PEELING THE OIL SPILL

Let me start by saying that I laughed when Arroyo, instead of giving PETRON hell, decided to play GUIMARAS ADVOCATE by advising the public that we shouldnt call the OIL SPILL, "The GUIMARAS OIL SPILL" because it damages the image of the place. Err, as far as im concerned, the place is in big trouble if we dont REALLY START CLEANING THAT SPILL UP. No matter how or what we call this fiasco, it won't really matter for as long as the threat remains.

Which brings me to this lovely ONLINE PETITION that I actually signed last week and was meaning to post it here but totally forgot about it for reasons which aren't really enough to absolve my lack of vigilance. When Raffy sent it to the ateneolaw yahoogroup, i got reminded of my "intent to help out", thus this entry.... [reposted from email]

CLICK THIS!
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/guimaras/

Personal comments from " froilan@greenminds.net":

Friends,

I am deeply touched by those who have signed the petition above, and those
who have emailed me personally to express their support and prayers for
Guimaras. Your thoughts and words have uplifted a deeply wounded spirit.
Thank you very much.

Still, so much has to be done. And yet, there are little things we can do
(and we don't even have to give up the comforts of our daily life). With
just a few clicks, you may be able to help and be counted in this battle.
How?

1. Please sign the online petition.

I will personally make sure that this petition will reach Petron, the Coast
Guard, DENR, our senators when they conduct the public hearing on this
matter (one is scheduled this Monday) and all concerned agencies. In short,
your effort will not be wasted. This petition will also be used in a
documentary we're making on the oil spill (more on this below).

2. Please forward this email to your friends.

Our cry will not be heard when we have 10 votes. We need the support of
everyone. This issue is beyond one's political beliefs, religious
affiliations or whatever personal convictions that may have. This is basic
humanitarian issue.

I also would like to share with you my plans regarding this issue.

Next week, I'll be going home to Guimaras. It will be painful to go home
and see the damage caused by this oil spill, but somehow I feel that I have
to be part of the clean up and see for myself the real situation. I am
expecting to see a picture that is sadder than what we see on television.

With the support of CEAE (and the understanding of my current employer,
Mother Earth Foundation), I will be spending a few days in Guimaras to
shoot a DOCUMENTARY. We hope to document not only the ecological impact of
this disaster (the hectares of mangroves, the marine sanctuary, the turtle
sanctuary, etc), but most importantly we hope to document how the lives of
the people of Guimaras was affected. From health problems to lost
livelihood, from incompetent/ inefficient agencies and officials to local
heroes and the hopes of the Guimarasnons, we hope to capture these and more
in a film that we may be able to share with you someday.

As I have mentioned above, the signature campaign will also be used in the
documentary. We hope to show that this oil spill is not merely a problem of
Guimaras (or the Visayan area for that matter), but also is a loss shared
by the entire Filipino people.

Again, thank you for the support and the prayers.

Froilan Grate
froilan@greenminds.net

------------
It's just a click away guys, a few minutes of your time will go a long way if you sign the petition.