A multi-stakeholders task force composed of the various barangays in Iloilo City, the Iloilo City Government and its various offices, the Philippine Coast Guard, and AC Energy Philippines and its consultant AECOM Philippines and cleanup contractor Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., recently met to conduct a walk-through to assess the progress of the cleanup of the various barangays affected by the oil spill of July 3, 2020.
The task force developed a set of parameters for the reintegration of the community back to their homes. 37 out of the 323 relocated households have been surveyed and the task force will continue to assess the other families in the coming days. This represents the initial step for families to safely return to their homes following the community clean-up activities done by the multi-agency team of stakeholders.
“We are grateful to everyone for participating in this multi-stakeholder process and we look forward to your continued support for the cleanup, relief and rehabilitation efforts”, said Gabby Mejia, Head of AC Energy Philippines for Plant Operations. “With this strong collaboration among the various stakeholders, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our common objective restore normalcy in the lives of everyone”, he added.
On the coastal clean up front, AC Energy Philippines and AECOM Philippines presented their action plans in a meeting organized by the CENRO which was attended by various stakeholders such as the PENRO, EMB, the DENR regional office, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), and other government agencies together with Dr. Rex Sadaba of U.P. Visayas.
AECOM Philippines also presented its spill assessment update and criteria called Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique (SCAT). The SCAT is an internationally-recognized method used to survey and document the impact of spills on shorelines, and the effectiveness of cleanup activities and conduct post-cleanup inspections and evaluations. AC Energy Philippines is committed to making sure the cleanup efforts are not only compliant with international standards but also involves all stakeholders in a collaborative approach to the spill response.
