Petron skeds workshops to aid oil spill victims on filing claims

ILOILO CITY - Petron Corporation said Wednesday that it has scheduled a series of workshops to teach those affected by the oil spill in Guimaras how to file their claims.

"There will be a series of seminars to guide the affected parties on how to file their claims," Petron Corporation spokesperson Carlos Tan said in a press conference yesterday at the Sarabia Manor Hotel here. He said that the Protection and Indemnity Club and its partner, the International Oil Pollution Fund, assumed its obligation of providing compensation to those affected by the oil spill. P&I Club is a global association of shipowners who have an agreement to insure its members on risks arising from the operation of their ships, such as oil spills.

Tan explained that Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation, the owner of the sunken tanker Solar 1, is a member P&I Club and the IOPF. Petron Corporation chartered Solar 1 to transport two million liters of bunker fuel to Zamboanga del Sur when the ship sank southwest of Guimaras Island, causing the country's worst oil spill.

Stevens Adjusters is scheduled to visit Guimaras on September 5 to put up a claims office to process legitimate claims arising from the oil spill.

"We have received word through a letter to the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) that the ship-owner's insurer, the Protection and Indemnity Club and its partner the International Oil Pollution Fund, have confirmed their obligation of providing compensation to the victims of the incident," Petron said. The insurance coverage is up to $300 million, and the compensable damages include property, clean up, both sea and onshore, economic loses on the tourism and fishing sectors, and rehabilitation of the damaged environment.

At the same time, Tan also said that salvage ship Shinsei Maru has already sailed from Okinawa in Japan en route to the oil spill site.

"It is 900 kilometers away from lloilo, and is expected to be at Guimaras between 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. It is encountering .5 to 1 meter high waves, so that explains the delay," Tan explained. Shinsei Maru is equipped with a remotely-operated vehicle that goes down to as deep as 2,000 meters. Petron Corporation, one of the country's biggest oil companies, also gave their assurance yesterday that they will not pump up their prices to offset their expenses for the oil spill.

Petron chairman and chief executive officer Nicasio Alcantara said there would be no price adjustments because of the oil spill and added that if there would be any changes in Petron's prices, it would be due to market forces.

Alcantara said that they are insured, and that it is enough to cover their expenses related to the country's worst oil spill.

Also during the press conference, Malou Erni of Petron Foundation said that they have already cleaned a total of 80 kilometers of affected shoreline as of August 28. They also declared three barangays of Nueva Valencia to be "oil-slick free."

Erni said that they expect the clean up operations to be over in 30 to 45 days. Governor JC Rahman Nava said that 220 kilometers of coastline, 454 hectares of mangroves, and 54 hectares of seaweed farms were coated with oil films of up to four inches.

"So we're near halfway mark of the affected shoreline," Erni noted.

"We won't leave Guimaras until everything is cleaned up," Alcantara promised. "We're not fooling you on this."

Erni also said that they are coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Guimaras provincial government, and other line agencies on the alternative livelihood programs for the affected fishermen. - Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag