VILLAR TO CONDUCT OCULAR INSPECTION
OF THE OIL SPILL SITE IN GUIMARAS

Senate President Manny Villar, President of the Nacionalista Party, will visit Guimaras tomorrow (August 25) to conduct an ocular inspection of the oil spill site in the island-province and assess the extent of the damage in order to legislate measures to help in the affected communities in the area.

"I want to see for myself the situation in Guimaras and the extent of damage caused by the oil spill. I am bothered by what I have been hearing in the news and the images I see on television. I want to talk to my fellow Ilonggos there including our relatives," says Villar.

Villar has earlier filed Senate Resolution 548 directing the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the Guimaras oil spill with the end view of determining the cause and the ways to combat the negative effects of the oil spill and recommending policy measures to prevent similar accidents in the future.

"We need to prevent incidents of this nature from happening again. It has caused so much damage in the environment, marine resources and most importantly to the livelihood and health of the residents. The worst thing is, these damages may be permanent or long-term in nature," adds Villar.

According to Villar, "The resolution I filed is among a number filed in the Senate, because my colleagues and I intend to investigate how the accident happened, if there are irregularities that transpired and who are responsible for such. The people, especially Guimaras residents, deserve to know the whole story and be informed accordingly."