Save Philippine Seas (SPS), our three-month old movement, is nominated in TWO categories at the first Globe Tatt Awards: The Advocate and #Thought-Mover.
The organization’s thought mover hashtag are #savePHseas and #reefwatchPH. Save the Philippines Seas (SPS) is an independent movement that was first organized by 4 people, who acted upon a report on April 9, 2011, regarding a US-based company allegedly importing shells, corals, and other endangered marine wildlife from Indo-Pacific countries, including the Philippines. Since then, the group grew to thrice its original number, joined by individuals from different fields of expertise, and became public on May 26, 2011.
We believe that you should vote for us because:
The Philippines is the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the world. This means that the conservation, protection, and restoration of our seas is not only of local significance, but international significance.
Look at the photos from a museum in the United States:
Photos by Jonathan Joson
The SPS movement began when we were informed about a US-based company allegedly extracting our marine species and trading them illegally. SPS teammates Noemi Dado wrote about it in an article entitled “Shell Horizons Florida Inc, violating our Coral Resources Dev and Conservation Decree?” while Tonyo Cruz featured it in “US firm Shell Horizons peddling endangered Philippine Corals” at the Asian Correspondent. Ryan Buaron, an influential netizen, constantly tweeted about it through his @TourismPinas account. We wrote to government officials about it too, but our cry for help fell on deaf ears.
When the article entitled “Coral reefs twice the size of Manila destroyed” hit the papers, we went beyond the world wide web and walked our talk all the way to the Philippine Senate.
The data we exposed came from weeks of rigorous and meticulous research. Our efforts landed on the front page of Inquirer, in an article entitled “Group reveals online selling of black corals.”
About a week later, we united the entire nation through a Blog Action Day on June 8, 2011, UN World Oceans Day.
Since then, we have continued to speak for the seas in and out of the virtual world. We gave Manila Ocean Park a nudge to revise the marketing materials of their shark exhibit and succeeded.
Before:
Now:
Members of SPS are actively lobbying for the revision and passing of House Bill 174, which aims to protect sharks. We’re collaborating with Earth Island Institute on the Sentosa 25 issue as well. Our research on the illegal marine wildlife trade is turned over to government agencies here and abroad for proper action.
In this online space, we’ve been updating the site with articles on marine conservation. We’ll also post opportunities for people to volunteer in and events to participate in. We welcome contributions and invite people to send us links or articles aligned with our advocacy.
And this, friends, is only the warmup.
Copy and paste the following code to your site to help raise awareness.
Every Filipino should be aware how critical our marine resource is at this time, not only of the absence of environmental laws and fisheries law, but also because our politicians are not mindful that our economy relies primarily on the coastal resource. Even Negros Oriental, supposed to be the center of biodiversity of the Philippines and sustaining the country’s ecosystem, is politically-inept in taking care of its life support. The province has less than 5% of its reef, and we still see illegal fishing daily, and we who fight for sustainability through a Marine Protected Area are bullied and harrassed even by those whose work is supposed to enforce the law in our municipality. I am grateful that Anna Oposa is doing her best to fight for our health and life. I hope through this, Globe can help fight corruption.
Somebody just said that we do have good policies, just no enforcement… Actually, if you really compare, the Philippines may have the most comprehensive laws covering the environment, along with RA 8550. But having laws with no law enforcement is just complicating the issue. For example, in RA 8550 Sec. 92, it states that fishing in coral areas is destructive, therefore illegal. In Siit, it is common to see commercial boats 200-300 meters from shoreline, and we have fine-meshed nets fishing as well. We have pleaded with the municipal Sangguniang Bayan to help stop coral destruction by presenting a video how fish traps break corals, and up to now, barangay officers still operate their fish traps, OPENLY. Recently, Siaton LGU had the seaweeds harvested, in truckloads. Even our own mayor landed in the national and local newspapers for illegal commercial fishing, using fine-meshed net. And these boats are just docked beside the Phil. Navy detachment in Tambobo Bay, along with so many fishing boats using banned gears. So who can impose sanctions on powerful politicians, whom our local newspaper always flaunt as “moneyed”. Many times the police have come, but cannot catch a violator, despite of everything.
