“No peaceful society can afford to neglect either respect for life or the fact that there is integrity to creation.” [PEACE WITH GOD THE CREATOR, PEACE WITH ALL OF CREATION, John Paul II]

On August 11, 2006, the M/V Solar I, the Philippines’ largest oil refiner, which was chartered by Petron, was carrying 2.4 million liters of oil to the southern island of Mindanao when it went down in unusually rough waters off Guimaras Island, several hundred kilometers south of the capital, Manila.

According to experts, 200,000 liters of oil have leaked from the tanker, contaminating a 24km2 area. The coastal towns of Nueva Valencia and Jordan on Guimaras Island, as well as Villadolid, Pulupandan and Bago on Negros Island have already been affected. Oil has contaminated more than 300 kilometers (200 miles) of coastline on Guimaras Island and is now threatening Negros, the country’s fourth-largest island, as well as Panay. The oil has also destroyed 454 hectares (1,120 acres) of mangroves and 58 hectares of seaweed farms. The spill is heading up through the Guimaras Strait. (Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), August 20-25, 2006).

The Guimaras Strait is one of the most productive fishing grounds in the country, as well as a popular tourist destination. It is home to pristine white sand beaches, several marine sanctuaries and unspoiled coral reefs and mangrove forests.

The earth is cursed because of the sin of Adam. [Gen 3, 17]. The earth mourns and withers because the human person has violated the statutes. [Is 24, 1-7].

Mother Nature is grieving for the death of her “sons and daughters of creation”- marine life and bio-diversity. No amount of clean-up or prevention can console her for the death of marine life (or even life in general). No amount of rehabilitation can awaken the original state of Guimaras’ ocean biodiversity. It is not simply a loss to the people living in the Guimaras area but to the whole Filipino nation. Indeed such a loss affects the whole of God’s creation.

The Catholic Church clearly teaches:

“The most profound and serious indication of the moral implications underlying the ecological problem is the lack of respect for life evident in many of the patterns of environmental pollution. Often, the interests of production prevail over concern for the dignity of workers, while economic interests take priority over the good of individuals and even entire peoples. In these cases, pollution or environmental destruction is the result of an unnatural and reductionist vision which at times leads to a genuine contempt for Humans.

On another level, delicate ecological balances are upset by the uncontrolled destruction of animal and plant life or by a reckless exploitation of natural resources. It should be pointed out that all of this, even if carried out in the name of progress and well-being, is ultimately to Humankind’s disadvantage. [Excerpts taken from #7, PEACE WITH GOD THE CREATOR, PEACE WITH ALL OF CREATION: MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE on January 1990]

The actions of a few capitalistic and profit-oriented Filipinos in society acting without thought for the common good will be the cause of the “slow and painful death” of many Filipinos who depend on the water resources for their living, aggravating their already miserable poverty-stricken condition.

Most of all, the oil spill has greatly compromised the very fragile state of Philippine ocean biodiversity all in the name of cost-cutting measures for greater profits. The present and future generations of youth will be “starved”, unable to enjoy nature’s beauty and contribution to human existence.

In the wake of such mistakes committed against Mother Nature, it is just and right, that Filipinos, Christians and others, who believe in the Sanctity of Life and the Integrity of Creation, demand:

1. That Petron, among many other oil companies in the country, pay immediately for the destruction of Mother Earth. If it can raise easily its fuel prices on almost a weekly basis then Petron should easily be accountable also by:
· Giving a Formal and Public Apology for the destruction of the Guimaras Marine Bio-Diversity Zone.
· Creating/Finance an alternative livelihood project for all the economically displaced fisher folk of the affected areas in Guimaras and other affected marine areas in the Visayas.
· Creating/Finance a Long-Term Marine Bio-Diversity Rehabilitation Plan which will include the payment of damages to affected residential and commercial establishments within the area.

2. That Petron and Sunshine Maritime Development Corporation continue the cleaning up of the oil spill even beyond the time of the retrieval of the sunken tanker. Rehabilitation cannot be a short term process when such an oil spill spells long-term destruction.

3. That the Department of Natural Resources focuses on the rehabilitation of the Guimaras Ocean Bio-Diversity Zone and not be easily swayed from its obligation by the “sudden” need to promote the planting of trees along the National Highways. The idea of planting trees along our National Highways is good but there are urgent matters that the government agency should be focused on beyond the eyeing a place in the Guinness Book of Records. The planting of trees may be “greening our highways” but the continuous balding of our mountains brought about by legal and illegal logging and mining shows another face of how our government approaches the Philippine environment.

4. That the Department of Natural Resources seriously considers that any spill (Oil, chemicals, etc) is a form of pollution of the Sea Bio-Diversity. The oil spill in Guimaras is, therefore, no different than the ever present possibility of a chemical spill brought about by the Mining Industry. For example, while there are conflicting opinions on the presence of mine tailings in the seas near the Lafayette mining operations, it is very clear that we are undermining the integrity of the marine bio-diversity in the seas of Southern Bicol. There have been many incidents in the (recent) past of oil spills and mine tailing spills, when will we ever learn?

Rest the Earth: No to further degradation of the environment!

For the Sanctity of Life!
For the Respect of the Integrity of Creation!

JPICC August 29, 2006