Author Topic: House Resolution No. 212  (Read 693 times)

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House Resolution No. 212
« on: September 09, 2007, 01:28:45 PM »
Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

 

FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION No. 212

 

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________

 

INTRODUCED by Representatives TEODORO A. CASIÑO, EDUARDO R. GULLAS, BENHUR L. SALIMBANGON, ANTONIO V. CUENCO, JOCELYN SY-LIMKAICHONG, GEORGE P. ARNAIZ, HENRY A. TEVES, SATUR C. OCAMPO, CRISPIN B. BELTRAN, LIZA L. MAZA, and LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________

 

 

 A RESOLUTION

DIRECTING THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF OFFSHORE MINING IN THE VISAYAN SEA

WHEREAS, in keeping with the Philippine government’s plan to make the country an energy independent country set forth in the 2004-2010 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan, the government has been awarding service contracts to various foreign oil and gas exploration companies since the Malampaya oil and gas project in 2001;

WHEREAS, the targets of oil and gas exploration operations are protected seascapes rich in marine biodiversities, as well as other fishing grounds declared as environmentally fragile;

WHEREAS, there are 34 service contracts for offshore mining in such critical waters as the Visayan Sea to include the Tañon Strait, a body of water separating the island provinces of Cebu and Negros, and Cebu-Bohol Strait, separating the provinces of Cebu and Bohol, as well as the waters of Antique, Leyte, Palawan, Mindoro Occidental, Albay and Camarines Sur;

WHEREAS, in the Tañon Strait, two oil and gas exploration companies- the Forum Exploration Inc. of Canada, and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. (Japex) entered a 7-year contract with the Philippine government to explore and undertake oil and gas exploration, and another 25-year contract for the extraction and controlling process;

WHEREAS, in the Cebu-Bohol Strait, the oil and gas exploration activity in 444,000 hectares of marine waters will be undertaken by Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development, Alcorn Gold Resources Corporation, Petro Energy Corporation and farmed-in by the Australian-owned AustralAsian Energy Ltd. and Ottoman Energy Ltd;

WHEREAS, showing just how important the Visayan Sea is, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cebu Province approved on July 30, 2007 Resolution No. 2524  Exhorting the Congress of the Philippines to Proclaim the Visayan Sea as Marine Reservation and Heritage Site, Being Host to the World’s Richest Marine Biodiversity Area;

WHEREAS, ongoing oil and gas exploration activities in the Cebu-Bohol Strait have met strong opposition from small fisherfolk, local government officials, beach owners and environmental groups who fear long-term, adverse effects on areas covered by all the Congressional Districts of Cebu Province, Cebu City, Negros Oriental, Bohol, the Lone Congressional District of Bacolod City and First and Second Districts of Negros Occidental;

WHEREAS, national fisherfolk group Pamalakaya and its local chapter in Cebu, Pamana-Sugbo, and other NGOs namely the Cebu Relief and Rehabilitation Center, Rural Concern’s Network, Cebu Alliance for Renewable Energy and the Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center (FIDEC) conducted an Enviromental Investigative Mission (EIM) on September 9-11, 2005 in the fishing barangays of Toledo City, Pinamungajan and Aloguinsan to find out the effect of seismic tests and other oil exploration exploration activities of Forum and Japex;

WHEREAS, the investigative mission undertaken yielded the following results: 1). Average fish catch (in areas where seismic tests were conducted) were drastically reduced by 67 to 75 percent or from pre-oil gas exploration of 15 to 20 kilos average catch per day to 3-5 kilos of fish per day. 2). A total of 120 “gangos or payaos”, local name for artificial coral reef and indigenous fishing methods were destroyed in Toledo City and municipalities of Pinamungajan and Aloguinsan. Only 33 payao owners were paid by Forum and Japex, during the early phase of oil and gas exploration. 3). Fish kills occurred in coastal barangays of Talavera, Luray II, Calong Calong, Ibo and Bato in Toledo City, Tajao, Pandacan, Tutay and Cabiangon in Pinamungajan, and Cantabogon, Boho, Poblacion and Bonbon in Alguinsan. 4) Skin rashes and other types of skin diseases occurred victimizing mostly children ranging from 5 years to 12 years old;

WHEREAS, marine experts’ studies show that offshore mining causes a significant amount of air pollution. According to a briefing paper prepared by Pamalakaya, Pamana-Sugbo and FIDEC, each offshore oil platform generates approximately 214,000 pounds of air pollutants each year;

WHEREAS, the same briefing paper says that an average exploration well for natural gas could generate 50 tons of nitrogen oxides, 13 tons of carbon monoxide, 6 tons of sulfur dioxide and 5 tons of volatile organic hydrocarbons;

WHEREAS, Pamalakaya and FIDEC assert that oil and gas drilling operations produce huge amount of water waste ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 metric tons of highly toxic water waste materials per drilling;

WHEREAS, oil and gas exploration activities could lead to massive production of other toxic waste materials such as cadmium which causes lung cancer, lead which causes gastrointestinal diseases, blood and kidney disorders, mental retardation and affects on the nervous system, chromium which causes lung and liver cancers, kidney and other respiratory illnesses and arsenic which causes lung, liver and skin cancers;

WHEREAS, the Philippine government through the Department of Energy are pushing these projects despite the problems posed by offshore mining activities to the livelihood of small fishermen and marine environment and these undertakings’ implications to the country’s natural resources, national patrimony and sovereign rights of the people;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the House Committee on Natural Resources conduct a full-blown inquiry on the impacts of offshore mining in the Visayan Sea, Central Philippines, in the name of public interest, environmental protection, social justice and the national welfare.
 

Adopted,
 

Teodoro A. Casiño, PL- BAYAN MUNA   

Eduardo R. Gullas, Cebu 1st District, KAMPI

Benhur L. Salimbangon, Cebu 4th District, KAMPI

Antonio V. Cuenco, Cebu City 2nd District, PROMDI-BOPK- LAKAS

Jocelyn Sy-Limkaichong, Negros Oriental 1st District, LAKAS-CMD

George P. Arnaiz, Negros Oriental 2nd District, NPC

Henry A. Teves, Negros Oriental, 3rd District, LAKAS

Luzviminda C. Ilagan, PL - GABRIELA

Liza L. Maza,  PL - GABRIELA

Crispin B. Beltran, PL - ANAKPAWIS             

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Re: House Resolution No. 212
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2007, 01:31:40 PM »
wa lagi tagaBohol, Negros ug Cebu naman hinoon...

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