Toledo residents: ‘No’ to reclamation project

Over a hundred residents of barangay Poblacion in Toledo City said they need roads and other infrastructure, not a reclamation project.

They signed a resolution on May 15 opposing the proposed reclamation project in Tañon Strait.

With the resolution, the residents joined environment advocates in opposing the project.

The bay in barangay Poblacion, although polluted, is home to marine species such as seahorse, puffer fish, patches of seagrasses, corals and other fish varieties. It is part of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape, a marine protected area that divides Cebu and Negros islands.

Cebu Daily News obtained a copy of the resolution. Copies have been sent to Toledo City Mayor John Henry Osmeña, Gov. Hilario Davide III, Regional Executive Director Isabelo Montejo of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) and members of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of Tañon Strait Protected Seascape.

Osmeña, who is pushing for the reclamation project, could not be reached for comment.

The mayor earlier failed to present a barangay Poblacion resolution endorsing the project. Instead, he presented to the Site Management Unit a 2014 City Development Council resolution recommending approval.

A barangay resolution is among the requirements for the approval of the project by the PAMB. The board will meet next month.

“As of now, Toledo City doesn’t need to pursue an expensive reclamation project. There are a lot of areas in Toledo that have not been developed yet. Only a few barangays have their own roads and other infrastructure projects…Why don’t we use the money to open new roads in the barangays?” the resolution stated in Cebuano.

The resolution also cited the lack of health services, inadequate water supply and the need for a scholarship program for deserving students.

Last Saturday, a visual marine assessment was conducted by the Knight Stewards of the Sea Inc. (Sea Knights) and Oceana to help the local government assess the marine life in the reclamation project site. Local police stopped the team on orders of the Toledo City government.

“We call for an impartial investigation of the atrocious act in stopping the marine assessment. It was a glaring violation of the rights of the citizens to be involved in decision-making, by providing the city government and the DENR glimpses of the underwater world which is threatened by pollution and this dump-and-fill project without EIS process,” said environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, vice president of Oceana Philippines.

The marine assessment was conducted to verify the statement of  Assistant Protected Area Superintendent  Lutheran Hernando that the area is filled with filth and pollutants coming from the public market. Hernando also vowed that not a single mangrove nor coral could be found in the area.

But based on the two dives conducted on Saturday, a seahorse was found swimming amongst the seagrass on the side of the Cebu Energy Development Corp. power plant. Several marine species were also found near the corals.

Seahorses are abundant in the area. This one is visible even from the surface.

Chai Apale, iSeahorse project coordinator in the Philippines, said the seahorse found last Saturday was a Hippocampus kuda, an equine-like fish that can be found in shallow coastal waters and estuaries.

Apale said they are flagship species and charismatic symbols of the seagrass, mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries and seaweeds that they consider home. Seahorses are ecologically important as they are predators of bottom-dwelling organisms.

“Now that it is confirmed that there is a seahorse in Toledo, it is best to use this case to influence management to protect the seahorse population and its natural habitat,” Apale said.

She said their organization will work with Oceana to protect the seahorse habitat. Seahorses have also been found in Moalboal, Malapascua and Bantayan islands.

Nine seahorse species are vulnerable. One species is considered endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Twenty other seahorse species are listed as data deficient.