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Taρon Strait in Visayas soon to be destroyed (4366 bytes)
Posted: 6/22/2007 09:10 GMT+8
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By:
dianecampanano
registered: 6/22/2007
member
Philippines
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Oil explorer angers Filipino fishers
* Emma-Kate Symons
* June 21, 2007
http://www.theaustr alian.news. com.au/story/ 0,20867,21940705 -643,00.html
AN Australian oil exploration project faces mounting opposition in the
Philippines over claims that thousands of poor fishing families and
tour operators will lose their livelihoods in a social and
environmental disaster "worse than a typhoon".
Local green groups, fishing communities, dive operators and council
officials are objecting to a seismic survey by NorAsian Energy, a
wholly owned subsidiary of listed Australian company Ottoman Energy,
in the Cebu-Bohol strait in central Visayan islands. The survey is a
prelude to a drilling program planned for next year.
The Environmental Legal Assistance Centre of the Philippines said the
exploration project, which began this week, had been thrust on locals
living around the strait.
It said there had been inadequate assessment of the short-term and
long-term impact on marine life and fish stocks, and no prior
agreement on compensation for the locals.
Raul Barbarona, an environmental lawyer with the centre, said local
fishing operators, dive tour companies and municipal politicians
learned only on June 4 of the details of the $US10 million exploration
project that began on Monday.
Mr Barbarona said the project required an 8.5km no-go zone for fishing
and recreational vessels around the seismic survey area, depriving up
to 4000 people of access to their fishing grounds and livelihoods for
up to three weeks.
Swimming and diving had also been banned within 10km of the exploration project.
When groups of fishermen complained over alleged destruction by
NorAsian Energy of their fishing pens, they were offered compensation
of 7000 pesos, or about $180, he said. As yet, no compensation had
been paid for loss of income during or after the survey although
figures of 5000 pesos (or about $120) per fisherman had been
mentioned.
"We felt that the company had abused our rights. Their action was
malicious," Ariel Sarajena, president of a local fishermen's
association, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday, commenting
on NorAsian Energy's actions.
Locals have also criticised the lack of environmental impact analysis
for the project.
The noise made by the exploration ship could scare away dolphins,
whales and sharks in the strait, the critics say.
Energy officials in Manila and NorAsian Energy deny these claims.
NorAsian Energy won a contract in 2005 to develop three oil drilling
sites in the Philippines. Two seismic surveys have already been
carried out near the remote island of Palawan, with the Cebu-Bohol
strait survey being the final one.
NorAsian Energy is one of the Australia's leading companies in the
rapidly expanding Philippines oil exploration industry.
Its three contracts together represent a potential investment of $US50 million.
Under President Gloria Arroyo's new measures welcoming foreign
investment in the Philippines mining and exploration sector, the
seismic survey was not obliged to complete an environmental compliance
certificate.
NorAsian Energy chief executive Kristoffer Fellowes defended the
company's project, saying "this is an environmentally safe act that
we're undertaking" .
Compensation packages were being negotiated, he said, and some money
had already been paid this week to fishing communities on the Cebu
side of the strait.
Mr Fellowes also hit out at "local misinformation" regarding the
environmental impact of the oil exploration project, and compensation
issues.
"It has always been our intention to compensate justly and in full all
those parties affected," he said.
NorAsian executives and the Philippines Department of Energy were in
talks this week with the Governor of Bohol, Erico Aumentado, after
local concerns increased.
Department of Energy undersecretary Francisco Delfil said: "much of
the operation will not unduly cause a negative impact on the
environment" .
A working group formed by the department would begin assessing the
environmental effects and possible damage to marine life.
--
Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky. We fell them down and
turn them into paper that we may record our emptiness. -Kahlil
Gibran, "Sand and Foam"
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