Tañon Strait yields P57M in fees

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2016/03/13/tanon-strait-yields-p57m-fees-462266
• Saturday, March 12, 2016

By Justin K. Vestil

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 was able to collect around P57 million in user’s fees from industries that maintain facilities within the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS).

DENR 7 Executive Director Isabelo Montejo said that there are other establishments that have yet to pay user’s fee.

Montejo said that the collection will be used to fund activities that promote the protection and management of TSPS. The activities include information dissemination and law enforcement.

Montejo said that the DENR is also working with other government agencies and civil society groups for the creation of a general management plan for Tañon Strait.

Plan

The general management plan includes the rehabilitation and protection of around 18,337 hectares of corals and 5,000 mangroves.

The implementation of the management plan will be the sole responsibility of the Protected Areas Management Bureau (PAMB), which is composed of local government units located within the TSPS.

Industries that regularly pay user’s fees include Toledo Power Company, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines for its underwater cable connecting Samboan, Cebu and Amlan in Negros Oriental, and beach resorts.

The collection of user’s fees is mandated by Republic Act 10629.

The Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance in Region (Clear) 7 also reported arrests made by seaborne patrols last year.

Enforcement

Andres Bojos, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 director and a member of Clear 7, said that law enforcement efforts led to the apprehension and prosecution of four commercial fishing vessels.

Bojos said that the apprehensions will serve as a “chilling effect” on illegal fishermen who will try to operate within TSPS.

Commercial fishing boats are banned in the TSPS. The whole strait is classified as part of the municipal waters of 42 towns and cities fronting the seascape.

The Tañon Strait was declared a protected seascape to protect the 14 species of dolphins and whales that consider the area their habitat.

It is the largest marine protected area in the country, covering an area of more than 521,000 hectares that fall within the jurisdiction of two regions and three provinces—Cebu, Bohol and Negros.

Although it was declared protected in 1998 yet, its PAMB was only able to convene in February 2015.

Lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos of Oceana Philippines said that one of their accomplishments after the first TSPS PAMB general assembly is the passage of the amended Fisheries Code.