Oriental Mindoro is stepping up efforts to protect its already fragile marine resources against abuse by “irresponsible and illegal users,” the provincial governor said.
The thrust of the provincial government is “towards the construction and promotion of policies and programs which will set forth the conservation of our marine biodiversity and enhancement of its resources,” Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. said.
Umali vowed to support the initiatives of nongovernment organizations, in partnership with the local government and line agencies, in guarding the province’s 20 marine protected areas (MPAs), including a mangrove forest reserve and a marine turtle sanctuary.
“By doing so, we are certain that our fragile and diminishing resources in coastal and marine areas of our territories will not be exacerbated and abused by irresponsible and illegal users of our marine life,” the former Oriental Mindoro Second District representative said.
The Oriental Mindoro Marine Protected Area and Law Enforcement Network was established last year to coordinate marine conservation efforts among the province’s coastal municipalities. Currently, the network is composed of 12 municipalities and one city.
In partnership with Conservation International-Philippines, the network conducts resource management assessments and surveys to establish new MPAs and correct the boundaries of existing areas for improved management.
CI-Philippines said other activities include the operational planning for Bantay Dagat members, participatory development of MPA management plans, communication campaigns and formulation of relevant marine protection laws.
Romeo Trono, country executive director of CI-Philippines, said, “We are very pleased with the progress of our partnership so far with Oriental Mindoro, and are glad to know that the local government fully recognizes the importance of MPAs and the effective enforcement of fishery and conservation laws.”
“It is also equally important to point out another recent milestone—the first joint meeting of the MPA networks of Oriental Mindoro and Batangas, which happened last May,” Trono said, adding that the meeting was attended by members and officers of the two networks who discussed relevant concerns and areas for collaboration.
“It is a very promising development for the conservation of the Verde Island Passage,” he said.
Verde Island Passage covers more than 1.14 million hectares between the provinces of Batangas, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon. It is among the four priority marine biodiversity corridors of the Sulu Sulawesi Seascape, one of the world’s most diverse and productive ecosystems. The Verde Passage Corridor contains more than half of the Philippines’ documented fish species as well as many globally threatened species.
Ely H. Vargas, municipal agriculturist of Naujan, said that the MPA and Law Enforcement Network are useful tools for easy facilitation and implementation of programs and projects on marine resource protection.
“Through the network, linkaging and close coordination between and among MPA managers are strengthened, and vigilance and access to information among Bantay Dagat members are intensified,” he said.
CI-Philippines cited the successful rescue of a stranded dolphin in San Teodoro as a fruit of increased collaboration among stakeholders. The rescue was carried out through the combined efforts of the municipal Bantay Dagat and Fishery Management Office, with technical guidance from the Provincial Agriculture Office’s Fishery and Coastal Resource Management Division.
Aside from technical assistance in resource assessments and MPA establishment, CI-Philippines said it provides logistics support for enforcement, including patrol boats, searchlights, global positioning system (GPS) units, cameras, life vests, megaphones and binoculars.
Trono said these will be distributed to the network members to beef up the capacities of their respective Bantay Dagat groups.
