Unchecked oil spill now threatens tourist spots around Guimaras

The oil spill from the sunken tanker Solar 1 is spreading northeast and may threaten tourism hubs in Negros Occidental and Northern Iloilo, a regional tourism official said Saturday. Edwin Trumpeta, Department of Tourism regional director for Western Visayas, said the oil spill has started to spread towards the northeast, threatening Bacolod City, and if nothing is done, it may even affect Boracay, world-famous for its beach resorts. “Bacolod could possibly be affected in the immediate time. So will the rest of the northern region like North Panay, if the spill is not arrested immediately," Trumpeta said on the government-run dzRB radio. According to Trumpeta, even Boracay can be affected if the remaining 90 percent of the bunker oil inside Solar 1, which has not been salvaged, starts to leak. If nothing is done soon, he said, “We will have a big problem." Iloilo is a province on the eastern coast of Panay Island across Guimaras Island, near the oil spill site. The ill-fated tanker sank on August 11 due to turbulent waters. It was contracted by Petron Corp. to transport bunker oil from Limay town in Bataan to Zamboanga del Sur. Trumpeta said the spread of the oil spill was raised during a meeting of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) late Friday. He said he had written Tourism Secretary Ace Durano in Manila to appeal to foreign governments with the technical capability to contain the spill. “We have been positioning Guimaras as a resort destination. It has a starring role in our tourism program because of its white sand coves, islands and sea and landscapes. Otherwise we would have lost our jewel in tourism. Definitely the livelihood of residents will be affected," he said. On the other hand, Trumpeta said tourism officials in Guimaras are trying to allay the fears of tourists already there. He said tourism officials “remain hopeful that many things can be done," noting that Guimaras, Iloilo and Bacolod attract some 150,000 tourists a year. In earlier reports, local authorities in Guimaras said the oil spill, the worst to hit the country, has affected the livelihood of 10,000 fishermen, living in 16 of its 22 villages. "About 3,000 fishermen have been totally displaced and we are looking for relief for them," Guimaras Gov. Joaquin Carlos Nava had said earlier. "Tourism has also been displaced. They are our big anchors and they are displaced at this moment." He also said provincial health, relief, evacuation, and medical teams are now trying to address the needs of those affected by the oil spill. - GMANews.TV