Stakeholders ink commitment to protect Subic Bay

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — Government agencies, private organizations and local stakeholders have signed a “Declaration of Commitment” to protect Subic Bay after the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) urged a joint conservation effort involving various sectors of the community here.

The declaration was signed as an initial undertaking that resulted from the recent Subic Bay Water Summit, a two-day conference held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) where multi-sector representatives discussed strategies for the conservation of local water resources and the protection of marine ecosystems, which could be applied to Subic Bay.

Among those who signed the declaration of commitment were Olongapo City mayor James Gordon, Jr.; former Zambales vice gov. Saturnino Bactad, who represented Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso; Pastolan Aeta village chieftain Conrado Frenilla; and Restituto del Rosario, a Gawad-Saka national awardee from Morong, Bataan.

Representatives from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 3rd Regional PNP Maritime Office, Philippine Coast Guard, Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Subic Bay Resorts Association, and Subic Water and Sewerage Co., Inc. also attended the summit.

“The SBMA spearheaded the summit to help arrest the growing degradation of Subic Bay, which is considered as the economic lifeblood of the Subic free port and the nearby communities,” SBMA administrator/chief executive officer Armand Arreza told The STAR.

According to the declaration, the conservation of marine resources and the protection of rivers and coastal areas in Olongapo, Zambales and Bataan, “are indispensable to the continued social and economic well-being of those who live near or otherwise depend on the Bay, as well as to the sustainability of the life itself of the Bay.”

It also noted that pollution is the most serious threat to the water quality of Subic Bay. While the bay is naturally endowed with a deep harbor and a diverse yet fragile ecosystem, it is “now being endangered by various human and development activities in the uplands, the surrounding communities and within the coastal areas,” the declaration stated.

With this, the summit participants resolved “to renew and reinforce our efforts toward the sustainable development and management of our local water resources in a manner that is technically and legally feasible, fundable and effective.”