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We at Petron, deeply regret this unfortunate incident and have
taken responsibility in addressing the containment and recovery of the oil
spill both on land and sea, and more importantly, map out the long-term
rehabilitation of the island of Guimaras.
We are doing everything humanly possible to assist those
affected. In our effort to attend to the needs of the people immediately, we
may have inadvertently set aside our equally important obligation to keep the
media and the rest of the country informed of what we are doing.
Under our Ligtas Guimaras program, we have already cleared 62
kilometers of shoreline and we expect the on-shore clean-up to be completed in
30-45 days. We are currently employing more than 1,000 people from affected
communities daily and we aim to increase this number in the coming days. We
have also deployed about 5% of the total workforce of Petron to participate in
the work being done on the island.
In this clean-up and rehabilitation effort, we want to make it
clear that we have made funds readily available for legitimate expenses and
requests. We will continue to commit all necessary Petron resources in support
of this effort. We are committed to the solution of this problem.
At sea, we have deployed substantial equipment including oil
skimmers, oil spill booms, dispersants and Waterborne Industry Spill Equipment
(WISE) tugboats to combat the oil spill. We have also placed properly-equipped
vessels in strategic areas to monitor the oil spill and ensure that this is
contained.
As we earlier reported, the vessel Shinsei Maru, owned by Fukada
of Japan, is expected to arrive by mid-week, weather permitting. It is equipped
with a Remote Operated Vehicle which has the capability to search the seabed
down to 2,000 meters and take videos to determine the sunken ship's exact
location and condition. This will dictate our next course of action.
We are now using Radar-Sat, a Canadian space agency, to give us
satellite maps of the area and to help us make informed and timely decisions.
In coordination with the World Wildlife Fund, we are sharing this information
with various government agencies.
We are working with environmental experts from U.P. Visayas and
Silliman University to develop a long-term rehabilitation plan for the mangrove,
marine and fishery resources.
With the help of the Department of Health, a 24-hour medical
assistance command center has been set up.
We have conducted an extensive aerial survey of the Guimaras
area all the way to Masbate and these areas are clear of any oil slicks. We
will now concentrate on containing the leak from the source.
We have received word that the Protection and Indemnity Club and
its partner the International Oil Pollution Fund have taken the obligation of
providing compensation to the victims of the incident. They have tasked Steven
Adjusters to be the focal point for receiving all pollution damage claims
arising from this incident and are keen to evaluate claims and make
reimbursements without delay. The Club and IOPC will conduct a series of claims
workshops in the affected areas to facilitate the claims-making process.
Moving forward, we have a Shipping Alliance program which aims
to procure newer vessels with double-hull and double-bottom. In fact, M/T Aston
will be commissioned by the end of the month. This program is ahead of the
requirement of the International Maritime Organization by two years.
We wish to take this opportunity to thank all those groups,
government agencies and individuals who have partnered with us.
In closing, I would like to assure the people of Guimaras that
we will be there and do whatever it takes to clean-up and rehabilitate the
strait and island of Guimaras and other affected areas. We are committed to
restore Guimaras back to its natural beauty no matter the cost. We are ready to
work at this for the next 3-5 years or longer.
Maraming salamat po!
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