RESPITE FROM OIL SPILL ANXIETIES
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - FOUND: A framegrab released by the Philippine Coast Guard yesterday
shows the port (left) side of the ill-fated oil tanker MT Solar I lying on the
seabed off Guimaras island 627.5 meters below as photographed by the remote
operated vehicle of the Japanese salvage ship Shinsei Maru. - Photo By AP]
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 2, 2006 (STAR) THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina - The finding last Thursday that the sunken MT Solar I was in an upright position and leaning slightly on its right side lifted up the spirits of those engaged in the relief operation in the Guimaras oil spill.
But the more important thing was the discovery about the seepage of the bunker fuel, which means that coastal watchers cannot relax their guard. The oil slick, as last reported by Guimaras Gov. JC Rahman Nava, was spotted in southern Negros towns, drifting toward the Sulu Sea.
In short, as pointed out by lawyer Antonio Oposa, Visayan Sea Squadron head, the wind direction changed from habagat to amihan. That arrested the slicks drift toward the north end of the Visayan Sea. Besides, as he added during the meeting of Visayas Mega Region governors at the provincial Capitol in Bacolod, the bulk of what they had worried about lapped up on the coastlines of four Iloilo towns.
Capt. Luis Tuason, Western Visayas PCA commander, said the finding of Shinsei Maru shortened the time in surveying the area. The ship was located some 200 meters from its last reported location.
And there were some positive news. The tankers upright position shows that it would be easier to assess the damage and the oil leakage than if the boat were upside down.
PCG commander Harold Harder said the Japanese vessel lowered its remote-operated vehicle to take video shots that could help determine the damage and condition of the tanker.
The ROV, owned by the Fukuda Salvage and Marine Works Company, has powerful underwater cameras and advanced sonar system capable of diving up to 2,000 meters under water.
For the moment, there are three options on what to do. The first is to find out if it is possible to suck out the bunker fuel, depending on the condition of the compartments containing it. The second is to re-float the sunken tanker. The third is just to encase it in quick drying cement and leave it where it is.
The Japanese crew met Thursday night with Vice Admiral Arthur Cosingan at the Iloilo International Port. P6.5 M for Guimaras Last Thursday, Guimaras received a windfall of P6.5 million. This was contributed by the governors of the Visayas Mega Region who met at the Negros Occidental provincial Capitol primarily to discuss the proposal to link the islands of Bohol, Cebu, Mactan, Leyte, Negros, Guimaras, and Panay with bridges. Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado, president of the League of Governors of the Philippines, presided over the meeting.
As I had previously mentioned, even if they ultimately tackled the priority topic of the bridges, the first portion of the meeting tackled the problem of the Guimaras oil spill.
The beleaguered Nava remained silent most of the time. He later stunned his fellow governors when he presented satellite photos showing that the oil slick had drifted overnight from the direction of the Visayan Sea to the Sulu Sea, endangering the coastlines of southern Negros towns and component cities.
Gov. Joseph Maraņon of Negros Occidental presented Nava the P200,000 donation by the province. Later, Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez, chairwoman of the Western Visayas Regional Development Council, informed Gov. Nava that Antique, Capiz, and Aklan were also donating P200,000 each to help out the island-province.
Then, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who arrived late, taking a private plane from Cebu, surprised everybody when she presented Nava with Cebus contribution of P5 million to show that "we share your grief."
There was the side comment. Gov. Garcia admitted that she had already decided not to attend the Bacolod meet but was "arm-twisted" or "sweet-talked" into coming over by Gov. Perez.
Gov. Perez, however, also pointed out that the solidarity displayed by the Visayan governors showed that "if there were federal governments already, we would be ready for it."
Based on the discussion, the bridge projects would cost a total of P114 billion or P1 billion per kilometer. The feasibility study was undertaken by Pacific Consultants International, a Japanese firm, Aumentado said.
Maraņon, however, presented a concept that altered the original proposal of a bridge from Pulupandan of Negros Occidental to Guimaras and from there to Iloilo. Instead, he proposed an alternative from Tomontong of E.B. Magalona to Banate in Iloilo. He said that would be shorter by five kilometers and bring down the cost by P5 billion.
Foreign loans at concessional rates are being requested by the local government units. The projects will be undertaken under the build-operate-and-transfer scheme. Tolls collected will be used to repay the investment cost.
Incidentally, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia later presented Gov. Nava another check for P200,000 on behalf of the City of Bacolod. He promised to provide additional manpower for Guimaras if needed.
But pending the additional findings about that sunken tanker, the frenzied activities and preparations to cope with the Guimaras oil spill ebbed a bit. But as earlier pointed out, until the seepage of bunker oil finally stops and no longer poses any danger of further polluting Guimaras and the neighboring provinces of Negros and Iloilo, the authorities, Petron and the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. cannot relax their guard.
The damage has been done. And the cleanup must continue. And the major problem now confronting the authorities is where to dump the oil debris. Petron reportedly promised to send to Guimaras a barge which will deliver the oily trash to Himcin, a firm in Iligan City that had promised to make use of them.
Maraņon urges CARP review
Amid the preoccupation with the Guimaras oil spill, Gov. Maraņon earlier this week advocated for a temporary hold on land acquisition by the DAR pending a thorough review and assessment of the implementation of CARP.
In short, the Negros governor was asking for a thorough analysis of DARs handling of the program and its impact on agrarian reform beneficiaries, plus the fate of landowners, many of them still holding the bag on the payments of their lands turned over for voluntary transfer.
This week, during a pre-conference meeting, the Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee agreed on the extension of the program, but added conditions before a decision is made.
PARCOM chairman Eduardo Padroņa, who took over the body from former chair Xenia Tupas, is himself an agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB).
Articulating the collective opinion of members of PARCOM, which is made up of various sectors, Padroņa said PARCOM lamented the massive number of ARBs who have leased out their properties. Some even sold their landholdings outright, a violation of the CARP Law.
These anomalies, he added, was due to the absence of support services such as capital for farming, lack of farm-to-market roads, and training in modern farming methods as well as irrigation.
Unable to till the land themselves, some chose to lease out their lots. Others simply got advance lease rentals for as much as five years and abandoned their lots. Worse, most of them did not pay land taxes, which now amount to millions of pesos, to local government units.
Padroņa also said PARCOM is asking for the temporary halt to compulsory land acquisition but to concentrate on the voluntary offer to sell.
Famous pianists in concert
The Negros Museum is sponsoring a fund-raising concert by outstanding Filipino pianists on Sept. 9 to highlight its 10th anniversary.
The pianists are headed by UST Conservatory of Music dean Raul Sunico, who is internationally renowned.
The concert will be held at the Social Hall of the provincial Capitol with Gov. Maraņon heading the impressive list of guests, mostly the literati and music lovers of Negros Occidental.
Lyn Gamboa and Mrs. Cristina Montelibano, president and vice president, respectively, of the Negros Cultural Foundation, said the foundation is determined to make Negros a "cultural oasis."
The Negros Occidental Youth Orchestra will play three songs after the National Anthem.
Besides Sunico, the other pianists are Nena Villanueva, Corazon Lopez, Della Gamboa, and Mary Ann Espina.
The concert will be capped by a quartet playing Katakatak, Ahay Tuburan, and Pandangguhan simultaneously.