‘Strong collaboration’ of stakeholders leads to major progress in oil spill cleanup drive

The strong collaboration of various stakeholders has resulted in major progress on the cleanup efforts of communities affected by the recent oil spill in Iloilo City.

Recently, multi-stakeholders task force composed of Iloilo City Government, Philippine Coast Guard, AC Energy Philippines and its consultant AECOM Philippines, cleanup contractor Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., and barangay officials met for a walkthrough to assess the progress of the cleanup of the villages affected by the oil spill of July 3, 2020.

As an initial step for affected families to safely return to their homes, the task force developed a set of parameters for their quick reintegration to the community. The initial 37 of 323 households were surveyed, and they will continue to assess other families in the coming days.

In a meeting organized by Iloilo City Environment and Resources Office (CENRO), AC Energy Philippines and AECOM Philippines presented their action plans for the coastal cleanup . Also present in the talks were various stakeholders such as the PENRO, EMB, the DENR regional office, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), Dr. Rex Sadaba of U.P. Visayas, and other government agencies.

AECOM Philippines also presented its spill assessment update and criteria called Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique (SCAT). The SCAT is an internationally-recognized method used to survey and document the impact of spills on shorelines, and the effectiveness of cleanup activities and the conduct of post-cleanup inspections and evaluations.

AC Energy Philippines expressed its commitment in making sure that the cleanup efforts are not only compliant with international standards but also involve all stakeholders in a collaborative approach.

“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 Gabby Mejia, Head of AC Energy Philippines for Plant Operations.

“With this strong collaboration among the various stakeholders, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our common objective restore normalcy in the lives of everyone,” he added.