We are inviting you to write an article for our site about the illegal fishing in Siaton LGU. These are news that get buried under political scandals. Everyone has to know what’s really happening right under their noses.
You make good points about “our politicians are not mindful that our economy relies primarily on the coastal resource” and how we hope Globe (and all other private influential companies in the Philippines) can help make a difference. Please do share with us more about your experience in your MPA. Where is it exactly, by the way?
Every day in Siit, Siaton, it is very normal to see pirates, fine-meshed net fishing right on the corals. The Barangay Captain knows this, as well as the rest of the barangay officers. We report to the police, and the police says that this has been reported to the Dept. of Agriculture. The PNP HQ instructs us to make a criminal report, and they will investigate. This routine has been for months now.
Violators threaten us with guns, with bolos, with not issuing permits. Can this be corrected?
This is real time reporting through your blog, hoping that DENR, DILG, DA, and the provincial govt. of Gov. Degamo can enforce the environmental laws in Siaton, Neg. Oriental. All forms of illegal fishing has to be stopped in a critical area where sustaining biodiversity in an overfished area must be stopped by law enforcers.
Volunteers for the marine environment need govt. help.
Please help.
We want to know more about what you have/are experiencing. Can you please write about it for our blog?
Dumaguete MetroPost Article of Dr. Angel Alcala
Protection Increased Fish Biomass on a Negros MPA
Dr. Angel C. Alcala
• Sun, May 08, 2011
If only fishers, local government officials, and fishery agencies will listen to and believe scientific reports of reputable research biologists, the Philippines would have a surplus of harvestable fish in our coastal ecosystems! If only these people will follow our advice to set apart portions of coastal ecosystems (coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass beds) to produce fish that will replenish overfished areas, our coastal communities can have sufficient fishery products to consume everyday—and more to sell for modest incomes!
But what is happening is that in many parts of the country, these productive ecosystems are destroyed or subjected to many forms of damage and disturbance causing them to degrade thus making them unproductive, to the detriment of the fishing communities.
Here I describe a marine reserve of coral reef so small (about a third of a hectare in area located in Antulang, Siit, Municipality of Siaton, Negros Oriental province) that one can hardly believe it can house 379 species (kinds) of fish for the whole reserve and numbering more than 2,000 individual fish per 500 square meters and weighing 108 tons per square kilometer after 3 years of protection from fishing! These records of fish productivity rival those of the two islands Garry Russ and I earlier studied in the Bohol Sea, the islands of Sumilon and Apo way back in the 1970s and the 1980s.
This report from Antulang, Siaton comes from the underwater survey of my friend, Dr. Arthur R. Bos of the Netherlands Center of Biodiversity, who is now at the Davao del Norte State College, Panabo City. Dr. Bos has compared his 2010-2011 findings with those of Portia Nillos-Kleiven and Brian Stockwell, both of SUAKCREM, Silliman University, in 2008 and 2009 and noted an increase in biomass of about 10% per year.
The people of Siaton should be thankful to Martin Jordan and Gena Dayon, both of whom established and maintained the no-take Dive Hub Marine Protected Area in Antulang, Siit, Siaton not without difficulty and problems. This protected reef attracts a number of tourists who love to see and photograph attractive reef fishes, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. Now that the benefits of this no-take marine reserve to the fishers of Siaton Municipality are apparent, I hope they accord the Dive Hub Marine Protected Area some respect for its effort in establishing the reserve.
But one may ask, what is great about these figures? I tell you they are significant because they indicate that by full protection of their habitats (coral reef), fish are allowed to grow bigger and being in large numbers in a limited space are forced to move outside the no-take marine reserve, where they enhance fisheries yields. I am not surprised if fishers are already experiencing bigger catches in areas outside this reserve—due the adult/juvenile spillover. Another form of spillover is larval spillover, and I am going to talk about this when our research at SUAKCREM yields results that we can share with our readers.
Aside from strict protection from fishing and other exploitative activities, the Dive Hub marine reserve sits on an ideal site, where fresh seawater is always following from the Pacific Ocean to the Sulu Sea and the fact that it is adjacent to a deep channel of the Bohol Sea, probably favoring the development of an upwelling that brings nutrients to the shallow waters. So human protective management and favorable oceanographic conditions form two important features for a successful or functional no-take marine reserve.
