Protest action marks Guimaras oil spill 4th anniversary

MANILA, Philippines – Members of an environmentalist group trooped to the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City yesterday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Petron Guimaras Oil Spill. They denounced how those responsible for the incident are yet to complete the cleanup and pay for the damage that was done.

“Four years have passed since Petron and Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. (SMDC) spilled more than two million liters of oil in the Guimaras Sea yet until now justice has not been served,” Clemente Bautista of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment said.

“Just compensation has been denied and environmental rehabilitation remains unfinished,” she added in a statement issued during the rally staged by members of fisherfolk groups.

The M/T Solar 1 of 998 gross tonnage sank 21 kilometers south off Guimaras on Aug. 11, 2006. It was carrying 2,193,000 liters of bunker oil for Petron Corp. The vessel, locally-registered, is owned by SMDC which was chartered by Petron.

Kalikasan noted that according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the spill damaged about 234 kms of coastline, 1,143 hectares of marine reserves, 478 hectares of mangroves, and 16 square kilometers of coral reefs. The incident also wrought havoc on the people’s health and livelihood. The group said that just four days after the spill, nearly 14 percent of the approximately 150,000 people of Guimaras were affected and 4,000 households lost their livelihood.

“Despite the massive environmental destruction, no one was held accountable. Many years have passed but Petron, SMDC, and responsible government officials who are culpable for the disaster were left off the hook,” Bautista said.

“What is worse is that Petron, the owner of the millions of liters of bunker-fuel spilled, was classified as the victim and was granted more than a hundred million of pesos for damages by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund while IOPCF refused to compensate 125,480 residents, mostly fisherfolks, of Guimaras who were affected,” he said.