Setbacks in Guimaras cleanup drive

It was a shocker and it must have set back the authorities’ plan to remove the oil debris from Guimaras using barges.

The problem started when the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Guimaras discovered that the licenses of the two officers of the tugboats that will tow the barges from Guimaras were fake.

"They admitted that they were procured from Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila, the source of many fake documents, including scholastic records and official documents," said a PCG officer.

This only reinforced the suspicion that Petron Corp. did not conduct due diligence in contracting the ill-fated MT Solar I of the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. (SMDC).

This was not the only setback though to the cleanup drive.

Nueva Valencia police confiscated on Saturday several sprayers and generators used by Petron that were not cleared for use in the cleanup drive.

Local authorities said they had suspected that something was wrong when they noticed that the spraying was done at night. One of the tugboats’ officers, Eddie Ededap, sheepishly admitted during interrogation that their licenses were bought from a Recto document-maker.

The solution? Send them back to Manila and get a legitimate licensed mariner. That, however, does not solve the problem. It appears now that there must be several ships operating in the country without a duly licensed officer.

And that’s exactly probably what happened to Solar I. The skipper, the PCG discovered, did not have the license to operate a tanker. Instead, it has a license to operate a chemical ship.

The case of the tugboat officers who do not have the proper license to run the boat opens up more questions for the MARINA and the Coast Guard itself. The two may have never realized it but they opened a can of worms that could expose the ills of the Philippine maritime industry.

That was not the only problem. Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon purchased over the weekend coconut coir from Oriental Negros at P7 per kilo for use as oil spill booms. This is because a Negrense microbial ecologist thumbed down the use of hail and oil dispersants in the cleanup.

According to TV Cable Channel 14, the Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM) donated bagasse to the PCG, which is considered more effective in cleaning oil spills. This may have doused the enthusiasm of thousands in the country who had planned to have their hair cut to be donated to Guimaras. Microbial ecologist Aidine Galvan pointed out the need for "biogradable absorbents" in scooping up the bunker fuel seeping out of the sunken tanker from the sea.

It will be difficult to dispose hair covered with bunker fuel. In short, they will only cause further contamination.

And, yes, there were mutterings among fisherfolk who had lost their source of livelihood. They were forced to accept for the time being the P300 daily wage they get for helping in the cleanup because they have nothing to live on.

Despite the dire predictions about tourism, the various tourist spots of Guimaras have been enjoying capacity crowds with hundreds of government officials and workers descending on the island-province. As a matter of fact, one resort owner said that all her rooms are now occupied by Petron officials and employees.

Sweet comfort for some, bitter recriminations from others.

But there was also some positive gains reported. Gerry Ledesma, head of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc., reported that the Coast Guard had cleaned up the oil sheen off the coast of Cauayan town in Negros Occidental south.

Well, that gives hope that somehow, things will turn out well after the initial panic over the oil spill.

Susan Roces: ‘No political plans’

Movie actress Susan Roces, widow of the late presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., said over the weekend that she has no political plans.

Instead, she said she resumed her acting career. Formerly known as the Queen of Philippine Movies, Ms. Roces attended last weekend the homecoming of the La Consolacion College where she graduated from. She was named an outstanding alumna of the school.

Others awardees were: Antonio Antivola (posthumous), Allan Rey, Geofrey Abaoao (business), Perla Leonardia (civic and community service), Joey Muyco (environment), Dr. Rena Magno-Nora (medicine) and Jesusa "Susan" Sonora-Poe (arts).

P586-million CARP collectibles

Tax collection efficiency for CARP lands was only 2.64 percent. This means that the government collected only P15.9 million of the P602 million estimated property tax revenue from agrarian reform beneficiaries in 2006 and the previous years, according to the Provincial Assessor’s Office in Negros Occidental.

In Silay and La Carlota cities, Mayors Carlo Gamban and Jeffrey Ferer said P42.7 million in land taxes have not yet been collected from landholdings covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Gamban said the city government is studying ways to collect the P207-million tax collectibles from ARBs.

Meanwhile, members of the Movement for the Preservation of Employee-Employeer Relationship (MPEER), all of whom were sugar farm workers, marched to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) office in Bacolod yesterday to air their sentiments against the extension of CARP.

Arnel Ambid, MPEER spokesperson, said CARP has defeated the very purpose for which it was created — the emancipation of sugar workers from the bondage of poverty.

Instead, he said it only aggravated the plight of sugar workers because of the lack of support services from the government.

It was already extended for 20 years but the program has not alleviated their lives. That’s why Congress should not grant them their request for extension, Ambid stressed.

The farm workers also hailed Gov. Joseph Maranon for calling a review and audit of CARP’s implementation and for supporting its suspension, pending results of an audit.