Oil spill caused by weak policies – Greenpeace

CEBU, Philippines - The oil spill brought by the recent sea mishap in Lauis Ledge in Talisay City is the result of “weak policies governing our seas.”

This is according to Greenpeace Southeast Asia, an independent global campaigning organization aimed to protect and conserve the environment including the seas.

“This incident shows how weak policies governing our seas is making our marine environment more vulnerable from various threats including oil spill, and underscores the need to pursue a stronger policy on sea transportation, oil spill and marine protection,” said Vince Cinches, oceans campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

With strengthened policies, Cinches said it would also attend to pressing issues the Philippine Seas is currently facing like overfishing and ecosystems degradation which is caused by incidents like the oil spill.

“Although no definitive study on the health effects of oil spill have yet been made, experts nevertheless agree that exposure to bunker fuel (a highly toxic compound) including diesel is harmful to health,” stressed Cinches.

He cited report that short term effects may result in respiratory and skin ailments, while long term effects may include cancer, leukemia, and congenital anomalies.

This is why they are pushing for a multi-agency body to be created so that there will be an official Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment.

Cinches suggested that the multi-agency body would be made up of the representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), marine scientific institutions, civil society organizations and fisherfolk organizations.

“It is now important to establish further the accountability of the ship owners,” said Cinches, adding that the company’s accountability is not just on shouldering the cost of the clean up and deployment of relief operations but on the long term effects to health of the people and the environment.

Cinches said they are not considering taking legal actions yet against the companies involved but have informed local fisherfolk organizations and other stake holders of the various legal remedies under the rules of procedure for the environment.

He said that the company may be liable for violating the Clean Water Act, the Fisheries Code of 1998, among others.

“We should remember that three years after the oil spill in Guimaras, the ecological impacts were still evident as marine plants and animals found in the affected areas showed signs of abnormalities. We should remember that oil spills has irreversible effects to our marine ecosystem,” Cinches added.  (FREEMAN)