Barge owner pressed to pay for oil spill

A drone shot shows the power barge where the oil spill in Iloilo City emanated. Some oil sheen can be seen in the surrounding waters. AC Energy Corp., owner of the power barge, is being pressed to compensate those adversely affected. PHOTO BY AC ENERGY
A drone shot shows the power barge where the oil spill in Iloilo City emanated. Some oil sheen can be seen in the surrounding waters. AC Energy Corp., owner of the power barge, is being pressed to compensate those adversely affected. PHOTO BY AC ENERGY


ILOILO City – AC Energy Corp., owner of the power barge that discharged bunker oil into this city’s waters following an explosion Friday last week, is being pressed to compensate those adversely affected.

“There is no skirting the issue. We will face the issue head-on,” said Gabino Ramon Mejia, head of AC Energy’s plant operations.

The Oil Pollution Compensation Law of 2007 (Republic Act 9483) imposes strict liability for oil pollution damage and guarantees adequate reparation for adversely affected populations, especially those that depend on fishing and seashell harvesting.

Under the law, owners of vessels that “cause pollution damage or create a grave and imminent threat of causing such damage,” are liable for:

* expenses incurred in cleanup operations at sea or on shore

* costs incurred for preventive measures and further loss or damage caused by such preventive measures

* consequential loss or loss of earnings suffered by owners or users of property contaminated or damaged as a direct result of the spill

* pure economic loss or loss of earnings sustained by people, even if the property tainted or spoiled by the slick does not belong to them

* damage to human health or loss of life as a direct result of the incident

* environmental damage and other reasonable measures of restoration

From 105 over the weekend, the number of families in Barangay Bo. Obrero, Lapuz district adversely affected by the oil spill more than doubled. It rose to 255 yesterday, according to the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).

These 255 families were made up of 931 individuals who temporarily moved to four evacuation centers:

* Bo. Obrero Elementary School – 103 families

* Bo. Obrero High School – 34 families

* Technical Institute of Iloilo City. Bo. Obrero campus – 53 families

* Zone 1 gym, Bo. Obrero – 65 families

An additional 50 families in nearby Barangay Mansaya would also like to be evacuated because of the strong smell of the bunker fuel.

“Most of the residents come from fisherfolk communities that are already struggling to adjust to the logistical and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that have caused big losses in their sources of income and food security,” said Khevin Yu, climate and energy campaigner for the non-governmental organisation Greenpeace, in a statement.

AC Energy should “compensate for the damages to communities, livelihoods affected, and destruction inflicted to the environment”, said Yu.

The latest Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) estimate of the volume of bunker oil that spilled out of the ruptured tank of AC Energy’s power barge in Bo. Obrero was at 251,000 liters, reaching as far as Guimaras’ coastal barangays and the northern coastal towns of Leganes and Dumangas in Iloilo province.

“Dapat wala sang bunker fuel nga mabilin sa Guimaras. Dapat paguwaon na siya,” said Gov. Samuel Gumarin of Guimaras.

The help of affected coastal communities in this city, Iloilo province and Guimaras is being sought in the cleanup.

“The faster we do the cleanup, the better it would be. We need more people. We will be equipping them with the proper PPE (personnel protective equipment),” said Mejia.

Several coastal barangays in Dumangas and Leganes towns in Iloilo province and 23 barangays in Guimaras (as of yesterday) reported spotting bunker fuel in their waters.

Mejia discussed with Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas the actions being undertaken to contain the oil spill and address its adverse effects to the environment and livelihood of affected residents.

He also sought the assistance of the mayor to tap scientists from the University of the Philippines Visayas.

Quoting the PCG, Mejia said the cleanup would last 10 to 12 days.

As of July 6, he said, 205,000 liters have been siphoned.

UPDATE FROM AC ENERGY

Apart from committing its full resources to respond to the incident, AC Energy said it has been coordinating with industry partners, government agencies, third party experts, and the local community, who have all come forward to help quell the environmental impact of the spill.

Aside from providing a skimmer, Shell Philippines provided empty drums that are being used to store bunker fuel sludges collected during the clean-up operations in the coastal areas.

Meanwhile, Petron Corp. and its subsidiary, SL Harbor, performed clean-up work along the shores. They pulled out their skimmers yesterday as the oil has already thinned out.

The Philippine Coast Guard, Global Business Power Corp., Phoenix Petroleum and the local government of Iloilo continue to provide support since day one.

In the coastal areas, volunteers for shore clean-up were mobilized to support AC Energy’s rapid response team. Close to 200 volunteers have signed up to aid in the clean-up operations of the affected areas starting July 5.

Meanwhile, to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the affected communities, the multiagency response teams, and the numerous volunteers, AC Energy continue to provide needed support including providing packed meals, clean water, medical equipment and health workers to the affected communities to help them cope with impact of the accident.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to mitigate the environmental impact of the spill and address all concerns in a responsible manner,” according to AC Energy’s statement./PN

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