Sibonga Fence. (Contributed Photo)
A group of residents has expressed alarm over the fencing of a stretch of shoreline in Sibonga town, southern Cebu.
They said the fence made of cyclone wire has deprived fisherfolk of barangay Simala from safely docking their fishing boats.
Anselmo Simoran, chairman of the Simala Bantay Dagat Association (Simbada), said the owner recently set up a fence around the beachfront property, with the fence facing the sea “too close to the shore.” The property owner was identified as Sinona Lanozo.
“Di na man mi kadunggo dapit sa among panimalay. Kung panahon nga naay kalamidad, di mi kadali-dali ug hipos sa among pump boat. Karon nag lutaw-lutaw na lang, panahon sa taob,” said the 55-year-old fisherman.
(We can’t dock close to our homes. In times of calamity, we cannot bring our pumpboats to land immediately. The boats just float when its high tide.)
“We just want to reclaim our right of way, we have no intention of owning your property,” he added.
Simoran went to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) yesterday afternoon and asked authorities to take action on the structure.
He said the stucture is a clear violation of the Water Code of the Philippines which prohibits structures from being built within the 20-meter easement from the sea.
The Penro is set to investigate the complaint.
LOCKED
Residents living inside Lanozo’s property have also be been ‘locked’ inside the fenced property.
Five families have built homes inside Lanozo’s property while 23 occupy the lot beside it.
“Our children cannot go to school anymore because of the situation. We just want our right of way,” he said.
The Philippine Water Code establishes easement areas at specific distances from rivers or the sea to protect the right of the public to enjoy free access for fishing, navigation and floatage.
The distance is 3 meters in urban areas, 20 meters in agricultural areas (as in Bantayan’s case) and 40 meters in forest areas.