Oil spill, tourists don’t mix in Guimaras

LA PAZ, Guimaras (AP) — Boasting of unspoiled white beaches, some of the Philippines’ best coral reefs and arguably the world’s sweetest mangoes, the island province of Guimaras was poised as an emerging tourist haven. Now disaster has tainted it, literally and figuratively.

A tanker carrying two million liters of bunker oil sank Aug. 11 in deep waters south of the island. Up to 350,000 liters have leaked out so far, drifting through Guimaras’ emerald waters and onto beaches and mangroves, covering everything with a smelly ink. The slick is spreading toward two nearby provinces.

Already affected are 26,000 people dependent on fishing, 300 kilometers of coastline, 500 hectares of mangroves and 60 hectares of seaweed plantations, Guimaras Gov. Joaquin Nava said.

Angeles Gabinete, the province’s tourism officer, said at least 14 of the island’s 36 resorts have been hit by the oily muck. Photos of the environmental disaster have been transmitted around the world.

"Not all resorts in Guimaras are affected by the oil spill, but many reservations have been canceled," she lamented. "Many resort owners are frustrated, and are putting up improvised oil booms to save their beaches."

Guimaras has been trying to crawl out of poverty by promoting itself as a marine and tourism haven, and is one of the priority areas identified by President Arroyo for tourism and infrastructure development. It recently pulled itself up out of the country’s 20 poorest provinces, helped by a steady increase in tourism arrivals, with a 22-percent rise overshooting last year’s target, officials said.

Nava wiped away tears as he told a recent regional meeting of disaster relief officials that "our momentum for the gains, achieved through hard work and determination" has been halted and timetables for development postponed.

Experts say it may take decades to rehabilitate the environment, especially corals and mangroves vital for marine life. Gabinete, fearing long-term setbacks to the tourism industry, talks of promoting trekking, mountain-biking, exploring caves or going on spiritual retreats. Then there are the orchards that produce those tasty mangoes.