Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 3):
AUGUST 11, 2006
The oil tanker MT Solar 1, hired by Petron Corporation, with more than two million liters of bunker fuel, capsized off the southern coast of Guimaras Island during a violent storm on August 11, 2006.
It is known as the worst oil spill in Philippine history and has affected marine sanctuaries as well as mangrove reserves in Guimaras Island.
The spill reached the shores of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) shared that the crisis affected 1,500 hectares (more than 3,700 acres) of the local ecosystem comprised of mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs.
On August 22, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo created Task Force Guimaras to oversee the cleanup of the oil spill and the retrieval of the 1.5 million liters of fuel oil that remained inside the tanker.
She also ordered the creation of the Special Board of Marine Inquiry to determine who and what caused the spill.
International non-profit organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, and the locals responded to help in the clean-up.
At present, Guimaras is back on track and boasts its pristine white sand beaches, while the fishermen enjoy the abundance of harvest from the sea.
(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved
Photo credit: wikipedia.org
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