A group of non-government organizations has imposed a condition involving an impending seismic survey intended to find out if hydrocarbon or natural gas deposits are lying untapped in the seawaters off Bohol and Cebu. Speaking through its president lawyer Raul Barbarona, the Bohol Alliance of Non-Government Organizations (BANGON) categorically defined its stand that no seismic survey shall be conducted until the national government thru the department of energy and the Norasia Energy Ltd. and local government units shall have entered into a memorandum of agreement which will spell out the mechanisms to ensure the following:
a. just compensation of the fisherfolk who will be displaced before the actual conduct of the seismic survey; and
b. environmental protection and rehabilitation and equitable distribution of revenues.
The seismic survey is scheduled to start on June 18. In manifesting its concern about the seismic operations, BANGON said the project proponents should consider first and foremost the plight of marginal fishermen whose livelihood will be affected once the offshore activity is in progress. According to the info materials released to media by the proponents, all fishing vessels , passenger ferries and commercial vessels are requested to stay 8.5 kilometers away from the MV Pacific Sword, the vessel commissioned to undertake the survey. It was gathered that the MV Pacific Sword will be using an energy source submerged in water that will emit sound energy with an intensity of 200 decibels that can harm swimmers and divers within 10 kilometers of the vessel. According to Barbarona, the seismic survey will certainly drive away the fish from the exploration area, thus resulting in reduced fish catch which may last even after the seismic survey. The reduced fish catch will be more aggravated with the dismantling of fish aggregating devices like “payaos” or fish pens, he added. At the same time, BANGON also called the attention of the proponents to pay for the anticipated unrealized income of the fisherfolk before the start of the seismic undertaking. It said failure to do so is a violation of the bill of rights which provides for the protection of private property. It further said no private property shall be taken for a public purpose without just compensation.
POSITIVE SIDE
When sought for comment, Gov. Aumentado expressed optimism that “if indeed Bohol has natural gas deposits, harnessing this resource will definitely help the economy of the province”. The governor made the observation during the recent technical presentation on the survey mechanics at the Capitol by Kristoffer Fellowes, chief executive officer and Ruben Gan, chief operating officer of NorAsian Energy Limited. The Department of Energy (DOE) had awarded NorAsian and its minor partner Alcorn with service contracts for Calauit in northwestern Palawan , Ultra Deepwater Block in southwestern Palawan and in the North and South Blocks of the East Visayan Basin . The area encompassing 2,040 square kilometers between Bohol and Cebu comprises the South Block while some 2,400 square kilometers in northwestern Leyte is tagged as the North Block. The NorAsian officials said initial studies show that the East Visayan Basin “has moderate risks with matured prospects, with high to very high recoverable reserves.”
SURVEY MECHANICS
The seismic survey involves the release of noise from “air guns” five meters beneath the sea surface towed by a boat, from the initial “soft start” of 100 decibels to the full blast 280-decibel “boom.” The soft start “warns” the fish to swim away. The larger blasts take the three-dimensional (3D) “picture” over 146 square kilometers over two prospects and a 2D scan of 261 line kilometers over the southern leads. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has determined that the specific activities do not require an environmental clearance certificate (ECC) such that OIC Region 7 Director Alan Arranguez of the Environment Management Bureau (EMB 7) issued a certificate of non-coverage (CNC) for the project last May 24. The CGG Veritas – MV Pacific Sword, a dual-source, dual streamer seismic vessel has a travel speed of five knots. Aside from the two air-guns, it also tows six kilometers of cables five to six meters under the sea surface. At the end of the streamer and steel cables is an orange tail buoy with flashing lights. Since the Pacific Sword has extremely restricted maneuverability and cannot immediately stop, NorAsian enlisted the help of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), shipping company owners themselves and the media to help inform fishing and commercial vessels and passenger ferries as well as fishermen on pump boats or paddle boats of their request to stay at least 8.5 kilometers away from the vessel itself. NorAsian also requests that diving activities be conducted at least 10 kilometers away from the vessel. Aside from the vessel's and the buoy's flashing lights, Fellowes and Gan said two pumpboats and a speedboat will escort it to ensure against snags and help give notice to other vessels, fishermen and divers who may be already too close to the Pacific Sword. For purposes of transparency, it will also allow limited slots at a time for stakeholders to observe the seismic survey from aboard the vessel.
Meanwhile, with the help of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), DOE and the local government units (LGUs), NorAsian will identify fish aggregating devices locally known as payao that need to be dismantled otherwise they will get entangled or ensnared by the vessel's tailing cable. The company will prioritize compensating the owners who will voluntarily dismantle their payaos and extend help to them when these will be re-installed. Energy Resource and Development and Utilization Division Chief Eduardo Amante of DOE's Visayas Field Office said BFAR has been preparing the costing for the compensation that would depend on the device's construction and depth. The payaos will be tagged using tarpaulin flaglets. Owners who present the flaglets will be prioritized in the payment. Gan had said they estimate close to 200 payaos in the 2D area that they will survey for two days. The 3D area with around 25 payaos only will be surveyed for two-and-a-half weeks. DOE had Tañon Strait on the other side of Cebu facing Negros Island surveyed in May 2006. Drilling is set to start in November this year. If the data gathered in this survey indicate that the submarine geologic formation between Bohol and Cebu , especially in the “matured” Cabilao area is positive for natural gas deposits, drilling may start as early as September next year – at no cost to the government. It will get royalty fees instead. The rig for the offshore drilling is now being fabricated in China , Amante said. (With reports from June Blanco)
