Talisay dad recommends buoys for Lagundi Reef

CEBU, Philippines - A Talisay City councilor who belongs to the minority bloc has urged the city government to install marine buoys as warning signs in Lagundi Reef, the city's marine protected area.

"Bag-o lang mi nagsurvey didto sa ilawom, grabe na gyud kadaot. So kining mga boya, this will serve as a warning sa mga passing marine vessels nga naay marine sanctuary sa tungod. Usa pa, makabantay ang mga mananagat nga non-fishing ground na diha," Councilor Danny Caballero, who is a licensed SCUBA diver, said.

Caballero's call came after the majority bloc last Tuesday rejected his proposed resolution which requested Mayor Socrates Fernandez to replace the damaged buoys in Lagundi.

It was reportedly Councilor Bernard Odilao who told him, during a caucus, that an existing resolution to that effect already exists, which makes his proposal moot.

"Well, kung naa nay existing resolution, nganong wap-a man gi-implement? Nga naa man diay budget para ana," Caballero, vice chairman on council committee on Agriculture and Aquatic Resources, said.

Odilao reportedly informed Caballero that the city has US$10,000 for the rehabilitation of the three-hectare reef which was rammed by MV Majuro in March 5, 2009.

The money was donated by the captain of that ship, which ran aground in that what once was a healthy garden of corals, supposedly for the rehabilitation of the damaged MPA and for the purchase of marine buoys.

The lack of floaters, which should have warned vessels, was blamed for the incident.

But more than two years later, not a single floater was purchased by

the city government, and there were reports in the past that the US$10,000 was allegedly pocketed by some city officials.

The FREEMAN tried to contact Odilao for comment but the calls were not returned.

Whether there's a monetary donation or not, Caballero however insists that it is the city's responsibility to take care of its marine resources especially that there is still a big portion of its population that thrive on fishing.

Caballero also quoted Section 455 of the Local Government Code of 1991 which states that among the duties of the city mayor is "to adopt adequate measures to safeguard and conserve land, mineral, marine, forest, and other resources of the municipality."

Also, the council has a role "to protect the environment from acts which endanger the environment," as provided in the same national law, he said.

"With the absence of these supposed landmarks, the entire reef has become vulnerable to destruction not only to the passing marine vessels but also to all forms of destructive fishing as evidenced by recent reports of corals being covered with fishing nets as a proof that fishing activity is already rampant in the area," he said.

If the city still fails to address this concern "the soonest time possible," there will be a decline of fish catch to the detriment of local fishermen. — THE FREEMAN