3 provinces want Visayan Sea declared as marine reserve area for small fishers

THREE provinces in the Visayas requested Congress and the Office of the President to declare the Visayan Sea as a National Marine Reserve Area for small fishers.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. and representatives of Cebu and Iloilo provinces yesterday passed a resolution pushing for the declaration.

The resolution said the Visayan Sea, with an area of 10,000-square kilometers, should be available only to small, marginal and subsistence fisherfolk  to ensure that the biodiversity and marine life will be protected for generations to come.

It was signed during the 7th Visayan Sea Summit held in Sta. Fe town yesterday.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) head Czareem Joseph Estella signed in behalf of Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III while Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, provincial agriculturist of Iloilo, signed in behalf of Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor.

Masbate Acting Governor Vicente Homer Revil failed to attend. He did not send a representative.

Lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr. of the Visayan Sea  Squadron said it is important that the Visayan Sea be declared a protected area in order to stop commercial fishing in the area.

The Visayan Sea should be protected as it covers one-million hectares of national treasure and is the richest sea in the country, he said.

Oposa said drafting the resolution is “to shift from pure enforcement to reinforcement.”

He said they will begin patrolling the Visayan Sea using big boats. They will also conduct activities related to the protection and preservation of marine life.

The Visayan Sea is home to 488 of 500 endangered coral species and 12,000 species of seashells.

Meanwhile, champions of the Visayan Sea were recognized during the summit yesterday.

The awardees were: Task Force Lawod of Negros Occidental (group category), received by Atty. Wilfredo Oposa, PENRO head; Alejandro Manapla of Negros Occidental (individual category); SagayCity (LGU category) for declaring 32 hectares as marine reserve; Malapascua Bantay Dagat and the “Amigo sa Iho” team for the open category; and Jojo dela Victoria Champion of the Sea Award.