Resorts in Guimaras optimistic of recovery

March 2nd, 2008 by Site Administrator

RESORT OWNERS in Guimaras remain optimistic that they would recover from the business slumped as an effect of the MT Solar I oil spill that hit the province in 2006.

Elena Jison-Golez, Guimaras Resorts Association (GRA) president, said they could entice again tourists to visit and experience what the province could offer as things are now back to normal.

From March 28 to 30 simultaneous with the 3rd International Mountain Bike Festival, the GRA in cooperation with the Association of Iloilo Travel and Tour Operators (AITOP) will also offer tours of various tourist spots in Guimaras and Iloilo.

“They can spend their holidays in the white-sand beaches of Guimaras, explore the heritage houses and churches of Iloilo City, enjoy unpolluted fresh air and Ilonggo delicacies,” she said.

The Guimaras oil spill started on August 11, 2006. It was dubbed as the worst oil spill the Philippines had ever seen.

The oil tanker MT Solar I, carrying more than two million liters of bunker fuel, sank at the Guimaras Strait off the coast of the Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces, causing some 500,000 liters of oil to pour into the strait.

The oil spill adversely affected marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in three out of five municipalities in Guimaras Island and reached the shores of Iloilo.

Several causes have been mentioned for the spill, including bad weather and human error.
Allegations have been made stating that the tanker only had a capacity of 1.2 million, implying the possibility of overloading. Other investigations have claimed that the captain of the ship had no capacity to manage it.

The spill has damaged Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, a marine sanctuary for feeding and breeding ground for fish and other species.

Dr. Jose Ingles, eco-region coordinator of the World Wide Fund for Nature in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said that the damage may be felt by at least two generations. He warned that the disaster may have damaged the reefs and mangroves, scarring the ecosystem and causing seafood yields to significantly decrease.

Panay News
2 March 2008