Clean oil spill in five days — Gov. Nava

Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava gave Petron Corp. and Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. five days to clean up the coastlines of the island-province or face charges.

And he also urged the oil firm yesterday to barge out of the province the oil-soaked debris to elsewhere, including possibly Iligan City in Lanao del Norte.

The Guimaras chief executive said dumping the retrieved oily debris and the oil itself could endanger the province’s main product — mango. He also stressed that Guimaras has only a limited number of potable water sources and stressed that dumping the recovered wastes endangers the health of the local population.

"The countdown starts today," Nava stressed to Petron officials.

He emphasized that he had no choice but to issue an ultimatum to the two giant corporations believed responsible for the worst ever environmental disaster encountered by the island-province.

This latest development rammed against the statement of Petron’s supply operations and planning manager that he hopes to finish the cleanup in 45 days.

Petron also said it does not have the necessary barges to carry the debris out. It has also not pinpointed an area where the wastes could be dumped without endangering the environment or people.

Peter Paul Shotwell said the oil firm has hired some 900 people to help in the cleanup on a daily basis and intend to hire more in the coming days.

Somehow, with a lot of key officials and "experts" unleashing one statement after another, it took Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Lito Coscolluela to come up with a definition of functions and responsibilities in addressing the mess.

Thus, during the conference Friday, Coscolluela placed on the shoulders of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Regional Disaster Management Council the task of immediately containing the oil spill.

He also directed the health and social services departments to assure the protection of the health of the public and provide alternatives for the livelihood lost by the local population, mostly fisherfolk.

The cleanup and rehabilitation of mangroves and resorts was tossed over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Of course, there are overlapping functions. Still, at least, that offered a better organized effort.

Meanwhile, Regional Development Council chairwoman Sally Zaldivar-Perez said the RDC will meet in Bacolod on Aug. 30. Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon will host the meet which will tackle coordinated support for the Guimaras problem.

Meanwhile, an issue cropped up Thursday afternoon over Petron’s claim that a team from the Japanese firm Fukuda Salvage and Marine Works is due to arrive in Guimaras Saturday or Sunday.

Word was received on television that the negotiations for the Shiinsie Maru were still ongoing and the boat was still in Okinawa and might not be able to arrive in the Philippines until next week. Okinawa is reportedly four days away.

The boat is equipped with a remote-operated vehicle which can reach the seabed 2,000 meters below and take photos to determine the exact location of the Solar I tanker and its condition.

Petron, meanwhile, backtracked on its spokesman’s earlier claim that there was no more leakage or seepage of bunker fuel from the boat.

The spokesman said an aerial survey showed that it must have dwindled down to just almost 50 liters daily. That’s a far cry from the complete stoppage of the leak as earlier claimed by Ms. Ruivivar.

Latest reports from Mayor Gerelyn Escario of Bantayan said the oil sheen was spotted just a short distance from Cebu Island, considered part of the rich fishing grounds of the Visayan Sea.

Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, was named head of Task Force Guimaras.

Nava, meanwhile, indicated that oil-coated debris has already penetrated the waters of the coves of Jordan town, the capital.

Almost 99 percent of Guimarasnons are now affected by the slick, he added.

Latest reports showed that the number of people treated for ailments associated with the oil spill has reached more than 375. But Health Secretary Francisco Roque stressed that the fisherman reported to have died after exposure to the oil slick may have to be autopsied to determine whether he really died of neurasthenia since he had reportedly been suffering from a respiratory ailment before.

Still, the health department issued pamphlets and flyers informing the public on what to do in the face of the persistent sludge that has invaded wide stretches of Guimaras as well as four coastal towns of Iloilo province.

So far, however, no town of Negros Occidental has been touched by the oil blobs. But Gov. Marañon has already mobilized the provincial disaster management team and the local government units to ready equipment to stop the slick from reaching the shore.

Meanwhile, a lot of barbershops and beauty parlors in Bacolod have joined hands in gathering all cut hair for submission to the Philippine Coast Guard to provide absorbent materials for oil booms.

The latest development is that the First Philippine Mt. Everest Team, headed by former DOTC Undersecretary Art Valdez, arrived in Iloilo yesterday morning and proceeded to Guimaras where they intend to join the cleanup operation.

Several mountaineering clubs in the country, including the PAL Mountaineering Club and the UN White Helmet, will also join them.

Valdez said the group will also give 200 pairs of boots to local residents, most of whom have been working barefoot in the sludge.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was reported to be flying to Guimaras today to see for herself the extent of the disaster.

That was the situation as of yesterday. Guimaras is still struggling with the worst environmental disaster, while the rest of Panay and Negros Occidental are girding for the spillover of the oil slick.

ADDENDA. Bacolod City’s Sangguniang Panglunsod approved yesterday the request of Mayor Evelio Leonardia for P3 million as it declared a state of imminent danger. A minor rhubarb also arose with businessman-civic leader Babes Alvarez and Mayor Leonardia exchanging barbs because of the alleged failure of the Bacolod mayor to attend the meeting of Negros Occidental mayors with Gov. Marañon Thursday. Alvarez claimed that he was only concerned with the need for Leonardia to integrate his plans with those of the province. Leonardia, in turn, asked Alvarez to shut up since he did not know what he was talking about… The PNP filed homicide charges yesterday against Vincent Nuñez, 25, and Christian Yema, 19, for the rape-killing of elementary schoolteacher Allen Hope Barcoma. Provincial police director Charles Calima said Yema may be used as a state witness against Nuñez. In an ironic twist to the case, NBI chief Philip Pecache admitted on Thursday that the covered man passed off as Nuñez whom they had brought earlier from Binalbaga town was actually the driver of the NBI chemist. He was confronted by mediamen about that incident and Pecache sheepishly admitted that it is true that we were not able to ring Nuñez because his lawyer had refused to allow it. Yema and Nuñez came up with conflicting versions of what really happened to Ms. Barcoma, although, as Calima pointed out, Yema’s version appeared to be more credible since he reportedly was the one driving the leased car from Binalbagan to Bacolod and Bago City… Police entrapped on Wednesday layout artist George Seruelo and four others — Marjovic de la Torre 37; Mark Aore, 29; and Nilo and Zaldy Amor, all of Bacolod — for making false security licenses, company IDs, drug test results, PNP-related receipts and order slips as well as training certificates and neuro-psychiatry test results. The Amor brothers are detained at the Victorias City police, while Seruelo and the rest are with the Provincial Anti-Illegal Task Force of the provincial PNP command. Calima advised all establishment owners in the province to check the licenses and supporting documents of their security guards and other personnel.