Fishers stopped Aussie oil exploration ships off Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — Fisherfolk and residents against the offshore mining activities of an Australian oil and gas exploration firm in Cebu-Bohol Strait drove away MV Gemini II and two other ships from conducting survey tests in Sibonga town in Cebu province, the group Pamalakaya said on Friday. Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said reports reaching the group’s national headquarters in Quezon City revealed that the protest action off Cebu waters was spearheaded by Pamana-Sugbo, Pamalakaya’s provincial chapter in Central Visayas. “Some 10 fishing boats with 100 fishermen and residents aboard barricaded the offshore site this morning and successfully sent away the three ships commissioned by NorAsia Limited to conduct seismic surveys," Hicap said. NorAsia could not be immediately contacted for comment. Pamana-Sugbo spokesperson Wilbert Dimol reported that at around 10 a.m on Friday, fishermen and residents in barangay Simala, Sibonga town kicked off their fluvial protest and barricaded the site where a seismic test would be conducted by NorAsia oil and gas exploration ships. Dimol said as early as 2:30 a.m, they received a report that NorAsia ships started their seismic survey. Upon learning the news, the people started to gather at the Simala shore to discuss the protest action. Dimol said fishermen and the residents engaged in a verbal tussle at the survey site with representatives of the Department of Energy (DOE-Region VII), the PNP- Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the province, the Philippine Maritime Police and officials of NorAsia, and proceeded to barricade the survey site. “The three ships of NorAsia decided to leave the exploration site before 1 p.m. today," Dimol said in his report. “The NorAsia people said the Mayor of Sibonga allowed them to conduct the seismic survey, but the Mayor denied that he issued any permit to NorAsia. The fishermen were not informed about the survey, and their payaos (gangos or fish traps) were dismantled by NorAsia operatives," the Pamana-Sugbo leader added. Dimol said they will not let their guards down, adding that NorAsia may resume its seismic surveys at any given time. He warned that “some 444,000 hectares of marine waters will be subjected to seismic testing and blasting, oil and gas drilling … in the name of transnational plunder at the expense of people’s patrimony and the environment" if NorAsia is allowed to oursue its surveys. - GMANews.TV