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Sunday, August 27, 2006
Arroyo orders faster cleanup of oil spill
GUIMARAS -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday visited Guimaras Island, which has been devastated by an oil spill from a sunken tanker and ordered a rapid cleanup because of growing health hazards in coastal villages.
"This is a tragic accident," Arroyo said in Nueva Valencia, the hardest hit town on Guimaras Island. "Our first order of business is to ensure the health and safety of our citizens who are in the path of the spill."
More than 600 people in Guimaras have been treated for respiratory illnesses, skin disease, dizziness and gastrointestinal ailments related to exposure to the sludge, according to provincial health authorities.
Arroyo, who helped distribute relief supplies to villagers, pledged a full investigation into the Aug. 11 sinking of the tanker, which carried 2 million liters (500,000 gallons) of bunker oil. Officials estimate it has leaked 350,000 liters (almost 100,000 gallons) and continues to spew about 250 liters (66 gallons) each hour.
"On a personal note, let me express how saddened I am to see our beautiful beaches besmirched by this accident," she said. "We will do everything in our power to right the wrong caused by this unfortunate accident."
Oil has also reached the shores of three coastal towns in Iloilo province west of Guimaras, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southeast of Manila.
A Japanese salvage ship, Shinsei Maru, which has an underwater survey vessel, headed from Okinawa to Guimaras on Saturday to inspect the condition of the tanker, which lies in deep waters after it sank.
Arroyo has declared the oil spill a national calamity and called for cooperation from all Filipinos in the cleanup.
She said she was "personally pressing" oil refiner Petron Corp., as well as the tanker owner and other parties, "to move quickly and decisively to clean up this eco-mess."
Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, who heads the national disaster council, said Arroyo has ordered measures to keep the oil slick from reaching the Visayan Sea, one of the Philippines' major fishing grounds north of Guimaras.
The army will send troops to help in the cleanup, while more ships from the fisheries bureau, private ferries and barges will assist in containing the oil slick, Cruz said.
Guimaras Governor Joaquin Nava has expressed fears that his province, which recently rose out of the list of top 20 poorest in the Philippines by developing its fishing and tourism industries, will slide further into poverty with more than 26,000 people – directly and indirectly dependent on fishing - affected.
Officials have suggested stringing up floating barriers in waters between Guimaras and Negros Occidental province to the east to stop the oil slick from being brought by the currents toward the Visayan Sea, Nava said.
Nava added that Arroyo has obtained a commitment from Petron chairman Nicasio Alcantara to increase daily wages of workers helping in the cleanup from P200 (US$3.90; euro3.06) to P300 (US$5.90; euro4.60).(AP/Sunnex)
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