Spilling The Seas
Written by Major Tom
Filed under: News & Info
August 18, 2006
A MASSIVE OIL SPILL in our country’s shores is the last thing in my mind since for one, nothing like this seemed to have happened before. At least not in the scale as what is now happening in the island of Guimaras where some 50,000 gallons of crude oil have been spewed into the nearby seas after the tanker Solar 1 was sunk some 3,000 feet into the water off the aforementioned island.
When I first got news of the massive oil spill some days ago, I had no inkling that it could turn out to be as problematic as what it is right now. The sunken tanker is still trapped underneath the water while loaded with about 500,000 gallons of bunker oil. It becomes the more of concern since at the depth from where the ship is lying now, there is no local expertise or special equipments that could possibly salvage it back to shore. Government pleas towards the Japanese and Indonesian governments for technical assistance have churned out cold responses so far and while the tanker remains sunk, the oil spill could get worse than what it is right now as it continues to unload more and more of its toxic content into the sea off Guimaras Island.
I’ve heard about oil spills before, from Shetland Islands to California and mostly, they occur on wide open seas, despite some instances where they have happened so near coastlines. But in the case of this crisis we are now perturbed with, it happens in an area dotted by islands (preventing smooth movement of water towards the open sea) that the detrimental effect of the oil spill could increase two-folds or even ten-folds considering that our government seem to be so unprepared to handle this kind of tragedy—like they thought our seas were immune from oil spills. And since the merchansider of the oil that was being carried in the chartered tanker Solar 1 was Petron, the government may even be partly liable for this very terrible incident as a major stockholder of that oil company. I wonder if that oil tanker were still fit to ply the seas and whether or not it was designed to prevent this kind of massive oil spillage into the seas. Most of the modern takers nowadays are usually double-hulled that even if the outer hull is ripped open as a result of accidents or felony, the inner hull could remain intact and keep in the oil being carried or transported. Maybe the non-use of these double-hulled oil tankers by oil company Petron could be an actionable cause for legal actions since in our law on transportation, the carrier should always observe that extraordinary care like that of “a good father of a family”.
It is now reported that this oil spill crisis somewhere in the Visayan Islands have already displaced some 10,000 fishermen in that area and if the spillage is not dammed effectively any time sooner, it could soon spread towards other neighboring Visayan islands, to as far as Negros Oriental and Cebu. And news reports have also estimated that an oil spill crisis of this proportion would take at least three years to be cleaned-up. That’s too long a wait for an individual who merely depends on fishing as a means of livelihood.
Maybe, those affected may have to institute a class suit against the ones responsible for this tragedy, assuming there is gross negligence involved—where it is always implicit that a ship should be seaworthy every time it’s captain leave shore and ply the sea.
Although what is more important now is that every living and able soul in and near the island of Guimaras should do their part to help contain the oil spill; it should be primordial for residents there to help save their environment from further damage. Surely, the clean-up operation will need every hand that can be had.
Petron should be held liable for this mess. I hope the fisherfolks, with the help of concerned groups, file a massive lawsuit against the company. They’ve been making tons of money anyway. Sadly, the spill has already affected the ecosystem of the area and this in itself, is a tragedy.
Comment by snglguy — August 18, 2006 @ 9:51 am
To sngl: That’s the very word sngl, tragedy, a major ecosystem disaster. Guimaras is so known for its pristine beaches and tourist go there for its lush diving sites. Now I wonder if the the sweet Guimaras mango may be affected, its taste or viability.
This is more of an environmental disaster than anything…
About the class suit; I think its very viable although this is hugely unprecedented in Philippine legal history. In America, attorneys there have already made some modules on how to approach this kind of situation and I’ve read that its very important that in the very early stages, information gathering is so vital as itmay get mushed or lost later on due to the effect of the massive spill. I hope some of our legal minds could act this early and help the fisher folks there get their compensatory damages…
Comment by Major Tom — August 18, 2006 @ 12:10 pm
i went fishing there thrice. i purposely attended seminars in iloilo for fishing in guimaras.
the sad thing here is, the people there have been working to improve their ecosystem. they planted mangroves and tended it. reforested, and tended the forests. they know the link between mountain and sea more than anyone else i know.
i’ve been wanting to go there this whole week. but first there was this hassle of going through airport security in the wake of the london alert, then i saw reports about the oil spill.
i hope my little fishing nook in villa igang is safe.
Comment by atticus — August 18, 2006 @ 4:20 pm
I hope too that such precious place remains untainted by the black stains spreading thereat…It is such a lamentable situation, especially now as you said how the people there are trying their best to maintain their environs.
Comment by Major Tom — August 18, 2006 @ 5:02 pm
I was distressed when I heard this news. Guimaras is a beautiful island and people there depend on fishing for their livelihood. The urgency of the clean-up operation could not be emphasized more.
