Cebuanos told to brace for oil slick

The Office of Civil Defense in Central Visayas has advised Cebuanos and those in other neighboring provinces to keep ready the improvised booms to prevent the oil slick from entering.

This as a fishermen's group yesterday warned Cebuanos and government officials not to be complacent that Cebu is already safe because there is still a big possibility that oil spill might reach here.

OCD-7 director Angel Gaviola in the 888 News Forum at Parklane Hotel yesterday said that although the containment and clean-up of oil slicks is focused in the seawaters of nearby island provinces, Cebu must also prepare for a possible outflow due to typhoon, bad weather and strong current.

He added that no oil spill has been noticed in the seawaters of Cebu the mainland but there are spill sheens and oil spots as earlier reported by local fishermen in Bantayan Island.

However, Gaviola said that this won't harm marine resources and could even evaporate.

Like Gaviola, officials of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya and Panaghugpong sa mga Mananagat sa Sugbu yesterday said that Cebu needs to prepare because northerly winds will start to blow next month and it might scatter the spilled oil to Cebu and other nearby provinces.

To prevent this from happening they urged Petron and the government to immediately retrieve the sunken vessel and implement clean-up and rehabilitation of the affected areas.

"We are not yet assured that we are safe because out of 2.19 million liters of oil that the tanker contains, only 200,000 liters have leaked so far. We should not be complacent. The vessel has been located but the government's plans still remain as plans," Pamalakaya-Visayas vice chairman Victor Lapaz said.

He added that they are now talking with their members and people who are affected by the spill to unite and file a class suit against Petron Corporation.

Meanwhile, the Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center proposed the creation of a "Save our Seas Coalition" to be composed of various fishermen's groups, non-government organizations, people's organizations and government agencies that would deal with the problem as well as other immediate problems in the Visayan Sea. - Gregg M. Rubio and Wenna A. Berondo/BRP