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Pamalakaya slams Petron’s refusal to cough up P 10 billion clean up expenses
Visayas wide fisherfolk revolt in the offing against Petron’s refusal to shoulder cost of clean up operations

A Visayas wide fisherfolk revolt is in the offing after Petron Corp. issued an statement to a stock exchange in Manila that it has no obligation to shoulder the cost of cleaning up a massive oil slick from a sunken chartered it commission

“ If that is the case, Petron and its client government- the Macapagal-Arroyo administration have no option but to face us in a round-the-clock political showdown in the parliament of the streets, in the battle over public opinion and in any appropriate court,” the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a press statement.

Petron said it was not under any legal or contractual obligation to set aside P 10-B in economic aid or to post a 100-million peso bond to pay for clean up under pertinent Philippine Coast Guard circulars. It said it is the Sunshine Maritime Development Corp. that should carry the cost of clean up operations. Pamalakaya had earlier pressed Petron Corp. to set aside P 10-B for the clean up operations.

The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) warned Petron and Malacañang of fisherfolk led massive protests in the capitals of Guimaras, Iloilo, Cebu and Negros Occidental if Petron and the Palace-created task force fail to contain the worst environmental sea disaster.

“This environmental tragedy perpetrated by Petron Corp. in collaboration with the national government will literally and politically speaking launch a thousand ships carrying protesters and angry fishermen and residents,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement. “ They better accomplish their assignments or face a Visayas wide fisherfolk revolt,” Hicap warned.

The militant leader said Pamalakaya’s provincial chapters in Guimaras, Iloilo, Cebu and Negros Occidental will hold a meeting on September to discuss what appropriate actions they would do to hold Petron and Malacañang liable for the biggest maritime disaster of all time.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap said he would propose a Visayas wide fluvial protest on the third or last week of September denouncing not only the slow pace of clean up undertaken by the national government and Petron Corp, but as well present its four point agenda before the public.

The four point agenda or set of demands carried by Pamalakaya: 1). Compel Petron Corp. to set aside at least P 10-B bond for the oil clean up, relief and rehabilitation activities off Guimaras Island and nearby affected provinces 2). Mobilize at least 15,000 government troops for the clean up to speed up the process including the retrieval of Solar 1 3). Force the Office of the President to set aside a separate P 2 billion to be drawn from Mrs. Arroyo’s social funds to provide immediate economic relief 4). Call on the people of Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Cebu to support a class suit against Petron to be filed either in a local court or in the United States.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap said the P 100-million bond asked by the Philippine Coast Guard from Petron was not enough to cover the daily expenses including mobilization of labor force for the clean up. He proposed that an initial P 1-B should be set aside since the expenses could reach P 14 million a week or P 56 million a month and that does not include economic assistance and other logistical needs for the operations.

Pamalakaya insisted that the mobilization of 15,000 government troops for the clean up is necessary to speed up the clean operations, saying advanced technologies and instruments will not work out without the heavy application of human labor. The group said even in highly advanced countries like the United States, Japan and Europe, the employment of massive human labor for clean up operations was the decisive factor in the fast track clean up operations on cases of big oil spill. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:48 | link | comments (1) |

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