Mindanao Daily NEWS ENVIRONMENT
A8 • Today is wednesday, AUGUST 5, 2015 • Editor: Ruel V. Pelone • E-mail: ruel_pelone2002@yahoo.com
WeatherTODAY Southwest Monsoon affecting Mindanao. Meanwhile, as of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of Typhoon “SOUDELOR” (International Name) outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) was located based on all available data at 1,720 kilometers east of Luzon (18.9N, 137.9E) with maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 250 kph. It is forecast to move west northwest at 20 kph.
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source : pagasa
By BONG D. FABE Contributing Editor
JASAAN, Misamis Oriental — If there is one another thing that STEAG State Power, Inc. (SPI) would like to be known for, aside from “Empowering Mindanao,” it is this: putting premium on partnerships to protect the fragile environment of its host communities. SPI has undertaken various programs and projects with both private and public sectors to protect the environment in an effort to ensure the sustainable future of these communities. And it is not surprising that environmental protection is at the top of its agenda, aside of course from delivering efficient, reliable, and safe power to the Mindanao Grid because “preserving the environment or environmental conservation is in the corporate DNA of SPI,” according to its president and CEO Dr. Bodo Goerlich. It is this principle or DNA that impelled SPI to enter into collaborative effort with the local government unit of Jasaan and provincial government of Misamis Oriental to arrest at one go the deterioration of two of the province’s jewels —Agutayan White Island and the Macajalar Bay. “We continually desire to live up to our promise of helping improve the quality of life of the people and protect our fragile environment by practicing good corporate citizenship and undertaking programs and projects designed to benefit our host communities here in Misamis Oriental,” Goerlich said. Located in Macajalar Bay, the Agutayan White Island is a crescent-shaped sandbar approximately 5,000 square meters sitting on a 4.5 Marine Protected Area (MPA) situated in the middle of the 1,000 square kilometers Macajalar Bay, a major fishing ground in Misamis Oriental. It can be reached through a 30-45 minutes ride on a motorized banca from Barangay Jampason, Jasaan. Protection from further deterioration Macajalar Bay is an important resource in Misamis
GIFT. STEAG State Power, Inc. (SPI) president and CEO Dr. Bodo Goerlich hands over a gift to Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny “Bambi” Emano during the turn-over ceremony of the Agutayan Watch Tower. Mindanao Daily News photo by Bong D. Fabe
WATCH TOWER. Visitors to the Agutayan White Island, with the Watch Tower at the background, hurry back to their motorized bancas before the “island,” just a sandbar in the middle of the Macajalar Bay, completely disappears as water rises due to the high tide. Mindanao Daily News photo by Bong D. Fabe Oriental as it is a major source of food resources in Northern Mindanao and the final catchment basin of major water tributaries in the province. But this primary source of aquatic resources in the province and region is facing serious threats because of the rapid increase in economic activities, said marine biologist Josefino Bascug, a provincial consultant on environmental concerns. Aside from increase in economic activities, other factors that contributed to the deterioration of the Bay
are coastal resource mismanagement, population growth and coastal migration, said the Macajalar Bay Development Alliance (MBDA). The deterioration of the Bay has already affected the entire marine ecosystem, Bascug said. And the main culprit is improper solid waste management in the towns and cities surrounding the Bay. According to Amir Elazegue leader of Scuba de Oro and brother-in-law of Gov. Yevgeny “Bambi” Emano, his group picks up
at least 10 kilos of garbage everytime they dive in the waters around Agutayan. “This sandbar is formed by the natural water movement in Macajalar Bay. Chances are, if you throw your trash anywhere in the coast, it will come here,” said Elazegue, a member of PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), an international organization of dive instructors. Which is why he urged everyone to be mindful in throwing their garbage. MBDA also said that coral cover in the Bay has
been declining from 59% in 1997 down to 39% in 2008. Human disregard for corals and illegal activities are two reasons for the decline in the number of healthy corals in the Bay. Corals are very important especially since the Philippines is a part of a marine region located in the western Pacific Ocean comprising the Coral Triangle, where 76% of the world’s coral species live. The Philippines has the richest concentration of marine life and ecosystems in the entire planet thus making it the “Global Center of Marine Biodiversity.” And Agutayan is an important component of this marine biodiversity. “The Watch Tower will be used to protect the Bay and Agutayan,” said Gov. Emano. The Watch Tower is the product of a collaborative effort of the government, private sector and community stakeholders aimed at promoting a good balance of economic progress, social development and environmental conservation. The Watch Tower, a two-storey structure, has a total floor area of about 84 meters. The first level
accommodates the observation room and viewing deck, while the second level occupies the lantern room and the catwalk. The lantern room includes the electrical area and two pieces of led lights that shall be powered by solar energy through a solar panel. For Goerlich, the Watch Tower is a “symbol of the very strong partnership between SPI and the local government unit of Misamis Oriental” not only in terms of protecting the Bay but also in strengthening the province’s Tourism Framework for Ecotourism Development. Secure Misamisnons brighter future The Agutayan Watch Tower will “help secure a brighter future for Filipinos in this part of Mindanao,” said Goerlich. “And we in SPI are privileged to have been given this opportunity to once again participate and contribute to the realization of our fair and collective vision of sustainable development.” Goerlich explained that the project is one of the many ways SPI is helping improve the quality of life of the people in its host communities. Ecotourism is one of the main programs of Emano’s administration. Thus, the young provincial chief executive sees to it that the Bay is protected, especially since it is a declared Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Misamis Oriental that provides a favorable breeding ground for endangered marine species. As an MPA, Agutayan Island is essential for the attainment of a health balance of marine biodiversity for the entire expanse of the Macajalar Bay. Elazegue, who has logged more than 2,000 dives in Agutayan in the last 7 years, said that he has “seen species here that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world.” He identified such species as Devil Rays (pagi), Eagle Rays, and Thresher Sharks, among others. “We have Devil Rays but we take them for granted because fishermen see them all the time. But as See partners, page A11