‘Rescue plan’ vs oil spill on a roll

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

An environment management plan (EMP) that will address the environmental impact of the oil spill following an explosion in a power barge in Brgy. Bo. Obrero, Lapuz district on July 3, 2020 is on a roll.

This was the assurance of AC Energy Philippines, owner of the Power Barge 102 which accidentally spilled bunker fuel into the coast of Iloilo City due to still undetermined cause.

AC Energy said that the EMP, which was submitted to the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), focuses on the detailed plans of the company and the relevant timeline for the implementation of such plans relative to the key areas which the DENR-EMB stressed and highlighted during the technical conference it hosted Wednesday last week.

The key areas include:

-the completion of oil spill cleanup and ensuring that water quality is restored to safe levels;

-continued monitoring of air quality and ensuring that air quality is safe before affected families are allowed to return to their homes;

-proper collection and disposal of oil-contaminated materials and wastes; and

-a rehabilitation plan for the affected mangrove areas and fisheries.

“Even with the submission of the EMP to the DENR-EMB, we will continue to work closely and coordinate with the DENR, as well as with various government bodies and agencies, including the local governments of Iloilo City and Guimaras, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard (“PCG”) to implement the EMP,” AC Energy said.

AC Energy added that it will take into account comments and other recommendations from said units and agencies to better address the emergency.

“With respect to news reports released on Saturday regarding the filing by the PCG of a criminal complaint against the Company and its officers for alleged violation of Section 107 of Republic Act 8550 (The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) as amended by RA 10654 for aquatic pollution, the company has not received a copy of such complaint yet and is thus unable to make any specific comment at this time,” it said.

AC Energy Philippines also underscored that even with the filing of the case, the company commits to continue cooperating in good faith with the PCG and other government units and agencies to ensure that the oil spill clean-up is done properly and completed soon and that the needs of the affected communities and groups are provided for.

“With the submission of the EMP and the various clean-up activities that we organized in coordination with industry and local government partners and the community assistance that it provided since the happening of the oil spill, the Company hopes to have demonstrated its serious commitment to do what is right for the affected communities and the environment, including to address the findings of aquatic pollution by the PCG,” it added.

 

UPGRADE

Meanwhile, families from Lapuz, Iloilo City displaced by the oil spill last week were transferred to swanky evacuation centers in three big hotels.

Based on data from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) on Sunday, a total of 303 families are billeted in three city hotels – District 21, Diversion 21, and Courtyard by Marriot Iloilo.

The three hotels will serve as the temporary shelter for the 303 families composed of 1,109 individuals after they were forced to leave their homes following the oil spill that hit Iloilo Strait last July 3, 2020.

Most of the evacuees are currently staying in the Courtyard Hotel with 216 families and 771 individuals, 20 families composed of 72 individuals in District 21, and 67 families composed of 266 individuals in Diversion 21.

Doctors and nurses were also assigned to each hotel to monitor the evacuees.

On Saturday, a 10-year-old boy staying in Diversion 21 was referred to City Health Office (CHO) for a check-up due to fever and tonsillitis. The CHO is currently monitoring the child and recommended his immediate isolation.

In the same hotel, three children were also found suffering from LBM or diarrhea, according to CSWDO.

The CHO already diagnosed the children and advised the use of distilled water to include infants and lactating mothers as well.

The evacuees were previously staying at the Bo. Obrero National High School, Bo. Obrero Elementary School, Technical Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC), and at the Jalandoni Memorial Elementary School.

On Thursday, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas visited the evacuation centers of the displaced families affected by the oil spill.

The mayor expressed dismay over the situation of the evacuees emphasizing that he expected more from the owner of the power barge that triggered the oil spill.

“I am not very happy sa mga evacuation sites. I expected more from AC Energy Corp.,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.

In a separate press conference on Wednesday, the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD 6) observed poor sanitation practices, poor air ventilation, and no proper excreta disposal on the evacuation sites.

The oil spill, which was triggered by an explosion of Power Barge 102 of Ayala-led AC Energy Corp., has also affected more than 20 coastal barangays in Guimaras and Leganes town in Iloilo province.

As of Sunday, authorities have collected 259,007 liters of bunker oil.

Based on his media interviews, Gabino Ramon Mejia, head of plant operations of AC Energy Corp., assured that the company would pay for the hotel rooms of the evacuees until they are able to return to their homes. (With a report from ERS)