Sofie Estolloso Hofmann Designs International

I finally finished the online donation pages of Green Cross Switzerland. I was configuring those pages day and night for more than a week before I left for the Philippines on April 16, 2006 but I was not able to finish them. For a week now, I started configuring them again and finally was able to finish them today. Thanks goodness, they’re finished!

I uploaded the pages and they’re actually available in 4 languages but still have to be checked by Green Cross Switzerland. If everything is ok, then Green Cross can now receive donations using credit card via Internet.

I also updated the media pages, the press releases are only available in German and French languages. In 2005, even without the online donation pages, Green Cross received donations in the amount of 6.7M Swiss Francs, a 26 percent increase from the previous year. Considering what Green Cross Switzerland had been doing for the past few years, I’m quite happy for those people responsible for it. To add to that, end of the year 2005, Green Cross Switzerland had 31,500 members. They need that kind of support. They deserved it.

Regarding the other sites, I decided to discontinue the guest book of my personal website, SofieHofmann.com, as well as the guest book of Pandan.gov.ph, the Official Website of the Municipality of Pandan, Antique, Philippines because of spams. I thought of upgrading to a higher version but I decided not to do it. Spammers will always find a way to spam the guest books.

I just updated Pandan.ph Portal. Links to news about the oil spill in Semirara can be accessed at Pandan.ph Portal. This way, you’ll be able to know what’s happening. I suggest that you read from bottom to top starting from the date January 10, 2006. I really encourage you to read all the news.

I have been monitoring the oil spill in Semirara and it is really unfortunate that it happened. The latest that I read, the oil spill affected about 236 hectares of mangrove forests and 40 square kilometers of marine life. Less than 10 percent of the affected area had been cleaned up.

It was on December 18, 2005, when a Napocor barge ran aground off Sitio Bobog, Semirara, Antique, spilling between 200,000 and 350,000 liters of bunker fuel. In 2 days from now, it’s going to be 2 months since the accident happened, and so far they have cleaned up less than 10 percent of the affected area. You think about it if it’s good or not. Less than 10 percent?!

Look at the issue in a wider perspective, why is it that most people don’t want coal and diesel power plants? We use bunker fuel for diesel-fired power plants and coal for coal-fired power plants. We need to transport bunker fuel and coal for these power plants in different islands and regions. The barge of Napocor was transporting something when the accident happened. We know the impact of what happened.

Let us ask ourselves now, so why do people push for renewable energy? Renewable energy have pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, but it is definitely better than the coal and diesel power plants. Some would say that renewable energy is expensive. Well, that’s the price we have to pay if we want a clean environment.

The fact is, money is not really the question, if we really want to do it, we can do it. The problem is if we have the willpower to do it. There’s always a way but if you want to settle for less and dirty like the coal and diesel power plants, then you suffer, and when you get sick, it’s going to be more expensive for all of us considering that most filipinos don’t have health insurance. The government and the private sectors could find a way to finance putting up those alternative energy but you will wonder who will pay for your hospital bills if you get sick because of the pollution and accidents caused by coal and diesel power plants.

There’s a lot of possibilities but I won’t go that far. For now, this is what I have to say, if you care about yourself, if you care about others, if you care about the environment, if you care about Mother Nature, then be responsible. I leave it up to you, on how to be responsible.

You can start here… Vote for renewable energy in the Philippines… at www.panda.org.