In summary, no-take marine reserves, if fully protected by the LGUs and local communities, will definitely improve fisheries and marine biodiversity in our coastal ecosystems and thus improve the quality of life of millions of Filipinos.
Hi Nix, I was finally asked to be given time to present our pleadings for real and functional law enforcement to the Siaton Sangguniang Bayan this Monday. I am preparing a Power Point presentation based on the IUCN report on how to help people understand the effects of climate crises due to a destroyed ecosystem.
I will email this to you as well. This was coordinated through Mr. Jack Raymond, the assistant of Cong. Pryde Henry Teves. Mr. Raymond has agreed to receive my reports of the neglect due to the culture of corruption so inherent in our political system.
We are learning and encouraged by SPS leadership and example.
Gena
Gap between Policy and Implementation
By Dr. Angel Alcala, SUAKCREM
http://www.malaya.com.ph/july28/envi_angel.html
Copyright @ 2009 – Business Insight Malaya Inc – All Rights Reserved
‘Policy formulation and law making are definitely not enough. Laws must be implemented.’
OUR main problem in natural resources management is not lack of good policies but failure to implement these policies. The laws governing good management are often deliberately broken. This is why initial successes in the management of our renewable natural resources cannot be sustained in the long term.
But I hasten to point out that the few outstanding examples of good governance of our local natural resources exist where local officials lead in setting up projects that tend to conserve marine biodiversity, including fishery species. But they are too few and far between, despite the many national projects funded from external sources to improve governance.
An example of good policy is the Fishery Code of 1998, where fishery resources are partitioned into two groups of fishers, the small-scale or artisanal fishers and the large commercial fishers. But the Code is not implemented by many LGUs (local government units), and large-scale commercial fishers continue to operate within the coastal areas reserved for small fishers who are struggling to make a living.
And what is bad is that these commercial fishers have been reported to use fishing methods that tend to be destructive to fishery stocks, such as “superlights” and fine-meshed nets.
I once asked a Bureau of Fisheries official why BFAR has not prevented massive fish kills in Taal Lake. The response was that the local government units did not implement the regulations controlling the stocking of fish in fish cages and fish pens. This evasive reply does not make sense because the agency exercises oversight and is tasked to regulate fish stocking in aquaculture.
A close look into such violations reveals that operators of commercial fishing boats that violate the law occupy high positions in government, local or national.
This situation encourages the lower or subordinate officials to follow suit. The result is that management and protection of natural resources according to the Fishery Code are neglected or ignored, and coastal resources continue to degrade. Evidence is mounting that fish yields today are many times lower than those 40-50 years ago.
What about the local communities that are willing to engage in activities that can improve their fish catch? They become quiet and are dismayed and demoralized when they learn that high government officials are involved in illegal or questionable fishing activities. So they continue to practice unsustainable fishing even in depleted areas, making the depleted condition of fishing grounds even worse.
So, who are concerned with the depletion of the marine resources at present and in the future? Only a few people in local communities, some organizations and academic institutions, many of whom have little or no immediate or direct stake in the fishery/biodiversity resources.
But they are worried about how the quality of life of our people will be affected by the uncaring attitude and behavior of those in power.
Policy formulation and law making are definitely not enough. Laws must be implemented.
The Spirit of the Law
Article published in Dumaguete MetroPost and Malaya
Dr. Angel Alcala, world-respected marine biologist
In the implementation of conservation laws, it is often necessary to implement the spirit of the law, and not only the letter of the law. This is especially true these days when our coastal ecosystems and the resources therein are in critical conditions, threatening our own survival. I wish to stress this idea in relation to seagrass beds, a critical ecosystem in Philippine coastal areas.
Seagrass beds, which occupy an estimated coastal area of less than 1 million hectares in the Philippines, are not well appreciated by people compared to mangroves and coral reefs. Yet, scientific measurements of their primary productivity, which is no less than 160 grams Carbon per square meter per year (the rate of coral reefs in the Kalayaan Islands, South China Sea) according to Dr. Maria Lourdes San Diego-McGlone of the University of the Philippines. This high primary productivity is seen in terms of their lush growth that serves as habitats or “homes” of so many marine species.
