AC Energy Philippines held a stakeholders’ forum to discuss the ongoing cleanup of the oil spill that occurred in Brgy. Obrero, Lapuz, this city. The purpose of the gathering is to assess the progress of the cleanup as well as to discuss other needed measures and concerns of the affected communities.
Attendees were members of the multi-stakeholders task force
that the Ayala-led company created. It is composed of representatives from the
Iloilo City government, affected barangays, and the Philippine Coast Guard. Also
present in the meeting were AC Energy’s consultant AECOM Philippines, and cleanup
contractor Harbor Star Shipping Services, Inc.
Gabby Mejia, head of AC Energy Philippines for Plant
Operations, led the stakeholder’s forum. He said that “the strong collaboration
among the various stakeholders is the key in achieving our common objective of restoring
normalcy in the lives of everyone affected by the crisis.”
Action Plan
Prior to the forum, AC Energy Philippines and AECOM
Philippines has developed comprehensive action plans for the cleanup drive. The
plans were created upon consultation with various government agencies including
the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, Provincial Environment and
Natural Resources Office, Environmental Management Bureau, DENR regional office,
City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, and U.P. Visayas.
The said action plan as well as the current spill assessment
situation report were presented during the forum. The assessment report was
prepared using the SCAT or Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique, an
internationally-recognized and highly effective method used to survey and
document the impact of spills on shorelines, and the effectiveness of cleanup
activities and conduct post-cleanup inspections and evaluations.
Community Reintegration
During the forum, the task force was also able to develop a
set of parameters which will be the basis for the gradual reintegration of the
community back to their homes. The task force continues to conduct surveys on
the affected families, and, at present, only 37 of the 323 relocated households
have been covered so far. This represents the initial step for families to
safely return to their homes following the community clean-up efforts done by
the multi-agency team of stakeholders.
“We are grateful to everyone for participating in this multi-stakeholder process and we look forward to your continued support for the cleanup, relief and rehabilitation efforts,” said Mejia. He assures that AC Energy Philippines remains to be committed in its cleanup efforts, working closely with different stakeholders and affected groups, and strictly complying with international standards.
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