VILLANUEVA, Misamis Oriental – Ten years from now, residents along the coastal area of Barangay Looc in Villanueva town in Misamis Oriental are hopeful that they will have a sea forest with close to 10,000 full-grown mangroves that will serve as the town’s fish sanctuary to become its “potent guardian” against any environmental harm.
Rogelio Sabalbaro, Fishery Technician-designate at the Office of the Municipal Agriculture Villanueva, disclosed that they already have an approved plan to utilize the 3.6 hectares of tidal plot along the coastal area of Purok 4 in Barangay Looc for mangrove planting and make it the biggest mangrove forest in town.
Such plan, added Sabalbaro, was already incorporated in the coastal zoning of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of Villanueva and forms part of the town’s Ridge to Reef Program (RRP).
Sabalbaro, however, wishes that aside from the municipal government, various industrial companies in Villanueva will also take part in this noble ambition aimed at establishing a fish sanctuary and, most of all, protecting the town and the residents from the brunt of global warming and climate change.
“Although we already have a proposed budget for this that was included in the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) of the municipal government, we nevertheless welcome any support or participation from private companies located here in our town,” Sabalbaro said.
First to respond
Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC) Misamis Power Corporation, the newest power firm in northern Mindanao set to operate a 405-megawatt circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal thermal plant in Villanueva town, and selected employees from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Office 10 were the first to respond.
Both FDC Misamis and EMB 10 aim at imprinting or establishing “environmental landmarks” – the mangrove forest and a fish sanctuary within Villanueva, now dubbed as the “Industrial Town” in northern Mindanao.
The activity was FDC Misamis’ way of observing this year’s ocean month celebration themed ‘Biodiversity for Food Security’ and the firm’s first Information, Education and Communication (IEC) program for the Villanueva fisherfolks.
“It’s also our way of being true to our commitment to bring progress in Villanueva and in Mindanao as a whole and, at the same time, act as good stewards of the environment,” stressed Juan Eugenio Roxas, Head of FDC Misamis.
Joining FDC Misamis and EMB 10 in the mangrove planting along the seashore of Purok 4 in Looc are its barangay officials, staff from City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) – Malasag, and members of the Villanueva Fishermen Association (VFA) from Barangays Poblacion 1 and 3.
It’s fun but…
“Yes, lingaw gyud pero naa man sa pinsar ko nga dapat motubo gyud kay para man kini sa atuang proteksyon og kaugmaon (Yes, mangrove planting is fun but I know that I have to seriously let it grow to protect our future),” shared 46-year-old fisherman Jerry Silva from Barangay Poblacion 1.
Silva recounted having planted mangroves in their town twice already and joining the FDC Misamis’ is his third and serious one.
Community commitment
Tessie Machado of CENRO – Malasag, however, said the survival of the mangroves depends on community commitment.
“It’s the people within the community that could help ensure the growth of the mangroves,” she stressed. “And, at the end, they will also be the first to benefit from it.”
Machado, along with Sabalbaro, believes that mangroves are vital to the government’s biodiversity campaign at sea now that the country is threatened by climate change. She reiterated the great role that fisherfolks play in biodiversity management and sustainability of marine resources.
According to the study of J.H. Primavera in his article “Philippine Mangroves: Status, Threats and Sustainable Development” published by United Nations University Press, the Philippines harbor 39 species of true mangroves; the fauna is equally diverse. Apart from fish and shrimp, other animals collected from mangroves are crabs and lobsters, bivalve and gastropod mollusks, and other invertebrates. Mangrove services include coastal protection, erosion control, sediment stabilization, flood regulation, nutrient supply and regeneration, waste treatment, and wildlife habitats.
Thus, having a mangrove forest soon in Barangay Looc, Machado said the communities may benefit through improved economic activities due to abundance of marine resources; livelihood opportunities for the locales once a mangrove forest becomes a fish sanctuary; enhanced eco-tourism in the area as local and international tourists take interest now on exploring nature by the sea; ecological benefit since mangrove is known to be the best air and water purifier; and environmental protection against any natural calamities
Eflida Cabrera, president of Purok 4 in Barangay Looc, on the other hand, vowed to support the move of establishing a mangrove forest in their area.
“The entire community is now committed to protect the mangroves to be planted in Purok 4. We will endeavor to let them grow for the sake of our community and our children’s future,” Cabrera declared.
Leaving a legacy
Meanwhile, a tree growing activity was also recently held in celebration of this year’s environment month where a hundred volunteers from Phividec Industrial Estate – Misamis Oriental (PIE-MO) and the Local Government Unit of Villanueva planted more than 500 seedlings of Palawan Cherry Blossoms along the access road leading to the FDC Misamis plant site.
PIE-MO Association President Gus Adis stressed the significance of the activity, “There are three things you can do to leave a legacy in this world – you can have a child, write a book or plant a tree.”
Once fully grown, the trees known for their beautiful blossoms, will not just be part of the buffer zone along the periphery of the plant site but will also serve as an environmental landmark of the volunteers’ commitment to protect and care for Mother Nature. PR