Immediate Action to Contain the Guimaras (Philippines) Oil Spill

To:  The President, Republic of the Philippines, the Honorable Members of the Philippine Senate, and the Honorable Members of the House of Representatives

We, the undersigned, concerned Filipinos of the international Community and
our friends all over the world, urge the Government of the Philippines to do
all that is possible to abate the worsening impact of the oil spill that is
engulfing the beautiful island of Guimaras. The magnitude of the devastation
is beyond us to calculate because there is no reliable report as yet despite
the lapse of time that has occurred.

Date of accident : August 11, 2006
Name of the vessel : MT Solar I
Company owner of vessel : Sunshine Maritime Development Corp.
Insurer :(Luxembourg)Shipowners Mutual Protection &
Indemnity Asociation
Type of cargo : Industrial bunker oil
Amount of cargo : 528,000+ gallons in 10 tanks equivalent to

2 million liters
Site of vessel : 3,000 feet or 900 meters under water 24 kms.
off west of Guimaras Island

It was reported that Petron Corporation contracted the MT Solar 1 a single
hull vessel to deliver the cargo from Bataan Peninsula in Luzon to Western
Mindanao Power Corporation in Zamboanga del Sur (Mindanao Island), but sank
on its way to destination

Please visit this link to view the extent of the oil spill around the
southwest of Guimaras as of August 18, 2006.
http://assets.panda.org/img/original/guinaras_map.jpg

So far, the oil spill has extended affecting the eastern town of Concepcion,
Iloilo, and more towns as the spill continues unchecked.
More southern and eastern/northeastern coastal towns of Panay and the
western coast of Negro Occidental are threatened.

The spill has already contaminated 240 kms of Guimaras coast, 1,000 hectares
of marine reserves, 60 hectares of seaweed plantations, and 40,000 people
whose survival depends upon the integrity of this marine environment have
been displaced. They have already lost their means of livelihood as
thousands more are facing the same fate while the oil spill continues.

We demand for immediate government action in containing this oil spill as we
anticipate greater damage to the population and destruction of the
environment if not controlled.

We hold the Petron Corporation accountable and must answer to rectify the
damage that has been done to the environment and to the people of Guimaras,
Panay and Negros Islands.

We deplore the slow response to this emergency situation which increases the
danger and the devastation as it goes unabated.

Therefore, we jointly call for the concerted action of government in
responding to this calamity in the best interest of the people of Guimaras
and the surrounding areas that are now being affected and to enlist all
available help and succor as the case so requires because of its extreme
status as an emergency.

We hereby affix our signatures to attest to our own commitment to help and
to mobilize our resources by soliciting the support of all who share our
concerns; to compel all responsible individuals and entities to do something
in an appropriate response to this emergency, to save lives, and to save
this environment in peril.

Thank you for your prompt attention on this petition requiring your urgent
and immediate action.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Immediate Action to Contain the Guimaras (Philippines) Oil Spill Petition to The President, Republic of the Philippines, the Honorable Members of the Philippine Senate, and the Honorable Members of the House of Representatives was created by Overseas Filipino Community and their Friends and written by Johnny M. Pecayo (johnnypecayo@yahoo.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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