Former councilor slams Talisay for sleeping on Lagundi case

CEBU, Philippines - More than a year has passed since they were elected, but former Talisay City Councilor Shirley said city officials have not done what they had promised the people in the last May 10, 2010 elections.

“Ako daghan kaayong pangutana sa atong mga opisyal diha sa city hall. For one, what happened to the P59-million case against MV United?” the former councilor said.

MV United was a Chinese cargo ship which ran aground in the city’s Lagundi Reef, a marine sanctuary, in 2009, when Belleza was head of the committee on tourism.

During her time as councilor, the city contemplated suing the ship and its captain for P59 million in damages, as assessed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources after a wide area of corals was destroyed because of the incident.

But almost three years later, the plan of suing MV United and captain Cheng Guangming has not pushed through.

In an earlier interview, Councilor Bernard Odilao said the city could not yet afford the filing fee which is in the millions considering the damage the city is asking is also in the millions.

 But Belleza said the city would still gain from it twice or thrice as much, considering that it has a good chance of winning the case.

“Sayang kaayo kung di nila pasakaan og kaso, makakwarta pa sila. Gawas nga source of food sa mga tawo ang gidasmagan sa MV United,” she said.

Belleza said she is sad that the city does not seem to care about the Lagundi Reef anymore following the incident.

From an ocular inspection on the reef conducted after the incident, experts had said that the corals have already been covered with fishing nets as local and even commercial fishermen have made the supposed marine protected area (MPA) their fishing ground.

Following this report, environmentalists have started calling on the city government to put up marine buoys around the reef, but their calls have fallen on deaf ears.

Last December, the council approved a resolution allowing for the release of the $10,000 donated to the city by Guangming before he was released from prison following the incident.

The amount was intended supposedly for the purchase of buoys and floating guards.

But until now, no single floater is seen in any of the city’s three MPAs. The city also allocates millions every year for its tourism.

Belleza, whose term ended in 2010, said she is sad that the situation has become like that since she left. (FREEMAN)