“Petron would have us believe their sincerity in rectifying the damage from their oil spill. But who are they fooling? The spill is still there. But Petron has now distanced itself from financial responsibilities associated with the retrieval effort, and seems more preoccupied in downplaying the extreme urgency of the situation,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Campaigner Beau Baconguis. “Instead of vacillating over the question of money, Petron should stop the spill now and guarantee funds for the immediate removal oil.”
According to the government, retrieval of the oil now depends on the whether the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) will approve the compensation of the siphoning of the oil from the sunken vessel. But the IOPC is not set to make a decision until October 23. If approved,
retrieval is expected to begin only in December. Meanwhile, every day that passes means more bunker fuel leaks into the sea and onto unfortunate coastal villages. The contamination and suffering, as well
as the health and environmental risks continue.
The online petition calls on Petron to publicly commit to: 1) speedup the process of extracting the oil as soon as possible by guaranteeing the expected costs; 2) immediately intensify relief operations; 3) commit to pay for the continuing clean up, rehabilitation and monitoring of the area; and 4) compensate the communities for the lost incomes since August 11 up to at least 1 full year and until such time when
affected communities have been able to fully recover from the impacts and consequences of the disaster.
The petition is located at www.greenpeace.org.ph.
