Environmentalists in southern Negros Oriental

A.C. Alcala

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the good work of the Sibulan Local Government officials and their Bantay Dagat in coastal resource management (CRM) by protecting their marine reserves and the marine biodiversity in their coastal zone. Some of the endangered species that they are protecting are the sea turtles. What impressed me is the fact that the local communities along the shoreline are aware of the need to protect and manage these resources, as shown by their action in saving the eggs laid by a female turtle. This is an indication of the successful campaign for the conservation of marine resources in this town.

Today, I would like to commend the environmentalists in the town of Siaton, Negros Oriental, a town that is not known for the commitment to manage its coastal and marine resources. In fact, it is a town where apparently some barangay and municipal officials, including some members of the Bantay Dagat, are in cahoots with some people (some coming from Dumaguete who refuse to give their names) who use destructive fishing methods such as SCUBA to spearfish (spearfishing with SCUBA is not allowed) in marine reserves in violation of the rules governing marine protected areas.  I even have some information (to be verified of course) that one or two from the DENR office in Dumaguete are among the culprits.

It takes much courage on the part of these environmentalists to oppose those who would destroy the marine environment, and I commend their dedication to the cause of good environment. I congratulate them for risking their lives for the sake of the environment.

I would like to congratulate Gena Dayon, Martin Jordan and Tony Yucor for their valiant efforts in protecting the marine resources in Antulang, Siit, Siaton. Through their efforts, a number of turtle nests in their beaches have been protected. Several hatchlings have been allowed to return to the sea.

Also, through their efforts, a small marine reserve has been established in Antulang and is protected by them, almost without the help of government officials; in fact, despite the attempts of some people in the area to destroy this reserve. This marine reserve has been monitored by our group at SUAKCREM and has been found to be an excellent reserve with a large fish biomass and high species richness that exceeded our expectations for marine reserves because in two years of protection, the biomass doubled. This marine reserve seems to be an exceptional case because doubling in biomass can be expected only after 3-4 years of protection. There must be favorable environmental factors in the Siit area that are responsible for this phenomenon, but these factors would be nullified if there were no good protection.

I should not forget to point out that this marine reserve is now attracting many visiting SCUBA divers and is earning for the town of Siaton and of course also for resorts where these divers operate from. This development definitely helps in the tourism program of the country.

In our CRM program, we should engage all our people in the activities that are needed to successfully manage our marine resources, whether they are our own people or they are from somewhere else. What matters is that the environment is kept in healthy condition and is sustained for future use by those coming after us. Everyone in our country should play his part in sustainable development. Our local environment is part of the global environment. What we do here affects other areas. It therefore does not make sense to discriminate others who are not Filipinos in the same way that Filipinos in other lands should not be discriminated against.

Negros Oriental is the leading province in CRM. We all take pride in this fact, and we look forward to the day when all towns in the province are models of marine conservation. But we have to see to it that Dumaguete, the capital city is also a model city, which unfortunately is not yet the case. The only one marine reserve in Dumaguete is a non-functional reserve, and is quite an embarrassment to all of us. This reminds me of the comment of one national observer, who said “Silliman University in Dumaguete City is known for its environmental achievements outside the city, but it has a problem of water pollution on its campus.”