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Four months after the Solar 1 oil spill, we are
pleased to inform you that we have made substantial progress on our
commitment to restore Guimaras and its people back to normalcy.
Clean-up operations
As of the second
week of November, we had cleaned 100% of affected shorelines, collecting around 6,000 metric tons
of debris. This was affirmed by the inspections made by Taskforce SOS (Solar 1 Oil Spill),
a multi-agency group composed of officials from the Local Government Units, Departments of Health,
Environment and Natural Resources, Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine
Coast Guard.
The clean-up
has excluded mangrove areas since we were advised by experts not to touch these highly
sensitive ecosystems. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in coordination
with the University of the Philippines-Visayas is overseeing the clean-up of the mangrove areas.
For some rocky shorelines, Taskforce SOS has recommended that these are better
left to weather naturally.
 
The Barge Ras incident
On November 15, we hauled the last of
the oily debris collected from the shorelines and shipped this to the Holcim cement plant in the province
of Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao. Unfortunately, the barge (Ras) sank in rough seas about 5 kilometers
northeast of the town of Plaridel, Misamis Occidental on November 20, 11:10 p.m. The depth of the water at
that point is estimated at more than 800 feet.
Barge Ras was owned and
operated by Harbor Star, a company whose tugboats had been contracted by the insurers of Solar 1,
the Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Club, to assist in the oil containment operations.
Barge Ras sink site
We immediately sent personnel
and equipment to monitor the sink site for any sign of the debris or contamination of the waters around the area.
In the next few days, some used sorbent booms floated to the surface and were recovered.
The bulk of the debris
on board the sunken barge was mostly sand and rocks (packed in sacks) and contained only traces of
oil that had been weathering for three months. In fact, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have separately
confirmed that the debris is harmless to the environment and that no oil has been seen on the water.
We are nevertheless engaging a team of scientists from the nearby Mindanao State University to conduct a
rapid assessment of the impact of the sunken debris on the environment. Furthermore, Dr. Angel Alcala,
Director of the Silliman University - Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management
(also in Mindanao) and the acknowledged “father” of the marine sanctuary in Misamis Occidental,
is making a separate assessment. In a briefing to Plaridel officials on December 9, Dr. Alcala
stressed that the Barge Ras sinking is different from the Guimaras oil spill. He added that if the
barge sank at a depth of 300 meters, it should not have any effect on corals which are only found
up to a depth of 150 meters.
The city and provincial
governments in Misamis have filed resolutions “denouncing the slow response of the persons
responsible for the sinking of Barge Ras owned and operated by Harbor Star.”
Hopefully, the assessments being conducted by Silliman and Mindanao State University will
allay their concerns.
Alternative livelihood and rehabilitation programs
Back in Guimaras, we are
working closely with the provincial government, the departments of Social Welfare & Development
and Agriculture, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Philippine Business
for Social Progress, in bringing other sources of livelihood to Guimarasnons. On-going projects include
vegetable gardening, the production of resin-based gift items, and parol-making. We are
likewise committed to establishing mangrove nurseries, fish cages, sea grass rehabilitation
and the establishment of a fish-buying station in Guimaras.
 
Resin-based products from Guimaras Parols in Cabalagnan Brgy. Hall, N. Valencia
In partnership with
the Department of Education, we are already replicating our banner educational programs on the island.
We are doing a survey of Barangay Tando, Nueva Valencia to be able to draw up a firm timetable
for the construction of a Petron School.
Last November 27 and 28, Petron in cooperation with the
University of the Philippines-Visayas, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the World Wildlife Fund and the Provincial
Government of Guimaras conducted a scientific conference. Gathering the best scientific minds in the country,
the conference integrated assessments and developed rehabilitation protocols for the oil spill. The findings
from the conference will serve as a science-based and realistic roadmap towards the rehabilitation of Guimaras.
The sunken vessel Solar 1
With regard to the compensation
of affected families, representatives of the International Oil Compensation Fund (IOPC)
met with the claimants of the various Guimaras municipalities in the last week of November
to give an assessment of the claims earlier submitted. They are aiming to satisfy at least
a portion of the claims by Christmas.
With regard to the retrieval
of the oil remaining in Solar 1, the P&I Club has contracted Sonsub, a leading provider
of sub-sea systems technology. Sonsub representatives have been in the country and are
scheduled to begin work on Solar 1 between February and March.
The process is expected to take 20 days
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