Envt’l police needed for Malapascua vs abusive tourists
LOOT
DAANBANTAYAN wants to create an environmental police group and train them to protect Malapascua from irresponsible tourists and preserve this tourist destination.
Daanbantayan town mayor, Vicente Loot said he does not want Malapascua to end up like Boracay.
There are 21 diving sites in Malapascua and its waters are home to thresher sharks, thus Loot believes environmental police are necessary to ensure that the island is protected from abusive visitors.
“They will be authorized to issue citation tickets. We have laws. We have laws ready for implementation, the national law.” said Loot.
Those apprehended can either pay the fine, render community service or go to jail, he said.
The mayor said he doesn’t have enough people to implement environmental laws hence, he decided to recruit volunteers and train them.
Earlier, Loot said that he requested the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) to deploy personnel on the island to secure the safety of the visitors.
He said that at present, there is only one policeman assigned to the whole island.
He also urged marine biologists to determine the carrying capacity of the island to avoid damaging the island. / Lalaine M. Jurado, CNU Intern
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