Is oil still oozing from the sunken tanker off Guimaras?

There is no doubt about it. Although officials claim that only 100,000 liters of bunker fuel had been spilled in the Guimaras Strait by tanker Solar I, it now appears that the vessel continues to spout oil from its hull. Or wherever it may emanate.

Daily, it now appears that the seepage of the deadly viscous fluid from the sea bottom continues to spread, indicating that only a speedy salvage operation can stem the further outflow of the bunker fuel.

The Coast Guard reported that the leakage of bunker fuel, which went on Friday between Guimaras and Negros Occidental, has been reduced.

The question, however, is, how has that been achieved? So far, the tanker’s owners are still waiting for the arrival of two British experts reportedly contacted by its insurers to examine the situation and recommend the equipment needed to lift the vessel, which is at the bottom of the sea, 3,000 feet deep.

The slick, meanwhile, has reached 19.5 nautical miles off the southern coast of Guimaras Island. It reportedly has hit more than 200 kilometers of coastline, damaging mangrove swamps, seaweed plantations, coral reefs and popular dive sites and beach resorts, according to Guimaras Gov. Rahman Nava.

Despite the questions as to how much oil has actually spilled into the sea, there is no escaping the fact that this has already caused an environmental disaster in the Guimaras area.

That was the reason why Gov. Nava said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has declared a state of calamity. Iloilo province, although spared so far from the impact of the oil spill, is bracing itself for the possibility that it, too, may be affected by the deadly fluid that has already penetrated 1,600 hectares of mangroves in Nueva Valencia town and 14 barangays in nearby towns.

It has, so far, affected the livelihood of some 1,180 fishermen or 3,000 families composed of 10,000 individuals. Not only can they not fish now, health authorities warned them against eating contaminated marine life.

So far, Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon said, the spill has spared the Negros coastal towns of Valladolid, Pulupandan, Pontevedra, and San Enrique. Worse, these towns recently suffered major losses due to floods.

In short, they are still coping with providing relief for thousands of evacuated residents. Many lost not only their homes but also millions of pesos worth of rice and other agricultural crops.

Those Guimaras fishermen who can still operate on the other side of the island find themselves also hit hard by the Iloilo City buyers shying away from buying their catch.

Thus, Gov. Nava finds the provincial government saddled with the daunting task of feeding thousands for the duration of the spill. And it continues to spread daily.

"Imagine the burden of feeding 3,000 families every day. In the next few days, I expect the number of affected families to grow. Guimaras can’t afford this anymore," Gov. Nava complained.

In short, no way the downgrading of the volume of seepage can overcome its devastating impact on the people and the environment.

Nicolas Alcantara, chairman of Petron Corp., said his company is ready to help Guimaras at all cost. "We won’t leave Guimaras until everything is over," Alcantara told local newsmen.

But it was not clear exactly how Petron would help Guimaras. Does it mean it would pick up the tab on their loss of livelihood? And does it include providing relief assistance to the affected families?

Remember that most of the affected families have only fishing as their principal source of livelihood. Thus, without it, they face the possibility of hunger.

Apparently, the door was slammed on the faces of several Negros mayors, who started tinkering with the idea of buying the oil the distressed fishermen may be able to scoop from the sea at P5 per liter.

Another idea that was slammed by Nueva Valencia Mayor Diosdado Gonzaga was the use of spray dispersants to contain the spill.

"While now available these dispersant chemicals can contain the spill but the residue of the oil will go down to the coral reefs and can cause more damage under water," was how Mayor Gonzaga put it.

As earlier reported, Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez, who chairs the Regional Development Council, is calling for an urgent meeting of the executive committee to discuss possible consolidation of aid for Guimaras.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon backtracked from his original plan to sue Petron and said he is consulting legal experts on whether that is possible — to sue Petron and the firms involved in the damage that Negros coastal communities may suffer should the oil reach their shorelines.

A ray of hope was the assurance by Clementi Cansio, president of Sunshine Marine Development Corp., that the firm will provide livelihood assistance to the families directly affected by the marine disaster.

"Our company will not turn its back on our social responsibility," Cansio assured Guimaras officials.

Yesterday, the Coast Guard, headed by Vice Admiral Arthur Gosingan, upped its estimate of the oil spill from the original 100,000 liters to about 500,000 of the two million on board Solar I.

But that is just guesswork. Of course, one can immediately determine whether the lower estimate is credible based on the spread of the oil slick.

Well, the cleanup, according to the Coast Guard, is going to take from eight months to two years. Greenpeace added its voice to the hullabaloo with the observation that the government must hold the tanker and its charterers accountable for damage to marine and coastal ecosystems. And that includes their rehabilitation.

From any angle, what we now have is a major disaster. Worse hit are many resorts and beaches of Guimaras. They may have to lay off some of their workers. And who will pick up their loss of livelihood?

A memorable celebration

The Aug. 11 birthday fest by Emily Relucio Lopez, former Guimaras governor and congresswoman, was held as scheduled at the Jaro covered gym in Iloilo post the previous Thursday’s bash for pre-schoolers of Jordan, Nueva Valencia, Sibunag, San Lorenzo and Buenavista towns of the island-province.

Friday, Emily hosted the pre-schoolers from Iloilo’s second district towns of Pavia, San Miguel, and Alimodian in the morning. Saturday, the preschoolers from Leganes, Zarraga, Sta. Barbara and other towns were her guests.

Hubby former Rep. Albertito Lopez also helped hand out educational materials as gifts for the tots. And there were a lot of guests, including, among others, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, a representative of Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas, former Rep. Pacita Gonzales, spouse of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales; Alimodian Mayor Juanito Ampao and Mrs. Amapo, and prominent personalities of Jaro and La Paz.

Emily pushed through with her promise to celebrate her natal day with the kids despite the rains and the fact that low-lying areas of Iloilo City went under water. That took a lot of courage.

Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Panglunsod of Iloilo approved the request of Mayor Treñas to place the city under a state of calamity. This, after the Iloilo City Disaster and Coordinating Council, under Engineer Jose Papa, submitted its consolidated report on the damage caused by typhoons "Inday" and "Juaning."

The City Social Welfare Office reported that there were 54,095 people affected, with 192 houses destroyed and 885 others partially damaged.

Well, at least, Emily’s birthday bash fed some of those who later were affected by the steady 15-day downpour. Strange coincidence.