CEBU, Philippines - The operator of the yellow submarine that reportedly crashed into a coral cover in the waters off Maribago in Lapu-Lapu City will be made to pay for the damages.
The joint three-member investigation team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 and the Environmental Management Bureau-7 will do the computation.
“I have instructed our team to make a thorough and detailed evaluation on the extent of damage or a coral cover assessment so that we could appropriately recommend to the local government unit of Lapulapu City on how much they should collect as penalty and for the operator to institute necessary measures to fully protect the coral reefs,†said DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo.
Montejo, in a statement sent to The Freeman, said that the amount to be imposed will be computed based on the extent of the damaged coral cover, which is equivalent to US$1,600 per hectare or less than US$1 per square meter.
Aside from this, the team will also try to add up and determine the existence, tourism and ecosystem value of the coral cover.
The team will conduct an assessment of the allegedly damaged site as well as fact-finding through the Lapulapu City government and the yellow submarine operator.
“It will take many decades to recover or regenerate damaged coral reefs as the fastest growing branching corals add only 0.1 centimeter to 10 centimeters per year and the slower ones may increase in diameter by a few millimeters per year,†Montejo added.
Montejo said coral reefs play an important role in a marine ecosystem and the Philippines is near the center of coral diversity in the world, with at least 430 different species of corals.
Coral reefs are known as the ‘oasis of the ocean’ because they are small points of very high productivity occurring within vast oceans, which are essentially very low in nutrients and energy.
With this, Montejo said protection measures should be established and protocols in the operation should be observed so that these coral reefs will be free from any damage.
Experts say coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems built from calcium carbonate that corals secrete.
They also said corals are colonies of identical marine animals belonging to phylum ‘Cnidaria’ which includes reef builders inhabiting tropical marine waters. — (FREEMAN)