PSALM shells out P7 million to indemnify families affected by 2013 oil spill in Iloilo

By Lenie Lectura – September 13, 2018
from Business Mirror

THE Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) has shelled out over P7 million worth of indemnities to the families and enterprises in Estancia, Iloilo, affected by the oil spill from Power Barge (PB) 103 at the height of Supertyphoon Yolanda  in November 2013.

The 32-megawatt (MW) PB 103, owned by PSALM and operated by the National Power Corp., was swept aground by strong winds and rising storm surge whipped up by Yolanda.

“PSALM paid a total of P7,329,987 worth of indemnities from the first to the sixth batches of claimants,” the state firm said on Wednesday.

On September 3 the state firm said it resumed the distribution of compensation checks. The latest batch of beneficiaries hailed from several different barangays of Estancia.

In April this year, 110 of the 673 claimants had successfully processed and submitted Notices of Loss, prompting the GSIS adjuster, Claims Services International Adjusting Co., to endorse their claims for settlement by GSIS. The indemnity paid out for this recent batch of claimants amounted to P586,177.

In addition to the individual indemnity checks, PSALM, likewise, extended aid to the provincial government of Iloilo in November 2013 amounting to P2 million.

PSALM had awarded to Kuan Yu Global Technologies Inc. the P87.21-million cleanup operations contract.

Kuan Yu Global Technologies Inc. was tasked to do the siphoning and transfer of usable fuel oil from PB 103 to 101-102, refloating of PB 103, towing of the refloated power barge to the dry docking facility, containment of oil spill and cleanup of the affected shoreline, and disposal and treatment of waste oil and debris.