Oil Spill Damages To Be Settled by Petron

Petron Philippines assured the public Sunday that it is ready to pay all legitimate damage claims tied to the oil slick off the coast of Rosario, Cavite, as a result of its ruptured undersea pipeline last week.

Petron Public Affairs Officer Charmaine Canillas said a dialogue is under way among officials of Petron Philippines, militant fishermen’s group Pambansang Lakas ng Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to determine the extent of damage caused by the oil spill.

“Petron Philippines is willing to pay all legitimate claims in connection with the recent LPG leak in Rosario Cavite, including the cleanup operation,” said Canillas, speaking to mediamen at the weekly Tinapayan sa Dapitan forum.

Liquefied Petroleum Gasoline (LPG) leaked from Petron’s submarine pipeline, which was damaged by the anchor of a ship battered during the onslaught of typhoon “Basyang.”

“Nakatakda kaming makipagpulong ngayon sa mga miyembro ng PAMALAKAYA, gayundin sa PCG, para alamin ang mga pinsala na nagawa nang nangyaring leak ng aming tubo sa Cavite (We are set to meet with PAMALAKAYA and the PCG to determine the damage caused by the leak of our pipeline in Cavite),” said Canillas.

But the militant fishermen’s group wanted the Petron Oil Depot in Rosario, Cavite closed permanently as they fear that such and incident could be repeated.

PAMALAKAYA National Chairman Fernando Hicap said that many fishermen in Rosario Cavite had lost their livelihood following the leak at one of the pipes of the oil depot.

Hicap likewise challenged newly appointed Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to act on the issue by immediately signing a resolution that seeks to shut down the Petron Philippines oil facility due damage it caused to the environment and local residents of Cavite.

Last Saturday, authorities said the leak of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) had been contained after two oil spill booms and dispersants were placed in the affected sea area.

PCG spokesman Lt. Commander Armand Balilo said that they will still check if the pipes of Petron Philippines have already been sealed off properly before thinking about the possible claims they could get from the disaster.

“We will double-check if the pipes had already been sealed off just to make sure that we will not see another oil leak once a new storm pummels this area,” he said.

Canillas said that as of Sunday morning, “no residue was coming out from the source.”

She said the two oil spill booms were still deployed above the submarine pipeline and that response teams remained onsite with PCG representatives.

“Divers are checking the integrity of the sealant applied (on Saturday) and, if weather permits, the second layer of sealant will be applied today (Sudnay) after which the clamping of metal encasement will proceed,” Canillas said.

“We will continue sealing operations and monitoring to ensure that the leak is plugged,” she added.

“To put things in context, this is an accident that nobody wanted to happen but regardless we immediately acted to mitigate the situation. You can be assured that we are doing everything to resolve this matter,” she said.