Seagrasses are as productive as mangroves and coral reef ecosystems. Like these two latter ecosystems, they provide many ecosystem services to humankind.
These services include serving as nursery areas for a variety of marine organisms used as food by people such as fish shrimps, crabs, shells, and fish; as habitats of adult fish caught by fishers; as food for the endangered dugong and sea turtles; and as sinks for carbon dioxide (thus helping to mitigate the effects of climate change). The nutrients of old leaves of seagrasses are returned to the coastal ecosystems through the next production cycle of fresh, highly productive seagrass beds. Thus seagrass beds help in the maintenance of coastal productivity on which coastal communities depend so much for their food needs.
It is therefore very sad to receive reports that seagrasses in their prime state of productive life are harvested by the truckloads by some people and some fishers with the apparent approval of the officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the local government officials at Siit, a barangay located between the municipalities of Siaton and Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental according to reports I received during the Holy Week (this year). The seagrass material harvested was to be sold to some Chinese traders to be converted to fertilizer somewhere else, according to information. A larger question is how many local communities in the country are destroying seagrass beds?
Did not these Siit exploiters know that they destroyed the habitats of adult and juvenile fish, the shrimps, etc. that were living in the seagrass beds of Siit? Did they know that they reduced the productivity of the coastal area of Siit?
My guess is that the government officials that gave permits to exploit the seagrass beds did not read the R.A. 8550 (the Fishery Code) or if they did, they must have justified their action by the absence of a specific provision against the harvesting of seagrass. In R.A. 8550, there is a clear prohibition of the destruction of corals and mangroves (see pp. 63-64, Legal and Jurisdictional Framework for Coastal Management, Philippine Coastal Management Guidebook Series No.2, 2001) with the use of active gears, “muro-ami”, “paaling” for corals and the cutting of trees for mangroves. The reason is to protect the habitats of fishes and other marine species in these two ecosystems.
So even though physical destruction of seagrass beds is not mentioned in the law (the letter of the law), physical destruction of marine habitats other than coral reefs and mangroves, such as seagrass beds, is implied in the spirit of the law. Seagrass beds are habitats of fish, just like coral reefs and mangroves. It is therefore logical that they be considered as critical habitats together with coral reefs and mangroves. As such, they should not be harvested or removed from coastal areas where they occur. They should be conserved because they form part of our highly productive coastal ecosystems.
Sharpen your understanding with Dr. Alcala’s level of reasoning:
What is the meaning of the “spirit of the Law,” vs. the “letter of the Law”? The spirit of the law is the idea or ideas that the people who made the law wanted to have effect.
In Matthew 5:20-44, Christ showed that obeying the “letter of the Law” is a matter of physical action, whereas obeying the “spirit of the Law” requires more than just outward actions—it also involves an attitude of the mind—referred to by the Apostle Paul as “circumcision of the heart” (Rom. 2:28-29).
For example, Christ showed that to merely refrain from adultery is obedience to the “letter of the Law,” but to obey both the spirit and letter of the Law, one must also exercise self-control (“temperance”–Gal. 5:23), and not even lust after someone (committing “adultery in his heart”).
Another example (not mentioned by Christ in Matt. 5) is in the keeping of the Sabbath Day. To merely “remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8), “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25), is in obedience to the letter of the Law. But to also rejoice in the Sabbath and call it a “delight” (Isa. 58:13) is keeping the spirit of the Law, as God intends. This principle applies to all of God’s laws.
There, my beloved countrymen, is the basic law, based on love. As Anna would have it, no story is good enough if not based on LOVE. Love for life and country is our motivation to volunteer for the health of the ocean, and our common future. Stewardship for our environment is every Christian’s principle.
Well said! Please draft this up into a blog post for SPS. Email it to reefwatch.philippines[at]gmail.com. Thank you!
