International Herald Tribune FINALLY published another article about the Guimaras oil spill debunking the first oil-spill assessment of environmental doom. If not written by Carlos H. Conde, a respected journalist in the Philippines, I swear I almost bit my tongue saying something smells fishy, although the fish that I´m now talking about is dead…

Anyway the article goes on saying that the environmental disaster is “not as massive as once feared” because 1.3 million of litters or 350,000 gallons of a 2-million liter oil tanker, quoting presidential press secretary Ignacio Bunye. The Department of Science and Technology reported that ONLY 100 KILOMETERS OF coastline were affected and not 220 kilometers as the initial assessment.

Forgive my middle class ignorance but all I know is that the oil tanker is still lying deep down in the ocean and still has the potential to spread havoc. I may not be good in Math but 100 kilometers or 220 kilometers for me still equals =ZERO LIVELIHOOD FOR THOUSANDS OF FISHERMEN who are being paid 200/400 a day to help in the clean-up without even donning protective suits and masks!

Read the article here:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/31/news/spill.php Write to the editor of International Herald Tribune about Guimaras here: [email protected]