Observing month of the ocean Part I – Presidential Proclamation No. 57

How many of the Filipinos know that in 1999, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada declared May as the “Month of the Ocean” by issuing Presidential Proclamation No. 57?

Indeed, it took a non-College Degree holder chief executive of the country to realize the important role played by the ocean to maintain and sustain human existence.

Since the declaration of PP No. 57, the month of May would pass almost unnoticed, but by those of us who are students of marine biology, oceanography, and fishery. A very sad reality, but this is how the Philippines treat this important source of resources, e.g. protein, iodine, carbohydrates, vitamins, etc. – significant for man’s daily dietary requirements.

This year, we Filipino scientists, fisherfolks, and entrepreneurs dealing on the resources of the ocean, feel that the month of the ocean is being observed led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in tandem with other government agencies like the Department of Agriculture (DA). Activities, both scientific and otherwise, have been lined up nationwide.

What Is Presidential Proclamation No. 57?

Section 2 of the proclamation states that the DENR and the DA through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), “shall spearhead the observance of the Month of the Ocean (MOC) in collaboration with the different sectors of society through the conduct of activities that shall highlight the conservation, protection and sustainable management of Philippine coastal and ocean resources”.

Pres. Estrada must have been well-advised when he issued PP No. 57, because seven years later the Philippines, studies identified the country as “home to an astonishing vast marine life …”. Foreign scientists who participated in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), S/T Forum astonishingly declared “This archipelago (Philippines) as the epicenter of marine biodiversity with the richest concentration of marine life on the entire planet …”. However, the same marine scientists were quick in sternly issuing a warning that the Philippines is also the “center of conservation adversity” – thus, the need for sustained call to conserve and protect the country’s coastal and marine environment. This pronouncement is well supported with the inclusion of the Philippines among countries considered Hot Spots, attributed to unwarranted handling and management of its ocean-based natural resources causing a number of aquatic (marine and freshwater) plants and animals to be counted among the endangered and vanishing species. Several factors have been attributed to the ocean’s adversity, i.e. conversion of mangrove areas into urban habitation, proliferation of fish pens and similar fish catching set-ups, illegal fishing practices, mine tailings and oil spills, among others.

The present writer, himself a practicing marine scientist, has observed in his more than one year survey, documentation, and assessment of the marine algae/seaweed resources of Northeastern Leyte Island, how the distortions of the shorelines especially in the coastal towns of Tolosa, Dulag, Mayorga, and Macarthur attributed to the on-going ‘black-sand’ mining activities and the constant visits of ships loading the mined sand anchored in ‘make-shift’ jetties. Already, fisherfolks in Lake Bito, Macarthur are crying foul at the fish kill blamed on oil leaks to the lake coming from mining companies.

An appeal is in order for the Regional Office of DENR (EMB) and DA (BFAR), among other government agencies to pool resources and put more teeth not only toward stricter implementation of the tenets of PP No. 57, but should also include relevant laws to protect, conserve, and properly manage the country’s unique ocean-based natural heritage – the OCEAN.

ooo000ooo

NEXT TOPIC : “Observing Month of the Ocean: Part II- Sustainable Management of the Philippines Coastal and Marine Ecosystem”

SHARE S & T THOUGHTS through E-Mail: drpacjr@yahoo.com

By: Dr. Paciente Cordero, Jr.

Short URL: http://leytesamardaily.net/?p=28653