EDITORIAL — An endangered lake

In January this year, President Marcos directed the Department of Agriculture to increase fish production to meet the national demand. His replacement as DA secretary, Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., is expected to know how to carry out this directive, having been a fishing tycoon before agreeing to join the government.

Considering his background, Laurel is also believed to know what’s good for fish production in Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. Laurel has expressed support for a recent move of the Laguna Lake Development Authority to increase the share of commercial fishing operators in the utilization of the lake, which meant reducing the share of small fisherfolk. The small-scale fishers will surely disagree. But the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which has jurisdiction over the LLDA, also defended the move of the agency.

The DENR said it was President Marcos who had ordered the lake area allocated to commercial aquaculture operations doubled to 50 hectares from the previous 25. It was also the President, the DENR said, who approved a recommendation of local government units around the lake to change the sharing arrangement for the 9,200-hectare aquaculture allocation from the previous 60 percent for small fishers and 40 to commercial operators, to 53 and 47, respectively.

Fishermen’s groups have previously said many of the commercial aquaculture operators in Laguna de Bay are officials of local government units in the area or their relatives and friends. LGU officials, their relatives or cronies have also been blamed for reclamation projects that have reduced the lake area and caused heavy flooding in lakeside communities.

The massive reclamation activities continue, including along the Circumferential Road 6 from Lower Bicutan in Taguig to Taytay in Rizal. The reclamation projects have nothing to do with aquaculture, lake tourism or water supply. Laguna de Bay augments potable water supply in Metro Manila, and this is threatened by those reclamation projects. Which agency gives such projects the green light? Metro Manila already suffers from the failure of the government to provide new potable water sources, as agreed upon with the water distribution concessionaires.

Indiscriminate, unregulated reclamation, which also threatens Manila Bay, can kill Laguna de Bay, a major food source and supplemental water source for Greater Manila. Concerned government agencies must not wait for the lake situation to deteriorate into something like the structures all over the Chocolate Hills.