Iloilo gov dismayed with sluggish oil spill cleanup

MANILA, Philippines - Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. said yesterday he was disappointed with the snail-paced cleanup operation to contain the oil spill in six coastal villages in the municipalities of Estancia and Batad.

Citing the immediate need to protect residents and save marine resources, Defensor urged the contractor, Kuan Yu Global Technologies Inc., to follow its timeline as stipulated in its P87-million contract to clean up the oil spill.

Headed by Karl Ignatius Young, Kuan Yu Global Technologies was hired by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) to siphon off the remaining oil from National Power Corp.’s Power Barge 103, which was damaged at the height of Typhoon Yolanda last Nov. 8.

The oil spill has spread after a leak from the 35-megawatt power barge that reportedly carried some 1.4 million liters of bunker fuel when it was damaged.

As of Monday, Commodore Athelo Ybañez, commander of Philippine Coast Guard-Region 6, said some 865,000 liters of bunker fuel have spilled into the shoreline of Barangay Botongon in Estancia.

Ybañez added that around 150,000 liters were washed ashore and at least 137,000 liters have been recovered so far.

Ybañez said Kuan Yu Global Technologies has to transfer some 220,000 liters of usable bunker fuel from Power Barge 103 in Estancia to Power Barge 101 located in Iloilo City by Friday.

The contractor gave its assurance that it would be able to re-float and tow the power barge by Friday and finish the cleanup within three months or by Feb. 26, 2014. 

The cleanup operation was reportedly supposed to start on Nov. 23. The contractor should have finished siphoning the remaining bunker fuel in the power barge on Monday but it failed to meet the deadline.

Young though appealed for understanding if their cleanup operation seemed sluggish, as he also belied reports that the company has no experience on oil spill management and response.

He said Kuan Yu was among those hired to contain the oil spill in Guimaras and Semirara Island in Antique in 2006.

Lawyer Danielle Anne Rubinos, chief of staff of PSALM president and chief executive officer CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., vowed to take full responsibility for the oil spill cleanup, saying they would impose sanctions if the contractor fails to do its work.