THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday said the priorities of local government units (LGUs) must be protecting our environment especially the municipal waters.
DILG 7 Assistant Director Elias Fernandez made the reminder during the Oceana Philippines Forum at City Sports Club.
The forum was graced by Alexandra Cousteau, Oceana senior adviser and granddaughter of the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.
“The priorities of local governments are best expressed in their investment programs. Whatever is reflected in their plan, that will be the basis of their budget. So, if you allot 60 percent of your budget for environment, that is your priority. So, they are all reflected in the annual investment program crafted by LGUs,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said that the DILG and LGUs have been in partnership with Oceana Philippines for three years now and he assured yesterday that their advocacy to protect the environment especially Tañon Strait will continue.
“So far, we have ten mayors who have committed to protect Tañon Straight,” Fernandez said.
Limits
Dr. Allan Poquita, assistant director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said that their partnership with Oceana is not limited to law enforcements, but also of trainings, legal assistance, and helping fisherfolk in uplifting their living condition.
For her part, lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana Philippines vice president, said she is privileged to be considered as head of Oceana in the Philippines, which is the first office to be established by Oceana.
Ramos is considered as one of the strong and powerful women working for the preservation of the environment and one of the greatest movers of ocean conservation in the Philippines.
“Oceana has eight offices in the world, including those in the European Union (EU), South America and Greece, among others, and we hope that another one will be opened in Asia, like in Indonesia which is part of the coral triangle that holds the world’s richest ecosystems,” Ramos said.
Ramos added that she was appalled by the report three weeks ago that Cebu is listed as one of the highest levels of poverty in the country and they know that fisherfolks are the poorest of the poor and they wondered how fisherfolks live along Tañon Strait.
Ramos said that in 2015, Oceana conducted a study on the social and biological situation in Tanon Strait. She shared her findings with her audience yesterday.
“The fisherfolks have long been saying that there’s illegal commercial fishing on our municipal waters and some of our people have monitored the illegal activities of our commercial fishers. That should really end. Let the rule of law prevail on our municipal waters,” Ramos.
Chance
In her speech, Cousteau said they were together yesterday because of the opportunity to restore abundance of biodiversity in the oceans.
“The Philippines belongs to the Filipino people. But it also belongs to the world because you are in the center of the center of biodiversity on this planet. Your leadership, your opportunity to restore the abundance of the oceans is important at this time of climate change and overfishing that damaged so much of our global oceans,” Cousteau said.
Cousteau is visiting the Philippines to help promote Oceana’s campaign against destructive coastal developments or illegal reclamation, and illegal fishing especially in Tañon Strait Protected Seascape.
Oceana also launched Atong Tañon publication, a compilation of reports focused on the scientific, economic and ecological situation in Tañon Strait.
They were also joined by sea stakeholders and Baltazar Tribunalo, the Cebu provincial environment and natural resources officer.
