Guimaras Island rises
THE pre-conference video presentation on Guimaras during the East Asia Seas (EAS) Congress held in Iloilo City last November 27 to 29, 2018 showcased how the province got through the devastating oil spill incident that happened 12 years ago with the sinking of the tanker Solar1 off the Guimaras Strait. The tanker with its approximately 2,000 tonnes of fuel oil was found to have spilled almost all of its oil cargo to the sea.
The Solar1 sinking caught national attention on the devastating impact on the island’s residents many of whom depend on coastal-based livelihood activities. The number of responders to contain the spread of the oil and from reaching the shore were exceptionally overwhelming as residents and volunteers manually scooped oil from the coast; and a national campaign to collect human hair from salons was initiated as this was believed to be effective absorbents of oil. Of course, the Philippine Coast Guard and Petron Corporation, owner of the oil cargo, were actively overseeing on-scene oil spill response.
The spilled oil contaminated about 125 kilometers of shoreline on the south and south-west coasts of the island. The oil reached approximately 500 hect-
seaweed farms and tourist establishments took a heavy toll from the incident.
Back then, many believed it would take decades for this small island province, then covered by black and depressing seashore, to recover from the oil spill incident.
Best known for its succulent and sweet mangoes, Guimaras took center stage as it became known for the wide- ranging damage caused by the Solar1 oil spill. International and regional support to help it recover was overwhelming. It helped too, that the Philippines at the time of the Solar1 International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992 (FUND Convention) and the Civil Liabilities Convention, 1992 as reimbursement for the response and rehabilitation costs as well as for damages suffered were paid in due course.
Fast forward to 2018 at the EAS Congress, residents and the localgovernment unit (LGU) leaders
- tion of Guimaras province. Guimaras has taken on an active and effective implementation of the integrated coastal management (ICM) platform developed and promoted by the Partnership in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). Marine environment protection has become a major programme in the local governance. Now, the province boasts of a thriving eco-tourism sector, which attracts local and foreign tourists not only for its mangoes but most importantly to see the pristine waters and beautiful coasts of the island.
At the moment it may not be as popular a tourist destination as Boracay or Palawan but it will not be surprising to see an increase in visitors who wish to see the transformation that is Guimaras. And surely, the province with its LGU leaders together with the local community will be ready to welcome visitors at the same time display a strong sense to protect and preserve beautiful Guimaras!