“Mayor’s” boat nabbed for illegal fishing
• Sun, Jul 17, 2011
The Bantay Dagat team of Argao, Cebu has apprehended a fishing boat reportedly owned by Siaton, Negros Oriental town mayor Alberto Ator Thursday night.
A report from Sun Star Cebu said the captain and 19 crew members of the Ara II were caught allegedly fishing in the restricted waters off Barangay Bulasa.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Argao Police Station’s PO2 Von Tecson said in a phone interview that Mayor Alberto Ator of Siaton, Negros Oriental, owns the boat.
This was, however, denied by Mayor Ator, who said he had already sold the boat to his brother, Filipio, three years ago, the report continued.
It’s possible, the mayor said, that the boat captain was not informed of the boat’s ownership because the vessel’s papers do not yet state Filipio’s name.
But Mayor Ator, in a phone interview by Sun Star Cebu, said he was unaware of the vessel’s activity and was only told it had been drydocked.
Gilbert Vildosola, a cousin of Mayor Ator who was identified as the boat’s captain, reportedly told police investigators they were sailing toward Siaton after they refueled in Naga, Cebu.
But when they were off Barangay Bulasa, they saw schools of “bilong-bilong” or diamond fish and were tempted to throw their nets in.
The Bantay Dagat team that boarded the fishing boat also found out the crew used fine-meshed nets, another violation of the law, the report said. The vessel, which weighs 33.10 tons, is not allowed to enter the municipal seawaters.
Tecson said the fishermen were charged with violating Section 90 of the Republic Act 8550, or the 1998 Fisheries Code of the Philippines, which prohibits “fishing in municipal waters and in all bays as well as other fishery management
areas using active fishing gear.”
Negros Oriental Provincial Administrator Arnel Francisco told the Dumaguete MetroPost that the Ara Fishing Corporation is also facing similar charges before the Municipal Trial Court in Amlan, Negros Oriental.
An active fishing gear is “a fishing device characterized by gear movement, and/or the pursuit of the target species by towing, lifting, and pushing the gears, surrounding, covering, dredging, pumping and scaring the target species to impoundment; such as, but not limited to, trawl, purse seines, Danish seines, bag nets, pa-aling, drift gill net and tuna longline.”
If convicted, the crew could face a maximum jail term of six years and a penalty of P20,000.
Capitol begins re-channeling project of Siaton River despite objections by local officials
September 14, 2009 11:28 pm
By Judy Flores-Partlow
DUMAGUETE CITY, Sept. 14 – The provincial government of Negros Oriental on Monday began its massive re-channeling project of the Siaton River in Siaton town under orders of Governor Emilio Macias II despite objections raised by municipal officials.
As this developed, Capitol warned the local police in Siaton not to meddle with the affairs of the already contentious re-channeling project of Siaton River, the widest and one of the longest rivers in Negros Oriental, said provincial legal counsel Erwin Vergara.
“We are very decisive about the re-channeling project as many lives and properties are at stake,” said Vergara, who was tasked by the governor to take charge of all re-channeling projects in the province.
Vergara said they are anticipating possible interventions by the town mayor and other officials, such as sending the local police, to halt the project.
The provincial government is, however, hopeful that the re-channeling project will not result in chaos and confusion in that town as many barangays are at risk of being flooded when the river water rises.
A team of representatives from the Provincial Engineer’s Office, the provinces’ Environment and Natural Resources Division, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Irrigation Administration began its survey and staking of the river’s new course on Monday.
So far, three private quarry operators, namely, HN from Bayawan City, Bigfoot, and JM, have agreed to undertake the re-channeling project in a special arrangement with the province and have started processing business permit requirements.
These private contractors, under close monitoring by a technical working group, shall provide the services and heavy equipment for the project in exchange for hauling the aggregates from the cleared portions of the river, said Vergara.
Siaton officials have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the involvement of private quarry firms in the re-channeling project, fearing that this scheme would instead magnify the town’s flooding problems.
But Vergara said that the private contractors will only be allowed to haul gravel and rocks no bigger than head-size, as the larger boulders will be used to construct a dike.
The provincial legal officer has expressed surprise over the seemingly confusing stand of the Siaton town officials over the re-channeling project, which, in the big picture, will benefit the majority.
