House probe on Semirara oil spill urged

The National Power Corp. (Napocor) is liable for the oil spill that has damaged seaweed farms and mangroves in Antique’s Semirara Island, Aklan Rep. Florencio Miraflores said.

According to Miraflores, a House inquiry is imperative to determine the extent of Napocor’s liability since it has been more than a month since the oil spill, which some authorities fear might reach Boracay Island, one of the country’s prime tourist destinations.

"They (Napocor officials) have to be accountable. In a way, they are negligent since it has been more than one month since the oil spill took place, but they have yet to clear the area. They don’t even have the equipment," he said.

Miraflores expressed concern about the damage the oil spill might bring to Boracay, considered one of the best beaches in the world and which draws a huge number of tourists throughout the year.

A Napocor barge ran aground 200 meters off Sitio Bobog in Barangay Semirara last Dec. 18 due to strong winds and waves, spilling out some 195,000 liters of the 800,000 liters of bunker oil it was carrying.

Deputy Commander Allen Toribio, the Coast Guard’s marine environmental protection head, said the oil spill has contaminated about 40 square kilometers of Semirara’s waters, affecting 236 hectares of mangroves.

The Coast Guard, with the help of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is undertaking the clean-up, so far collecting more than 17,000 sacks of contaminated materials.

Miraflores said Semirara residents should demand compensation from Napocor for the destruction caused by the massive oil spill.