Visayas Oil Spill

ILOILO CITY, Philippines--A nationwide alliance of fisherfolk organizations has urged around 133,000 oil spill compensation claimants, whose claims were rejected by a London-based insurance organization, to file claims against the giant oil firm Petron Corp.

The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya, National Movement of Fishers in the Philippines) said the oil spill victims seeking compensation for damages had no recourse left but to seek payments from Petron after the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) rejected their claims.

"The failure of IOPCF to deliver justice and just compensation packages to victims of last year's environmental catastrophe is one of the biggest injustices ever done to human kind. But this is not the end of the road for all Guimaras oil spill victims. We encourage them to file compensation claims at Petron's national office in Manila...," said Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap said in a statement.

The IOPCF, an inter-governmental organization that provides compensation to oil spill victims, said in a Sept. 24 report that it rejected the claims of 125,480 residents in Guimaras and 7,416 in Iloilo.

It said the claims were rejected because the claim forms were incomplete and a significant number were from people under the age of 18. The IOPCF also said it was improbable the oil spill affected 80 percent of the island's population of around 154,000.

The IOPCF also rejected earlier the 6,090 claims from seaweed farmers and only accepted 299 because it said a large number of claimants were not involved in seaweed farming at the time of the oil spill.

The Fund earlier paid 22,307 claims amounting to P174,176,143 as compensation for economic losses for Guimaras and Iloilo residents. Aside from those engaged in fishing, there are pending claims from seaweed farmers and property owners and resort owners damaged by the oil spill.

Pamalakaya blames Petron for the massive oil spill that occurred after the M/T Solar I, which was carrying 2.1 million liters of Petron-owned bunker fuel, sank off the coast of Guimaras on Aug. 11, 2006.

It has urged the claimants to pursue a class suit against the oil firm.

The oil spill contaminated marine resources and dislocated thousands of residents mostly dependent on fishing for their livelihood.

"Now that IOPCF has totally abandoned its obligation to compensate the victims of Guimaras oil spill, the victims have no recourse but to run after Petron, the principal corporate author of last year's environmental disaster at the Guimaras Strait," said Hicap.

Petron contracted the Solar I to transport 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel from its Bataan plant to Zamboanga. It repeatedly denied that it had any liability in the sinking of the tanker and the oil spill, pointing out that it only contracted the tanker to ship their cargo.

Petron also pointed out that while it was not liable for the oil spill, it mobilized its resources and personnel in the containment and cleanup operations. The oil firm said it provided at least P20 million worth of livelihood projects and grants to Guimaras.