Friday, November 30, 2007 Capitol, Lapu agree to work together on coastal protection
THE Cebu Provincial Government and Lapu-Lapu City are splitting in the running of district hospitals in the city, but they will be working together in managing coastal resources.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Lapu-Lapu City Administrator Teodulo Ybañez met to finalize the plan of the Province to turn over the operation of two district hospitals.
Garcia revealed that Lapu-Lapu has a “counter-offer” but she refused to give details.
Capitol has decided to turn over the operations of the two hospitals next year because Lapu-Lapu is now highly urbanized city.
This means City Hall has to set aside some P30 million each year to finance the operation of the Sta. Rosa District Hospital and the Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital.
Their discussion yesterday also included Lapu-Lapu’s willingness to work with the Province on coastal resource management and solid waste management.
Garcia has formed the towns and cities in different clusters to work together on coastal resource management.
But the project initially did not get a positive response from Lapu-Lapu.
Lapu-Lapu is among the northern towns and cities clustered for the Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility to be established in Carmen town.
It’s now a different story.
“They cannot proclaim themselves as entirely isolated from Cebu and no man is an island even if they are Mactan,” Garcia said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has adopted Mactan Island for its four-year multimillion-peso Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICRMP).
Project chairman Dr. Simeon Rosel could not tell the exact amount allotted for each of the two local government units (LGUs) in the island, Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova town.
But he said a survey was started last week on the areas where there will be rehabilitation and enrichment of mangroves.
He said the project will cost P6,000 per hectare. But as of now, they don’t have data on how wide the two LGUs are.
Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy suggested the inclusion in the ICRMP funding the conservation and protection of the town’s marine sanctuary off Hilutungan Island.
But the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (Penro) wants town officials can present a development plan.
Target areas for the project are Barangays Calawian and Caohagan in Lapu-Lapu City; and Barangays Day-as, Buagson, Poblacion and Catarman in Cordova.
Lapu-Lapu City joined in the 2006 DILG and Local Governance Performance Management System (LGPMS) evaluation report for forest cover in areas classified as forestland.
The report recommended that the city conserve, protect and rehabilitate mangroves, forestlands and coral reefs.
The city had 1,098 hectares of forestland. But last year, the remaining forest cover was reduced to 449 hectares. The coral reefs have also shrunk. Before, they cover 201.84 hectares. Now, only 841 hectares of corals are alive.
Rosel said mangroves are important for the survival of marine life because they serve as food and shelter for many kinds of species.
He said there is no timetable when to start the planting. But it has to be done after the survey, which they intend to complete before the yearend. (MBG/AIV)
