TWG to be created for review of plans

CEBU, Philippines - A technical working group is set to be formed by regional environment agency to review and finalize the recently approved three-year general management plan (GMP) of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).

 “Considering the urgency of the matter, I am instructing our Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services and Protected Area Superintendent to compose a team to immediately convene to hold a careful and thorough review without necessarily altering the substance or content of what was endorsed by the TSPS Protected Area Management Board (PAMB),” said DENR-7 Regional Director Dr. Isabelo Montejo in a statement.

 The main focus of the plan, Montejo added, is to protect and sustain development of resources inside the protected area.

 Montejo chairs the TSPS PAMB comprised of 298 barangay captains, mayors of 42 cities and municipalities as members and other stakeholders.

 The agency will tap nature conservation groups like Oceana, local government units, academe, and other stakeholders to help craft and integrate the inputs made during the meeting.

 The TSPS, which lies between the islands of Negros and Cebu and covers 521,018 hectares and borders 677 kilometers, is among the country’s Top 10 major fishing grounds where about 26,000 fishers operate.

It has also been regarded as an important migration corridor for whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals, making it a preferred destination for whale-watchers, conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts.

 The plan intends to support the social and economic needs of the communities involved with, resource-use patterns and access rights, enhance and conserve the marine biodiversity and also to provide economic opportunity through ecotourism enterprises.

    The GMP was endorsed by TSPS PAMB last February 11 after a summit held in Cebu City, jointly organized by Oceana Philippines and RARE Incorporated happened for the first time in 17 years.

 The TSPS was declared a protected seascape by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 1234 signed by then president Fidel V. Ramos last May 27, 1998 in recognition of its extraordinary abundance and diverse assemblage of dolphins, whales and other marine species.

 The plan is designed for long term sustainability and development.  Upon completion of the GMP, it will then be submitted to the DENR secretary for approval.

    Meanwhile, the National Integrated Protected System  mandates the DENR to convene the PAMB.

It is a collegial body whose members are composed of Tañon Strait stakeholders, local government units, non-government organizations and other concerned parties. —ATO (FREEMAN)