The group will likewise attempt to top-survey the wreckage of the oil tanker to determine and anticipate its discharges.
As for the Coast Guard, it said the Japan Disaster Relief Team has already commissioned three of their experts from Japan's Coast Guard and an official from the Japan International Cooperation Agency to help in solving the Guimaras mess.(Sun.Star Bacolod)
(August 24, 2006 issue)
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