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By Amina Rasul
More than a decade ago, environmentalist Filemon
“Mon” Romero, former Chancellor of Mindanao State University-Bongao,
wrote a paper warning about the risks of widespread coastal
settlement and degradation in Tawi-Tawi. Sadly, his predictions came
true. In August 2006, almost 1,000 stilt houses in Bongao were swept
away by huge waves that pummeled the coastal area. According to Mon,
Tawi-Tawi project manager for World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Philippines,
“the mangroves, reefs and sand bars that once acted as natural
barriers to protect the town have since been destroyed. This coastal
decline has left it virtually defenseless against such an event.”
Sand mining and harvesting the coral reefs for road construction
have added to the destruction of the natural barriers. What will
happen to the coastal areas when the ice caps melt due to global
warming?
Worse, the productivity of the seas is
declining. Although Tawi-Tawi remains one of the most productive
marine ecosystems in the country, it is not immune to environmental
degradation. Pollution from domestic waste, destructive fishing and
overfishing and sand mining for construction, are taking its toll.
Add to that poaching by foreign ships that use unsustainable fishing
techniques.
The rape of our seas continues. The
capture of endangered species (such as the giant sea turtles) by
foreign and local poachers has remained unabated. From 1999 to 2007,
more than 900 foreigners (660 from China) were arrested and charged
for poaching in the waters of Palawan alone.
Unfortunately, only one arrest has led to a
conviction. When captured, the poachers escaped by paying light
fines. Chinese violators seem to be protected by the Philippine
government’s determination not to strain its relations with
Beijing.
Even as the WWF succeed in saving a few
endangered green sea turtles, “these pirates kill them by the
hundreds,” Mon lamented. The Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) and law enforcement agencies have captured many
illegal fishers in the Sulu Archipelago. In September 2006, the
Navy, Coast Guard and DENR captured one fishing boat with 19 Chinese
nationals. The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau estimated that
its crew killed 200 adult turtles and harvested over 10,000 eggs.
In 1993, Sen. Santanina Rasul, then-chair of the
Senate Committee on Agriculture, investigated the seas between Jolo
and Siasi Islands in Sulu. Much to her consternation, she saw some
30 fishing vessels operating on prohibited waters. Many of the
vessels were operating with expired permits, had no permit to
operate, or were of foreign registry. In 1994, the senator worked
with environmental groups to form Bantay Dagat in cooperation with
the Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior and Local
Government, the Navy and the Coast Guard, among others. Bantay Dagat
had over 100,000 volunteer coast watchers as of 2000. However, they
had no boats with which to patrol the waters.
Properly supported, a community-based network
like the Bantay Dagat would have had a major impact on protecting
our coasts and waters.
Last year, another potential danger to the Sulu
Sea was exposed by Mon and civil society groups. The Ocean
Nourishment Project proposed to address climate change by dumping
tons of urea granules into the ocean. In theory, this would
stimulate the growth of phytoplankton that would eventually
sequester carbon from the atmosphere. The Sulu Sea would be the
testing ground, a large-scale field experiment. If successful, the
Ocean Nourishment Company would have a profitable patented urea
fertilization technology. A petition to the DENR and the Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources demanded the cancellation of the
experiment.
The petition, supported by Muslim leaders like
Senator Rasul, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali and CSOs, questioned
whether the government had assessed the side effects of massive
dumping of urea into the seas. It noted potential negative impacts
on the marine environment and human health, including increased
production of nitrous oxide and methane, unintended changes in the
planktons that could result in production of harmful algal blooms or
“red tide” and unknown effects on the ocean food chain. It also
warned about potential long-term impacts on marine ecosystems,
especially on the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, a Unesco World
Heritage Site, one of the few remaining large coral reef ecosystems
in the world.
Mon is also busy organizing the communities and
local governments to reverse the accelerating coastal degradation of
Tawi-Tawi. To protect our endangered resources from the added burden
of ordinary fisherfolk who turn to illegal acts in order to survive,
Mon is helping the Tawi-Tawi government strengthen the capacity of
the Provincial Technical Working Group (PTWG) and sustain the
LGU-CSO partnership in community policies and projects. Under
Mon’s guidance, the group was chosen as one of the finalists in
Panibagong Paraan, the World Bank search for exemplary development
projects. The PTWG proposal focused on a sustainable and
participatory system that would orchestrate development efforts to
strategically address human security issues. Although the project
did not win, the recognition it received serves as inspiration to
Muslim communities that, united, they can make a difference.
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Editor’s note: Ms. Rasul is the editor of
Moro Times, a monthly supplement of The Manila Times. She also
writes a weekly column in The Times op-ed section.
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