He said that a few months back, the local government had allowed private contractors to re-channel a portion of the river, but it later came up with stringent requirements that subsequently led to the stoppage of the project.
Village chiefs and residents had earlier asked Capitol to immediately take concrete steps to prevent further destruction to property and protect the lives of many people residing near the river banks, he said.
The objections raised by the town officials have seemingly widened the gap between the provincial government and the Siaton municipal government to find a middle ground for the project to benefit the majority.
Vergara disclosed that last Thursday, Macias “walked out” of the regular meeting of the Mayors’ League of Negros Oriental after he and Siaton Mayor Vincent Emil Arbolado could not see eye-to-eye on the re-channeling project.
The governor told Vergara to take over discussions on re-channeling projects in that meeting, at which Mayor Arbolado reportedly insisted they will not agree to have private quarry contractors undertake the project at the Siaton River.
Vergara further revealed that Mayor Arbolado in that meeting allegedly said they will continue to oppose the project even if it means letting his constituents drown in the event of flooding.
The province stands to gain at least P50 million in savings if private contractors are to carry out the re-channeling project at the Siaton River, Vergara said.
At least four kilometers of the river, spanning 10 barangays, shall be covered by the re-channeling project, he added. (PNA) LAP/JFP
Reposting this. Thanks for the info.
Rechanneling a river is disastrous to the natural water line where the rice farms of Siaton sustain their yields. It can also cause erosion and more flooding. Please check the
study on the effects of rechanneling a river by Ateno de Naga. Disturbing a rivers natural flow also causes severe siltation on corals, and the reefs of Siaton is already in very critical condition. Please study projects more carefully based on sustainability. It can save our lives, P50m can’t.
The Phil. govt. is rated among the lowest in the world for governance, and relying on the government appointees to head our environmental protection agencies are proving disastrous to our safety and future.
It is about time that we, citizens of this supposedly democratic country, focus on what we can do as a team to stop greed, as this is the very reason why our seas are depleted.
The Phil. govt. is rated among the lowest in the world for governance, and relying on the government appointees to head our environmental protection agencies are proving disastrous to our safety and future.
It is about time that we, citizens of this supposedly democratic country, focus on what we can do as a team to stop greed, as this is the very reason why our seas are depleted.
Here in Siit, Siaton, Negros Oriental, we have a once-rich and world-famous reef that won 2nd place a “Favorite Dive Site” in an international competition launched in Germany. Other dive sites mentioned that are in the Philippines were in Bohol and Moalboal.
Despite of this, our provincial government, along with the LGU, has not stepped-up the enforcement of environmental laws to protect even the Marine Protected Areas that only the volunteers of Siit are risking their lives to finance and maintain. Day and night, the plunder continues. The marine ecosystem is breaking down, and the marginal fishermen are having less and less fish to catch as the rich politicians are raking most of the fish through their light boats, too many that it is like an island full of lights in our front.
You can ask why the law enforcers cannot see this. The answer we are often given is that their “caldero” will turn over. If the reef cannot produce anymore, there is no caldero to turn.
More political scandal leads, check this link, and read all the comments after the article, please. It will explain to you why the center of our country’s marine biodiversity is collapsing under our watch:
http://www.negroschronicle.com/?p=9177
Can the Ombudsman or Neg. Or. Gov. R. Degamo check who are the private constractors who were granted permits to massively quarry Siaton River?
Aren’t these contractors owned by the povince’s leading politicians as well? Truckloads of boulders are also being quarried along the Pulang Tubig (Valencia) river, using heavy equipment. Then Dumaguete City is now getting flooded, and the political solution is to build wider canals.
Has anyone thought of controlling pollution more than building more canals that will require more quarrying? Can we plant more trees, not only for show, but really plant trees and stop illegal logging?
Can a proper legislator or Pres. Aquino please step in to have all the quarrying and mining in Siaton checked? We often see boat ferries transporting boulders or sand from Siaton towards Bohol, can the Coast Guard not see this as well?
Can we have justice around here?
