Saturday, June 23, 2007 Naga needs to monitor waste from cement plant
BEFORE Naga town can have its own marine sanctuary, it should first monitor the waste discharge of the Apo Cement Corp. and the river that divides Barangays Inayagan and Tuyan.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Office Chief Loreto Rivac said the proximity of the cement factory to the river is critical in having a marine protected area.
He said cement dust or other discharge waste will undermine reproduction of marine organisms. Silt carried by the river can also damage marine ecosystem, he said.
“Balamban town proposed a marine sanctuary, but we found out the siltation underwater is heavy. Mora ug disierto kay puro pino nga balas ang ilawom (The ocean bottom is full of sand, like a desert),” he said.
Underwater survey conducted by the 505th Search and Rescue Unit of the Philippine Air Force and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources began the other day.
Technical people from the Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources collected samples from the river water last year and will retest the water next week.
Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong supports the project of Bantay Dagat president Narciso Tablate (to establish a marine sanctuary), but he wants more planning and consultation because the project is likely to affect the daily income of marginal fishermen.
Rivac said a problem of establishing a marine sanctuary is politics, because local leaders could easily be influenced by threat of losing a considerable number of political leaders. (AIV)
