Guimaras Oil Spill

The oil tanker M/T Solar I, carrying two million litres of tanker fuel, sank on August 11, 2006 at the Guimaras Strait off the coast of the Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces, causing 200,000 litres of oil to pour into the strait

View Pictures of the Spill

The spill has damaged Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, a marine santuary and feeding and breeding ground for fish and other species.

Dr. Jose Ingles, eco-region coordinator of the World Wide Fund for Nature in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, said that the damage may be felt by at least two generations. He warned that the disaster may have damaged the reefs and mangroves, scarring the ecosystem and causing seafood yields to significantly decrease. According to him, the worst hit would be the shorelines, the coasts and the swamplands with mangroves. This will greatly impact the livelihood of the fishermen, mostly living in poor conditions.

The oil slick also poses as a threat to the blue crab industry of Enrique B. Magalona, Negros Occidental.

As of August 22, the Philippine Coast Guard says that the spill has affected 20 communities in 4 municipalities in Guimaras as of August 22, 2006. It also threatens 27 communities in Iloilo province and 17 others in Negros Occidental.

A villager from Barangay Lapaz, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras became the first casualty directly affected by the spill. He died after inhaling the fumes of the oil sludge causing him to contract cardio-respiratory disease. Two workers from the ship has aslo been reported missing.

This information was obtained from Wikipedia

Volcano Mayon Eruption

The volcano Mayon, located in Albay, Philippines (340 km Southeast of Manila) has been erupting during the month of August and has prompted an 8 km radius danger zone.

Situation
The discharge of lava flow from Mt. Mayon started to increase in mid July and on 4 August, lava flows extended 30 m beyond the 6-km radius region designated as the Permanent Danger Zone. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued an official advisory on 7 August raising the alert level from 3 to 4 (Alert Level 5 being the highest) for Mayon Volcano, located at 340 km SE of Manila. The 6-km danger zone was expanded to an 8-km radius, affecting 25 barangays (villages) in three cities and five municipalities of the Province of Albay.

As of 13 August, PHIVOLCS reported that six explosions occurred at Mayon volcano during the previous 24 hours. Mt. Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, and the two last eruptions occurred in 1997 and 2000-2001.

As of 9 August, over 39,000 people were evacuated from 25 villages near the volcano and are currently staying in 20 evacuation centers (mostly schools). Local authorities were also opening more evacuation centers. In the event of a hazardous eruption at Alert Level 5, the High Risk Zone would be extended to a 10.5 km radius and some 74,000 people would have to be evacuated.

Majuro and Kolonia

MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS - AUG 11-17
I spent August 11-17 in Majuro, the Capital of the Marshall Islands. The island has a land area of around 3.75 sq miles and is about two road lengths wide in most spots and around 25 miles long. There is only one road on the island and there is not much to do here besides diving. The people here don't have much to do and spend their time playing in the streets or walking around. Supplies are limited and everything is imported. They actualy had a movie theater showing two movies which was located next to the grocery store and only ATM on the island.

KOLONIA, PHONPEI - AUG 17-19
After leaving Majuro, I flew to Kolonia, Phonpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This island had a few tropical rainforest areas and was not as flat. There was a lot more to do in Kolonia. I had the opportunity to have fresh coconut milk (a hole wad cut into the coconut and a straw was inserted) and some tuna sahsimi for dinner on the first night. The people here chew betel nut wrapped in a leaf and drink Kava (known as sakau in Pohnpei). I tried Sakau which has an aftertaste like gritty dirt. Most people were drinking big bottles of it, but one glass was enough for me. I didn't really notice any effects except my tongue was a little numb for about 20 minutes. After leaving Kolonia, I flew to Guam and then back to Manila. It feels good to be back in civilization again.