THE PHILIPPINES CELEBRATES THE OCEAN MONTH

The month of May has been declared as the "Month of the Ocean" through a Proclamation issued by the then President Joseph Estrada on 09 January 1999. Proclamation no. 57 recognizes that "coastal and marine resources provide both economic and ecological benefits such as food, livelihood, recreation and other services, as well as biodiversity, aesthetic value, and shoreline protection". The Proclamation also reiterated the provision in the Constitution that "The State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens" (Art. XII, Sec. 2, para. 2). This Proclamation actually was inspired by the declaration made by the United Nations General Assembly designating the year 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean.

The DENR, DA, and BFAR, among others, have been designated as the lead agencies to spearhead the celebration of the Month of the Ocean every month of May in every year beginning 1999. These lead agencies are mandated to conduct activities that will highlight the conservation, protection, and management of the Philippine coastal and marine resources. As part the activities lined up for the celebration of the Month of the Ocean, the DENR-NCR is set to distribute flyers containing information about the Month of the Ocean as well as about biodiversity on selected Colleges and Universities with trimester schooling and  on various local government units in Metro Manila.

Checking through the list of activities prepared by the DENR, it appears, however, that no actual and direct participation is being solicited from the people. I believe that it would be better if the DENR go beyond mere distribution of flyers. For instance, the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 mandated the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources to set the Catch Ceiling Limitations/Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY).

Section 8 of the Code requires the Secretary to prescribe limitations or quota on the total quantity of fish captured, for a specified period of time and specified area, which may be imposed per species of fish. However, when I inquired about the status of the implementation of this provision from the DENR Main Office, the staff instructed me to inquire from the BFAR, because according to the former, the latter is the one in charge of setting the MSY. When I inquired from the BFAR, they again told me to go to another office, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI). The problem is, one of the staff of NFRDI told me that they are still in the process of integrating the data. Ten years after the Code has become effective, they are still in the process of integrating the data.

If the DENR is finally able to set up the MSY, this would be the best gift that they could offer to our ailing oceans.

THERE’S NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE?

In one of the late night news a few weeks ago, I heard Senator Zubiri saying something like ‘wala na tayong magagawa, andyan na yan’ referring to the two high-rise building condominiums being built by a Korean investor within a watershed forest reserve in Subic. I cringe by the mere fact that here is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Land Use who appears to have given up the fight early on. Does the Honorable Senator know that we have more than 100 environmental laws to look at which will provide us with very good options on what to do with those buildings within a watershed?

I suggest that we bring them (the buildings) down if it has been proven that the construction has violated environmental laws. (Apparently the construction had and continues to violate not just environmental laws but our moral laws as well). This may appear to be a drastic recourse but it would be the best for the forest reserve. It would be the best not just for the current generation but, more importantly, for the future generations to come. Our intergerational responsibility requires us to conserve our environment and make sure that the future generations enjoy the same environment that we enjoy today. The money spent for the construction of those buildings is incomparable to the destruction of the forest reserve ecosystem. A single tree brought down in an ecosystem would mean a drastic change in that ecosystem following one of the laws of nature that every thing is interdependent. Hence, we should not be so worried about the construction costs being put to waste.

 I believe that the Honorable Senator, being an environmentalist that he is, would stand up for what is right not just for economic development but for the plight of our environment. There are a plenty of options to do with those eye sores within the Subic Forest Watershed Reserve.