Victims of Estancia oil spill get P3.29-million compensation

ESTANCIA, Iloilo—The national government finally released P3.29 million in checks as compensation to survivors of the massive oil spill that smeared Estancia and neighboring towns in Iloilo province on Saturday, the first anniversary of Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

Government-owned Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) gave the checks to 202 residents of Barangay (village) Odiongan in San Dionisio town and Barangays Botongon, Daan Banwa and Tanza in Estancia. Each of them received checks, whose amounts ranged from P3,000 to P20,000, as payment for damages and dislocation.

On Oct. 6, PSALM also released a total of P3.5 million in checks to 202 people.

More claims being processed

More survivors will receive compensation as soon as their claims are processed and validated, said Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., who has helped facilitate the compensation.

The oil spill was triggered when Power Barge 103, operated by National Power Corp., was detached from its moorings on Nov. 8 last year at the height of the typhoon. It reached the neighboring towns of Batad, San Dionisio and Concepcion.

The 32-megawatt barge, which is under PSALM management but waiting to be privatized, was dragged 200 meters away from the coastline and slammed against the rocky shores of Botongon.

About 900,000 liters of bunker fuel contaminated the town’s coastline. More than 2,000 residents were evacuated and stayed for a month in a temporary shelter due to the high level of air toxicity in the area.

The House committee on energy is investigating the oil cleanup and the hiring of Kuan Yu Global Technologies Inc. (KYGTI) to do the job. It is expected to conduct a third hearing before the end of the year, according to Tupas.

Class suit

Oil spill survivors and provincial officials have decried what they perceived as slow and inefficient cleanup activities.

A group of Estancia residents has filed a P225-million class suit against government agencies, including PSALM and KYGTI, accusing them of negligence for failing to undertake measures that could have prevented the oil spill and for “inefficient” operations.

It charged KYGTI with gross negligence, citing “inefficient” operations and “lack of capability.”

Those who received the compensation had signed a quitclaim barring them from pursuing further charges against PSALM.

The provincial government is set to file its own civil and criminal case this week against KYGTI and concerned government agencies.