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Sunday, January 19, 2003
Residents protest v. marina project
By Oscar C. Pineda
AROUND 200 barangay residents, city and barangay officials, members of nongovernment organizations and lawyer Jun Gochan are against Benjamin Ebrada’s proposed Marina resort project in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu city.
During last Friday’s public hearing, which was conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the barangay hall, Agus residents blamed Ebrada’s project for the decrease in their fish catch in the 100-hectare cove.
Around 995 Agus residents signed a petition opposing the project.
Only Paolo Cobrado was there to represent the project proponent.
Reclamation
The controversy arose after Ebrada built a 165.5-meter long reclamation area in the middle of the cove’s 207.5-meter wide opening.
The reclamation left only a narrow two-meter opening on one end and a 40-meter wide opening on the other end.
The opening allows the flow of seawater into the cove that serves as spawning ground of fishes and other marine life.
The Lapu-Lapu City Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council earlier expressed concern that the narrowing of the cove’s mouth will “interfere with the regular flow of sea water towards the interior thus affecting the ecological balance and rich bio-diversity of the cove.”
Fisherman Julian Hiyas said that in 1982 the cove was full of fishes but they disappeared when Ebrada covered the cove’s mouth.
Even City Councilor Mario Amores, who is also the chairman on environment protection, attested that his grandfather’s father and himself used to fish in the cove.
But Cobrado said the project has nothing to do with this.
He said the area is an inter-tidal zone that is not ideal for most marine creatures.
Over-fishing
The zone’s “wide fluctuation of environmental condition makes the place unstable and limits the growth of marine species.”
Cobrado also blamed over-fishing brought by the increase in population as the other reason for the decrease in their catch.
DENR’s review committee has yet to come up with their findings on whether to allow or demolish Ebrada’s project.
DENR resident Ombudsman Noel Empleo, who acted as mediator during the public hearing, admitted that the project has a pending foreshore lease application in their office.
But Gochan pointed out that Ebrada started his project even without a foreshore lease agreement.
“Ang atong discussion dinhi walay hinungdan, you cannot legalize something which is deemed illegal in the first place,” Gochan said.
(January 19, 2003 issue)
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