How much was spent for Lagundi upkeep?

CEBU, Philippines - For allegedly neglecting its marine sanctuary, an environment group is set to write a letter to the Philippine Environment Justice Center (PEJC) to ask it to review Talisay City's expenditures this year for Lagundi Reef's upkeep.

Fr. Murphy Sarsonas, secretary of Knight-Stewards of the Sea, Inc. (Seaknights), in an interview, said there is at least P300,000 in allocation for the reef for this year alone, yet it appears that the two-hectare marine sanctuary "is not getting its share" of the money.

Sarsonas noted that the city has not yet replaced the floaters which should have "at least protected" the area, as mandated by law, that with their absence it has attracted fishers in this supposed non-fishing grounds.

Commercial fishing boats have also been spotted there during nighttime.

"What happened now is that more and more fishing nets have been trapped underwater, which have slowly killed the corals there," Sarsonas said.

The Seaknights, a non-profit organization whose goal is to protect the marine environment, voluntarily did a series of cleanups in Lagundi the past months after noticing that the reef was already covered with fishing nets.

The group, which is composed of divers, also picked several crown-of-thorns (COT) that were slowly sucking the life of the corals.

The city is not paying the Seaknights at all.

In 2006, when the city started rehabilitating the reef, there were buoys that surrounded the reef, and then Councilor Shirley Belleza, being chairman on council committee on Tourism, also placed floating guardhouses there.

But after a series of typhoons last year, all these were destroyed.

Each year, the reef, being groomed to become the next dive destination in the country, is allocated P300,000 for its upkeep.

But the Seaknights, although no longer deputized by the city government, has still continued to watch over it being part of its mission.

"How can it become the next dive destination when it is being abused?

And the city government is not even doing anything about it," the priest said.

Sarsonas said his group has already passed a board resolution approving the letter-request to the PEJC.

"Then we'll know from there if the funds supposedly for Lagundi was really spent for Lagundi," he said. (FREEMAN NEWS)