Int'l body junks 125,000 Guimaras oil spill claims

For lack of "substantial proof," the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF) has junked more than 125,000 claims for compensation over last year's Guimaras oil spill. Iloilo-based online newspaper The News Today reported Monday night that while the IOPCF initially approved 134 applications, these would still need to pass final screening. Presidential adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela said the IOPCF rejected the 125,480 claims because the claimants failed to prove they were directly affected by the spill. The IOPCF became more wary of the release of compensation funds after learning some relatives of former Rep. Edgar Espinosa were listed as recipients though they were not qualified as claimants. Coscolluela said practically all the applicants managed to get the endorsement of either the congressman or the governor. Also, he observed that more people filed the claims in the second batch after learning that their neighbors received compensation ranging from P2,000 to as high as P30,000. Coscolluela's Task Force SOS also reported that IOPCF has paid out about P177 million in settlement of claims to over 22,000 affected fisherfolks in Guimaras. Meanwhile, Task Force SOS said that as of June 2007, "life in Guimaras has been restored." It added the government is pursuing programs to strengthen oil-spill response capability, by working on an updated and comprehensive National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. Government is also upgrading the equipment of the Philippine Coast Guard and Maritime Police, and improving capacity-building through localized emergency response preparedness training. The task force added the scientific community, led by University of the Philippines in the Visayas, is also working to develop a science-based approach to oil-spill impact assessment and environmental rehabilitation. Operations to recover oil from Solar 1 were completed without spilling any recovered oil on either land or sea. Likewise, all recovered oily debris were shipped out for reprocessing/reuse outside of Guimaras. - GMANews.TV