Environmentalist lawyer Antonio Oposa speaks about the importance of the Visayan Sea during the Visayan Sea Summit in 2011. (CDN FILE PHOTO)
Four governors, in the Visayas, including Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, will be meeting today in Sta. Fe town in Bantayan island to discuss updates and ways to enforce laws in protecting the Visayan Sea.
In November last year, the governors signed a resolution to declare the Visayan Sea a protected area. They asked President Aquino to declare the waters beyond the 15-kilometer radius a protected area so that commercial fishing within the area will be stopped.
Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. and Masbate Gov. Rizalina Seachon-Lañete with Andres Bojos, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 will be there.
The Visayan Sea is located within the territorial waters of northern Cebu, northern Negros, northeastern Iloilo and southern Masbate.
It is home to 488 of 500 endangered coral species and 12,000 species of seashells in the country.
Davide said illegal fishing has caused the destruction and decline of marine resources.
The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) will also be awarding Bantay Dagat volunteers who have showed “best practices” in securing the Visayan Sea.
PENRO head Czareem Joseph Estella said they plan to buy patrol boats to deter illegal fishing activities in the province.