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Monday, February 07, 2005
Call to protect city's lone marine reserve reviewed
By Jimmy P. Abayon
TANJAY CITY -- The City Council has started reviewing an appeal from Councilor Erkki Lozarita to protect the city's only marine reserve off the coasts of Barangay Tugas and Polo.
The two-hectare marine reserve, about five hectares from Lawton wharf and 1.5 kilometers from Polo in front of Carlos Caldamo's place, has been poached upon by illegal fishers with the Municipal Government helpless in protecting it, said the city councilor in a privilege speech before the City Council Tuesday.
"It is surprising that while the leaders of our neighbors like Bais city and the municipality of Amlan are doing all they can within their powers to protect their marine resources, we in Tanjay City are neglecting our own," Lozarita said.
He said that based on his research and data collected from a study by the Silliman University Marine Laboratory in 2003, the reserve has a 50 percent live coral reef cover that is home to different marine life forms.
"In simple terms, the coral reef within our only marine reserve is a breeding ground for live marine resources whose bounty, if protected and will subsequently increase, will redound to increase fish catch and more food on our table," the city councilor said.
Lozarita pointed out that while the mayor is doing all he can to develop the city's eco-tourism potentials, he (Mayor Baltazar Salma) could not do it alone without the cooperation of every body.
"Our only marine reserve has no fish warden or bantay dagat assigned. It does not have marker buoys to identify and delineate the area. Our basic fisheries ordinance of 2003 has not been fully implemented that fishermen, out of ignorance, continue to fish within 50 meters from the perimeter of the marine reserve. Must we arrest them when it is our fault that we have not identified the prohibited zones?" he asked.
Lozarita requested the Office of the Mayor to direct barangay officials to assign fish wardens or bantay dagat on a 24-hour shifting basis to monitor the marine reserve for illegal fishing and to order law enforcement agencies to strictly implement the new fishery ordinance of 2003.
The councilor also requested the Philippine National Police Environment Desk Office and the city's agriculture and fisheries council to help monitor and enforce the law against illegal fishing.
Lastly, Lozarita requested the City Council to appropriate an initial P50,000 to buy and install weather marker buoys to identify the city's only marine reserve.
(February 6, 2005 issue)
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