“What I want to fix your attention on is the vast overall movement towards the discrediting and finally the elimination of every kind of human excellence – moral, cultural, social, or intellectual. And it is not pretty to notice how “democracy” is now doing for us the work that was once done by the most ancient Dictatorships?
from SCREWTAPE (a devil in C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters)
Environmental Democratization through You and Me
There are over 488 species of stony corals that serve as the foundation of the marine ecosystem in the Philippines out of some 700 species documented worldwide. In a 2005 study of Carpenter and Springer, they stated that the central Philippine islands is the area where these almost 500 species can be found. Sadly, we read reports that it is not only in this town in Negros Oriental that inept business practices of the elite are robbing the citizens of proper governance of our natural resource. The mismanagement of our country’s once abundant marine resource is the major cause of poverty, particularly on the coastal communities. As we are mostly islands, most of the population reside along the coast, where local communities must rely on the natural environment for their basic daily food and shelter materials.
The apparent misappropriation of the local livelihood struggles as mentioned in Siaton, Negros Oriental, has excluded not only environmental values, but the importance of landscape conservation as well. The detrimental results of rechanneling a major river like the Siaton River should have been seen by the DENR. This agency should act responsively and use the scientific studies of land management in supposedly fragile environments, instead of routinely issuing permits to businesses that are counter- productive to development, like the exploration mining in the Tambobo Bay area applied for by (and to be approved by DENR) Kolinsky Mining, and the toxin-generating mariculture of Siyt Bay, which is now compounded by the construction of a pier that has obstructed the flushing of water, badly degrading the mangrove ecosystem and the nesting area of the endangered marine turtles. The order of nature is mathematically precise, and by re-examining how quarrying as massive as it is in this town, it can threaten the land’s capacity to sustain not only its upland and coastal forests, but its agriculture as well. Flooding and siltation follows, and the whole ecosystem can collapse. As law enforcement is nil, more natural resource exploiters are getting bold in their systemic approach to political sovereignty.
Establishing environmental concern must emerge not only as a local concern, but should penetrate the arena of national politics, where strong influence to use scientific knowledge and its interpretation for the masses can be easily understood and practiced. If we cannot measure it, we cannot manage it. And if we cannot govern ourselves, then we invite others to govern us. Charles Colson said (The Christian in Today’s Culture) that a virtuous society can be created only by virtuous people, whose consciences guard their behavior and hold them accountable.
Negros Oriental Reef Endangered by Illegal Quarrying
Please check this link: http://www.negroschronicle.com/?p16401
This was the headline last week: 3D Solon to Probe “íllegal” quarry of Mayor Albert Ator. Political analysts think that there is a business alignment to prepare for vote-buying in the next election. Actually, there is no need to worry about money as voters here only compare what is the going rate in the other camp. Last election, we were promised a carabao for every farmer, and a motorized fishing boat for every fisherman, and the people of my barangay are still waiting for the promises (aside from the P300/voter, which was given outright in the voting area).
We hope that before the next election comes, we will have them, although we may not be able to afford the fuel for motorized boats as we also have no more fish to catch. The seaweeds we have already harvested, and the corals are also broken by our spearfishers and bamboo traps. What we poor people will face is a destroyed marine resource.
Last week, the LGU informed us about RA 8550. This is different from what they have taught us about the Mun. fisheries law. Perhaps this is now required by the DILG or the Ombudsman, as Silliman Marine Lab said crime does not pay. My husband and his assistants were able to apprehend habitual spearfishers, and one of the crime leaders attacked the house of a tanod, and chased him with a knife. We just settled it in the barangay, so the people will learn that reporting crime is really dangerous.
This must be the reason why only Cong. Pryde Teves is the one left reporting crimes in our municipality. The problem is, he belongs to a diffrent political party.
What I really hope for is that they do not find the bamboo fish traps on the reef as well. Anyway, the PNP do not like their shoes wet. They always say this is the job of the DA, not theirs.
You may like to enjoy reading this:
http://www.economist.com/node/21529002?fsrc=rss|bar
We at Dive Hub are so interested to meet you in person, is that possible?
Hi! Sorry for the late reply. Where are you based? We’re based in different places, so meeting up in person will be a bit challenging
What would you like to discuss? Someone in our group could meet with you or we could do online chat. Whatever works.