Friday, August 31, 2007 Marine sanctuary to be launched
A five-hectare beachfront will be formally launched as a marine sanctuary on Sept. 1.
Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa Cebu’s marine sanctuary was formally established by the Lapu-Lapu City Council, which approved City Ordinance 425-B-2006 last Nov. 26.
The Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary Stewardship Group was formed and is composed of the resort, Scotty’s Action Sports Network and Dive Centre and Amores Charities Inc., which will share the responsibility of protecting the area.
An agreement with the Lapu-Lapu City government was signed to grant the group 15 years of stewardship rights for the sanctuary’s management.
“This partnership between Shangri-La’s Marine Sanctuary Stewardship Group and the City of Lapu-Lapu strengthens our mutual commitment as environmental stewards to ensure the safety and sustainability of our waters,” said Timothy Wright, general manager of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa Cebu. “We are fully committed to helping protect and preserve the environment, and it is our belief that responsibility lies not just in offering excellent quality of service-related products, but more so in being good, proactive stewards of the very environment in which we operate.”
Project launch
Last Feb. 12, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney officially launched the Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary project, along with guest of honor, noted biologist and television celebrity, Professor David Bellamy.
Kenney, together with Wright, Lapu-Lapu City First Lady Paz Radaza and World Wildlife Fund president Lory Tan signed a ceremonial buoy which was then cast to the shore of the marine sanctuary.
After the ceremonial signing, the sanctuary was closed for six months to allow the corals to recover and for schools of fish to “breathe” and propagate.
The resort’s employees and guests were encouraged to participate in coral recovery programs and monthly sanctuary cleaning.
