Guimaras Oil Spill: The Earth Contamination

Guimaras Oil Spill: The Earth Contamination
Essay & Feature Writing



“Nature is the art of God”
-Dante Alighieri


Seeing the world today, God is probably shaking His head in extreme disappointment for the beings He created on the Sixth day. He granted this world to us as a gift and instructed us to take care of it. But in return, what did we do? We received it selfishly and used it in the most improper ways.
Dante Alighieri, author of Divine Comedy, stated that Nature is the art of God. If you are a painter, what would you feel if some unworthy person ruins your most precious painting? If you are a songwriter, what would you feel if a singer with a hoarse voice sings your composition? If you are a writer, what would you feel if a stupid publisher rejects the manuscript you have worked on for years? Wouldn’t you feel disheartened and disappointed that some ungrateful people do not appreciate your work? How pathetic that we keep on asking why natural disasters like tsunami, earthquakes, typhoons etc. occur.
Last August 11, 2006, news broke that an oil tanker named M/T Solar I sank at the Guimaras strait causing 200,000 liters of oil to spill into the ocean. One of the causes was said to be the ship’s persistence to travel despite the bad weather. The other reason was the incompetence of the ship captain. This one major incident will absolutely cause a great dilemma not only to the residents of Guimaras but also to the inhabitants of the water’s ecosystem. It will cause gradual death to the beauty of its ecosystem and decline of fish sales. Too bad for the fishermen of Guimaras, who mostly consists of impoverished people, because most of them get their living by selling what the sea can give them. Now, because of one major mistake committed by irresponsible people behind the cause of oil spill, what will become of this once beautiful element of nature?
Who do we blame for this national disaster? Petron? The ship’s captain? Before we try to answer this question, let’s first try to take a look in ourselves. The oil spill isn’t the only disaster that has occurred in the world. Imagine the world today and compare it to the world God has described in Creation. It isn’t the same world anymore. It’s as contaminated as the strait of Guimaras. How can it be so easy for us to point our fingers to people we think should be blamed? It’s not enough that we feel bad about what happened. Feeling won’t do anything good. We should start thinking and acting on how we are going to save our natural resources that are now being close to extinction. At least in that way, we could start helping the restoration of the art that God has blessed us in the beginning.