Learning fast the lessons of the oil spill!

Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Director Silverio Alarico has announced that the shipment of 12 AK-47 (complete with a bayonet), five 12-gauge shotguns, two HK-53 submachine guns and an M16-A1 from the Kadayawan Security Agency to the Davao Security and Investigation Agency (DASIA) in Sitio Matumbo, Lapu-Lapu City isn't slated to be used by terror groups to disturb the coming 12th ASEAN Summit. Great news! Since he is the PNP Regional Director for Region VII, then we will take his word for it, that this shipment is for DASIA. But I can't get over my skepticism why Blue Guards would be armed to the teeth with assault weapons. It just makes me wonder if these guards even have time to fire those assault rifles. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs is trying to look into the possibility that these arms might have been smuggled from China because the security agency doesn't have a permit to import these firearms. So it would be best if Gen. Alarcio held on to these firearms until everything is crystal clear about its shipment.

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It's been 19 days since the Petron chartered tanker the M/T Solar I carrying 2.1 million liters of crude oil sank off the Guimaras Strait and it is only now that Petron Corporation admitted its social responsibility. While it is not yet too late in the hour, this announcement of its acceptance of its responsibility by Petron Vice-President Jose Jesus Laurel should have been made as soon as the ecological threat to the Visayan Sea was evident.

Call Petron "segurista" that they made this announcement just when they learned that it would be able to use a US$300 million indemnity fund from the Protection and Indemnity insurance, and its partner, the International Oil Pollution Fund (IOPF). Actually, my good friend, Eking Jereza, one of Petron's top man in Manila talked to me a week ago that Petron Corp. would accept its responsibility for this man-made calamity. However, I didn't write it down until it became official.

Meanwhile, I don't want to join the fray between two Bantayanons, Mayor Geralyn Escario and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Environment Chair and Visayan Sea Squadron head Atty. Antonio Oposa on whether the oil spill from Guimaras would hit Bantayan island.

In truth, no one really knows where the wind will blow. Now, the Habagat is pushing the oil spill northwards, thus it would probably go towards the San Bernardino Strait. But if the wind changes direction, it could very well move down to Tañon Strait. The best is to pray that the prevailing winds would blow in the other direction.

Meanwhile, the good news is that, 17 out of the 24 beach resorts in Guimaras have been untouched by the oil slick. Now while most of the oil slick has dissipated as it spreads towards the open sea, it shouldn't be said that we should let our guard down. It is best to be ready.

In fact, I just got a fax from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that their drive to clean up the oil spill was bolstered by a donation of a hundred containers of oil dispersants at 20 liters per container worth half a million pesos from Mr. Roberto "Bobby" Aboitiz of the Aboitiz Corp. The oil dispersants were brought to Guimaras by Atty. Noel Empleo and Engr. Roland Rabaca of the DENR regional office and received on August 25 by Oscar Oliveros of DENR Region VI in Guimaras, which was turnover to Gov. JC Raman Nava of Guimaras.

If I know the Aboitiz Corp. could have made better use of that money to fund scholarships for school kids. But now precious funds have to be diverted to clean up this oil spill. At this point, we would like now to deal with another pressing problem; that apparently despite the efforts by the international community to install international standards requiring all tankers carrying hazardous materials to be double-hulled or double bottomed by the year 2008, none of our tanker fleet have complied with this agreement.

This incident has now fast tracked our country's compliance to this plan. But more important than having double-hulled ships are the quality of its crew and officers. I believe that the Maritime Industry Authority should assure us that we shall only have the best crewmen for our tanker fleet and as we suggested earlier, no less than Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) to create dedicated sea lanes only for tankers in order for them to avoid passing through areas which have a rich tourism industry. At least, we are quickly learning lessons on how to prevent future disasters.

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