Accountability and Responsibility
August 25th, 2006 at 6:02 am (General, Environment, National Politics)
Finger-pointing. That is all that Petron is doing in response to the oil spill in Guimaras. Petron refuses to spend money for cleaning up the oil spill and for paying for the damages caused by it.
Although Petron is not the owner of MT Solar 1 which spilled the oil on the beaches of Guimaras, it is still accountable for what happened. It is accountable because it is their oil which is polluting the beaches. It is their oil that is choking the aquatic plants and animals. It is their oil that is slowly poisoning the lungs of the people of Guimaras people. It is their oil that destroyed one of main sources of livelihood of the people of Guimaras. It is their oil which has FOREVER changed the beaches, the corals and the lives of those in the area.
Yes, forever. Although the ship may be extracted from the sea floor, and the oil cleaned up to a certain extent, the effects of the oil spill will forever change the ecosystem in the area. It will affect not only the beaches, but the plants surrounding it, the birds and even the land animals. Needless to say, it will have countless effects on the people of Guimaras. Our environment is a very fragile ecosystem. In this system, one part does not get damaged without affecting the rest of the system. Although all the adverse effects might not be apparent right away, in the long run, the the changes will be seen and felt everywhere. Their waters of Guimaras will never be the same, the aquatic plants and animals will not be restored to their full health right away and even the terrestrial plants and animals in the area will also be affected. Even the people whose health were affected will not easily get healthy again.
It is not enough that Petron washes their hands from their responsibility and accountability. They cannot simply require the Sunshine Maritime Corporation to hasten in extracting the ship while they sit idly by, waiting for things to happen. They earn millions of pesos every day. And yet they can’t find it in their hearts to spare a few to help out clean their own mess? Seriously, do they expect us to believe their crappy excuses??? The more distrubing thing is that Petron is partly owned by the government, which is also moving at a very slow pace in solving this crisis.
Petron, and the government, should clean up their act, literally and figuratively.
To know more about how you can contribute towards the improvement of the situation in Guimaras, visit the Project Sunrise WebSite.
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Major Tom said,
August 26, 2006 at 8:07 pm
I think Petron is vouching on the technicalities of the law where I think, its the shipowner that generally becomes liable per provisions of the Law on Transportation. However, I believe that Petron should have some form of liability in terms of civil damages, like in its selection of the carrier…
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JDEspaldon said,
August 29, 2006 at 2:22 am
To be fair, your link that Petron refuses to spend money is not entirely correct. Petron shouldered the expenses for the clean-up of the “two barangays in Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras” and more has been spent for the other barangays. I think the question is: Is it doing enough to clean-up the spill?
I am no expert in cleaning up oil spill like bunker fuel used in energy plants and in producing cements but the human hair sweeping, bamboo or styropor barriers construction, feathers cleaning and laborious human intervention with spades and rusty knives to contain/clean 50,000 gallons of bunker fuel are at admirable but feeble attempts to stop the almost inevitable destruction of the ecological system. We need foreign experts and we need them now. Later would be too late.
There are legal avenues for redress of grievances but the contamination will not await the resolution of the court. The contamination will flow with the tide, blacken the seashore, kill the fishes and poison the birds. Ultimately, it will kill people.
I believe in justice but protection of life first before justice.
In our country, there are too many people to be blamed and I, myself, blame others especially in the government for this incalculable misfortune. But blaming will not help anyone. Initiative will. God save us.
Alleba Politics » Blog Archive » Filipino Corporations tackle Corporate Social Responsibility said,
May 30, 2007 at 7:58 pm
[…] Although I applaud and cheer on the group and the individual corporations, I cannot help but look at the initiative with skepticism. Petron still has to pay for and redeem itself for the Guimaras Oil Spill incident. And all the other corporations involved also still have to prove their genuine and sincere dedication to sustainable development and social justice. Do they pay their taxes correctly? Do they treat ALL their employees justly? Do they have a company policy on waste management? […]