Comment by Toe — August 19, 2006 @ 6:41 am
To Toe: I believe that the government units there should embark on a widespread clean-up operation as earky as now and they should involve all able citizens there. I have read in many websites about oil spill management how each ordinary individual could assist in the clean-up by using makreshift or improvised tools as oil skimmers. Coconut hushes are said to absolve as much as oil and can be used effectively…
Comment by Major Tom — August 19, 2006 @ 11:50 am
I do hope that the government is paying good attention at it … and do something to get rid of such …. oh my …. where on earth are the environmentalists???
Comment by trickyboy — August 20, 2006 @ 12:17 am
I’ve read that some representative from Greenpeace have visited the area and they are trying their best to help. But you know, they don’t have that much resources. The government should see this as a major national crisis…
Comment by Major Tom — August 20, 2006 @ 12:38 am
I wonder what the government is doing to address the livelihood problem of the fisherfolks in Guimaras. What will happen to them now that the seas are gravely polluted?
Comment by Abaniko — August 20, 2006 @ 3:54 pm
This is so troubling. I first heard of it on TV and I just turned it off immediately.
I wonder if they’ll be able to completely clean up this mess and who is going to foot the bill?
Outrageous!
Comment by eric — August 20, 2006 @ 4:42 pm
It’s distressing as we know it’s not only affecting people’s livelihood rather weighing heavily on the environment. The black sludge that covered a vast area pose a problem for the clean-up crew. I understand the government is asking help from neighbouring countries. Anyone from the international community heed her call?
The last time I read, its covering about 200 kilometres of the shoreline already. Pity.
Comment by ipanema — August 20, 2006 @ 7:43 pm
To Niko: That’s also a huge question in my mind Niko and I bet your guess is just as good as mine;
the government would have to take this as a very steep challenge if ever. Maybe the LGus there should
start thinking on embarking on widespread alternative livelihood programs right now, maybe in agriculture
there’d be more opportunity and can be the best solution since Guimaras is so known for its fertile soil.
To eric: I heard Petron would submit itself to the cost of the whole clean-up operation but I bet it can
only do as much. In any manner, the government agencies there should take the lead and take the initiative. It’s very
hard to rely on private agencies when things like this happen, in my mind they wont have as much of an inclination to
really do the proper tasks, they’d be more concern on controlling the damage and minimizing the cost.
I just heard in the news today that the oil tanker that was chartered by Petron and got sunk at that area was
overloaded in the first place and this is a clear violation on the law on transportation. If this would be proven true,
Petron could be liable for not only cleaning up the whole mess but also in compensating for the loss of livelihood
of the residents there; and that would be a gargantuan cost.
To Ipanema: It’s really a pity Ipanema. That sunk tanker still trapped underneath the sea is loaded with about 5 million liters
of bunker fuel and to think right now, only half a million liters of oil had been spewed to the sea and we are already facing
such a problem. If the ship can’t be floated anytime soon, the situation can get real worse. Malacañang had in fact approach
countrues like U.S. and Great Britain for technical assistance (in salvaging the ship since we don’t have local know-how and capability) but so
far, it had fallen on deaf ears.
Comment by Major Tom — August 21, 2006 @ 2:40 am
What is the RP govt doing??? They should ask Petron to clean up their crap in Guimaras. Half a million gallons of oil spill is no joke. It could kill the entire ecosystem in that area if left unchecked.
Comment by bw — August 22, 2006 @ 12:56 am
To BW: A spokesperson from Petron actually declared about yesterday that they would spend for the cleanup of the spillage and even upto the point of rehabilitation. I hope it is just no empty declaration. Petron said that the oil flow had already stopped but I think they should really need to float the sunk tanker, otherwise the oil may continue to flow just about anytime.
Comment by Major Tom — August 22, 2006 @ 1:22 pm
I’ve seen pictures of this accident on philstar.com. I didn’t realize that the tanker is still sunk. That’s devastating.
Comment by niceheart — August 22, 2006 @ 10:00 pm
To niceheart: Truly devastating and very grievous…the toll on the environment is such that there’d be years to pass before the ecosystem there’d be completely rehabilitated. And to top that, this would mean loss of massive economic opportunities for residents there…
Comment by Major Tom — August 23, 2006 @ 1:24 am
I can’t understand why the government is dragging its feet. I also think it was insensitive for Petron to release a statement saying that it did not have any obligation for what happened in Guimaras.
We too in Negros Occidental are threatened and, if they don’t clean this up soon enough, a lot more will suffer. This is really sad.
Comment by bugsybee — August 25, 2006 @ 11:39 pm
sabi ng isang blogger dapat tawagin ang incident na petron oil spill. a friend said it was guimaras massacre. then pcij reported na ito ay 8/11.
kaso mukhang walang salitang kayang tumbasan ang dinadanas ng mga kababayan natin dun….
Comment by mong — September 5, 2006 @ 11:10 am