The real work

Taking action on the Guimaras oil spill clearly means going after those responsible for it - making them pay for every peso worth of damage caused by the oil spill. But more than retributive action, we must enable the people of Guimaras to rebuild their lives and assure them of the revival of their only source of livelihood, the seas. That to me is the heart of the issue.

The real work is in restoring the damaged fish sanctuaries and regrowing the mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass reefs. The damage to the fisheries sector alone now stands at P48 million, affecting 2,500 fisherfolk. P13.4 million worth of seaweed, P20 million worth of bangus and P14.6 million in municipal fisheries were lost. Two million liters of crude oil still trapped in the belly of the sunken MT Solar can practically destroy the entire coast of Panay and Negros, as well as the Visayan Sea, unless immediate cleanup is done.

At least six fish sanctuaries are already at great risk, among these the 600-hectare Tuyu Reef in Nueva Valencia, the 350-hectare Pamakulan Island Fish Sanctuary in Sibunag, and the UP Taclong Island Marine Station in Guimaras built during my time as UP President and home to 29 types of hard corals, 144 species of fish, 7 species of sea grass and 3 species of mangroves.

The magnitude of this disaster is such that we cannot afford to wait a minute longer for aid or technical assistance to come, as fishing is the principal if not sole source of livelihood of the people living along the coasts of the Visayan Sea.

We need to answer questions like: Will payments for damages be on a strict reimbursement basis or will they be on the basis of proof of actual and consequential damage? Because if it will be on a reimbursement basis, we can expect very few fisherfolk to benefit from these payments as it would be difficult to show money they actually expended.

Hence, Petron must establish a clear, effective and efficient system in dispersing and disbursing the $300-million fund for the oil spill damages and ensure Guimaras' viability for its inhabitants.