Guimaras props up tourism in 1st sem

THE province of Guimaras will be very busy with various tourism events this first two quarters of 2009.

Guimaras Gov. Felipe Hilan Nava said preparations will focus on their participation in the annual Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo, the famous “Pagtaltal” during the celebration of the Holy Week and the province’s “Manggahan Festival.”

After hibernating for several years, Nava said the province will again be sending a tribe, Tribu Himal-us, to participate in the Dinagyang slated every fourth week of January.

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Wind to energize Guimaras

INDEPENDENT power producer TransAsia is bent on pursuing a wind-power energy project that can generate around 15 to 20 megawatts for Guimaras, said Gov. Felipe Hilan Nava.

The project, if realized, will supply the island-province with more than enough power, he added.

Guimaras may even sell its excess power supply to Iloilo, Nava said.

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Guimaras folk need psych support

SOCIAL scientists have recommended continued psychosocial monitoring and support for Guimaras residents affected by the massive oil spill two years ago after a study showed that most of them were still traumatized by the calamity.

The study conducted by former University of the Philippines in the Visayas chancellor Ida Siason, showed a “significant level of psycho-social distress” among 42 percent to 73 percent of around 250 survey respondents from seven highly and moderately affected barangay (villages).

The villages are mostly in Nueva Valencia town, the hardest hit of the province’s five municipalities.

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Oil spill damage continues in Guimaras

THE oil sludge may not be visible anymore but the damage to the marine resources of Guimaras Island has persisted two years after a massive oil spill ravaged the island, according to scientists.

Scientific studies showed abnormalities in breeding and growth of mangroves, sea grass, marine animals and sea cucumbers, and scientists attributed these mainly to the contamination of the marine environment by bunker fuel from the sunken MT Solar I.

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Guimaras marine resources still reeling from effects of oil spill

THE oil sludge may not be seen anymore but damage to marine resources of Guimaras Island persists two years after a massive oil spill ravaged the island, according to scientists.

Results of the scientific studies showed abnormalities in breeding and growth of mangroves, sea grass, marine animals and sea cucumbers which were attributed mainly to the contamination of the marine environment by bunker fuel from the sunken M/T Solar I.

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Guimaras LGU to launch coastal rehabilitation program

THE municipality of San Lorenzo in Guimaras is now set to launch its coastal rehabilitation project that will cover the town’s six barangays on Friday.

Mayor Jimmy Gajo said the activity will kick off with a mangrove planting activity in the half-a-hectare plantation site identified in each of six barangays namely Barangays Sebario, Igcawayan, Cabano, M. Chavez, Suclaran and Lebas.

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Guimaras, sea advocates mull sustainable coastal management

TWO years after a devastating oil spill, the provincial government of Guimaras is formally forging ties with the Partnership for Environmental Management for Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) for integrated coastal management.

PEMSEA focuses on integrated coastal management initiatives, said Gov. Felipe Hilan Nava.

He considered the partnership with PEMSEA as “timely.”

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Remembering the Solar oil spill

By Edgar Manaay
bareFACTS, The Daily Guardian

TWO YEARS have lapsed since August 11, 2006 when Motor Tanker Solar I sank off the coast of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras and triggered the worst oil spill in the country.

The tanker settled 2,000 ft. in the sea bottom where water pressure is at 65 tons/sq.ft. and the temperature at 15 degrees centigrade.

M/T Solar I was chartered by Petron Corporation to deliver two million liters of bunker fuel oil from Petron Bataan Refinery to a power plant in Iligan when it sank in the waters off Guimaras amidst bad weather.

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Guimaras officials score DENR over oil spill projects

GUIMARAS officials have scored the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for implementing oil spill rehabilitation projects in areas that were not affected by the oil spill.

Guimaras Gov. Felipe Nava said the DENR is implementing livelihood projects using rehabilitation funds even in communities that were hardly affected by the August 11, 2006 oil spill.

“I’m not contented with what’s happening. We are in the dark and we don’t know if this are beneficial to the people of Guimaras. I think we should correct this (because) we are wasting precious money,” Nava said yesterday during a presentation of updates on the rehabilitation programs marking the second anniversary of the oil spill.

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Guimaras recovering but non-release of funds stalls rehab

TWO years after a massive oil spill hit this island-province, officials and experts said the island is showing recovery and coping from the impact of the calamity.

But rehabilitation efforts have been stalled by the non-release of around P150 million intended for development programs.

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