Sarangani Bay protection pushed

DAVAO CITY–The Sarangani provincial government has intensified efforts to protect and conserve the existing biodiversity at the Sarangani Bay.

Sarangani Bay, located in the southernmost tip of the country that borders the waters with East Indonesia, is also considered to be one of the richest sources of tuna.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes cited in particular the operation of the P31-million Environmental Conservation and Protection Center (ECPC) facility that has been installed at the provincial capitol since last August. Reyes said Sarangani Gov. Miguel Dominguez has been instrumental in making sure that the ECPC research facility does not only benefit the local government but also the private sector in the cooperative joint effort to conserve Sarangani Bay.

"It is a convergence area of efforts toward the same direction which should be a template on how things can be done together by both the government and private sectors," Reyes said.

The ECPC likewise includes the P1.6 million multi-parameter water quality monitoring equipment that has also been utilized in checking the water quality in the adjacent provinces like Davao del Sur which was recently affected by a fish kill incident. And to further protect Sarangani Bay, Dominguez also embarked on a multi-million peso septage treatment facilities in at least six coastal towns in Sarangani, expected to be operational by the first quarter of next year.

Dominguez said the septage treatment facilities shall address the threat posed by environmental degradation brought about by rapid population increase and in a way also protecting the marine habitat in Sarangani Bay.

Aside from the proper coastal management of Sarangani Bay, Dominguez likewise sought the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in a land use planning project in a bid to protect the remaining forest resources of seven municipalities in the province.