Solon urges PNoy to address the destruction of coral reefs and fishkill

Wednesday, 08 June 2011 02:17

A lawmaker today urged President Benigno Aquino III to implement a total fisheries reform program to address the large-scale destruction of coral reefs and the fishkill in some parts of the country.

In a privilege speech, Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (Party-list, Akbayan) called on the government to implement the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1988, particularly the provision on the Comprehensive National Fishery Industry Development Plan (CNFIDF), a 25-year development plan initiated by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). Bag-ao said the government must allocate a sufficient budget for the full and strict implementation of the CNFIDF.

The Arroyo government has ordered the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 2005 to implement the program.

According to Bag-ao, the CNFIDP has been developed to provide the holistic and strategic framework to manage the fishery resources of the country under the Fisheries Code of 1998 or Republic Act 8550.

Bag-ao said the program was prepared to address the depleted fishery resources brought about by the excessive fishing, destructive fishing, and degradation of fishery habitats through their conversion into other economic uses and due to negative impacts from land-based activities.

Bag-ao also urged Congress to fast track the approval of a bill pending in both houses of Congress creating the National Land Use and Management that will rationalize the utilization of land and water resources.

The Coastal Zoning and Resource Management Plan under the bill is a highly important feature for the identification and utilization of marine protected areas, productive fishing grounds and fisherfolk settlement, among others, Bag-ao said.

Likewise, Bag-ao urged President Aquino to sign the Executive Order on the Establishment of Task Force Fisherfolk Settlement to address the need of this sector for a decent human settlement.

"The shocking news caused by poachers who plundered 21,000 pieces of black coral and killed 161 endangered turtles and other marine life is just but the tip of the iceberg. The lack of strict regulation has endangered the sources of fish and aquatic food," Bag-ao said.

Citing a BFAR study, Bag-ao said out of the 27,000 square kilometers of coral reefs in the Philippine waters, over 70 percent are in a poor state. Only 5 percent are in excellent condition.

Bag-ao said the country's poor protection of the fisheries resources has far-reaching and devastating effects, including the degradation of the marine biodiversity, which is one of the world's richest.

"The proliferation of fishponds not only affected the state of the mangrove forests which is an important ecosystem, it also brought other problems such as pollution brought about by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and overfeeding which the inland waters are also experiencing, like the recent fish kills," Bag-ao said.

Bag-ao also wants the government to provide a mechanism to ensure that 40 percent of all management structures, both national and local, should be represented by women fisherfolks as stipulated in RA 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women.

"As the country has been experiencing extreme weather events for the past several months, there is a need for the necessary data to manage risks and minimize damages brought about by typhoons and droughts that have negative effects on critical ecosystems manifested in an increase in the number of cases on coral bleaching and loss in marine biodiversity," Bag-ao said.