Press Statement of Rep. Ma. Rachel J. Arenas

Friday, 03 June 2011 09:12

Representative Ma. Rachel J. Arenas of the 3rd District of Pangasinan and the current Chairperson of the Special Committee on the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Affairs filed an urgent resolution today urging the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation, on the illegal harvest and trade of endangered marine resources which may have caused a massive destruction of our sea bed and the depletion of our seawaters in Mindanao and Palawan. The botched attempt to smuggle 196 kilos of sea whips corals, 161 heads of preserved hawksbill and green turtles, 7,300 pieces of seashells and 21,169 pieces of rare black sea corals harvested in the deep seas of Mindanao and Palawan, poses the alarming possibility of extermination of our marine resources.

The House Committee on BIMP-EAGA Affairs is primarily concerned with Brunei Darussalam Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, as a sub-regional grouping of the ASEAN created in 1994. A brainchild of former President Fidel V. Ramos, the BIMP-EAGA is a group of 16 focus areas in the border islands of the four member nations, including Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines, aimed at stimulating economic development in these growth areas, which are less progressive relative to the other parts of the country closer to the capital, by strengthening their economic integration and build them into a hub for the regional agro-industry and eco-tourism.

Black corals and sea turtles are among the species protected by the CONVENTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES (CITES) and some types of black corals are over 4,000 years old. Despite this, the colossal illegal trade thrives with the world's major importers as the United States and Japan and the largest supplier of finished black coral with over 90% world market share is Taiwan, but most of its raw black corals are reported to be harvested in the Philippines. This illegal trade is assault to the environment and the extremely harmful to the fragile economy of the affected areas in the South.

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez said that the illegal trade in black corals "is fuelled by the demand of the multibillion dollar marine ornamental industry for exotic decorative species and the increasing popularity of coral-accented jewellery and fashion accessories."

The BIMP-EAGA Coral Triangle "contains 76 percent of the known species of coral and 37 percent of reef fish species, and supplies 30 percent of tuna in the world. It is home to two of the world's largest and oldest rainforests, in Borneo and Papua, as well as home to two of the world's richest marine biodiversity sites, Sulu and Sulawesi Sea."

The contraband was mined in the seas of BIMP-EAGA, possibly the coast of Cotabato, Moro Gulf, Sulu Sea and possibly Mangsee Island, in the westernmost part of Palawan. The enormity of the decimation of our sea bed covers an estimated area of 15,000 hectares, about five times the size of Manila.

The pillage of our environment is one more form of exploitation to an already marginalized South, whose potentials for economic development rest on harnessing their agro-industry and eco-tourism business through sustainable management of natural resources, all of which are now under serious threat.

The war against insurgency in the South has been exacerbated and even eclipsed by the more urgent war against the atrocious network of poachers, plunderers and peddlers, responsible for robbing people and future generations of a viable habitat and source of livelihood.

Through this Resolution, Rep. Arenas, enjoins the House of Representatives to undertake a comprehensive review of existing laws on the protection of endangered species and other natural resources, to determine the need for legislative reforms to enhance their relevance and responsiveness to the new challenges of environmental degradation.

The Resolution also aims for legislative initiatives to embody and guarantee the duty of the State to ensure sustainable management of the environment through its rescue, rehabilitation, restoration, and regeneration.