Source : INQ7.net, Philippines, 19 Mar '05
By : Connie E. Fernandez
  

Peña, or Manong Dodong to his friends, is one of about 200 people, including government officials and fisherfolk, who signed up for the squadron on a long-term task to "conserve, protect and restore" the wealth of the sea.

"I love the sea. I have been a diving instructor for 50 years and I saw how beautiful the sea was. But over the years, I have also seen how it has deteriorated," said Manong Dodong, a former pilot and air traffic comptroller.

He said he wanted to do his share to restore and protect the sea for his five children and eight grandchildren.

The Visayan Sea, comprising about one million hectares, is the heart of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Triangle, bounded by Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Considered the richest marine eco-region in the world, covering the Visayan provinces of Iloilo, Cebu, Negros Occidental and Masbate, it was once dubbed the "Alaska of the Philippines" because it contained an array of fish species and corals, more than the entire Caribbean Sea.

Like anything in abundance, the Visayan Sea has been abused. Destructive fishing methods, such as the use of explosives and cyanide, and over-fishing have taken their toll on Visayan Sea. Ninety-five percent of marine life and 99 percent of corals have been lost as a result.

With the Visayan Sea on the verge of collapse, something has to be done fast.

Concept

In May 2003, then Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Maranon raised the idea of patrolling the Visayan Sea to protect it from illegal fishers to environmentalist lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr.

Maranon was serving his last term as representative of the province's second district, while Oposa, chair of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-National Environmental Action Plan, had just published his two books on environment laws and the environment.

The outgoing congressman took a map and pointed at the Visayan Sea. Oposa then raised the idea to Capt. Rudy Estampador, president of the Maritime Services and Marine Inc., who is his partner in the sail and dive expedition.

Estampador explained that he and Oposa would sail to a coastal municipality and dive to check its marine life. Then, they would conduct teach-ins to the youth in the area about the need to protect marine life.

Slowly, the VSS project started to take shape with a mission to eradicate illegal fishing practices through three components-education, engineering and enforcement.

Core team

The squadron will have a core team of two teachers, four divers, and two or three law enforcement officers. Other members are volunteer fishermen, divers, fish wardens, and Bantay Dagat personnel of participating local government units.

Volunteers will be trained on procedures pertaining to the arrest and prosecution of illegal fishers because part of their task is to search and destroy the supply lines of blasting powder and sodium cyanide.

National agencies will provide logistical support to the squadron. Among them are the Coast Guard (maritime safety), Navy (gunboat to escort the members), National Bureau of Investigation (intelligence gathering and investigation) and the Department of Agriculture (rice subsidy to volunteers).

The volunteer fishermen will be given two kilos of rice per day to compensate for the days that they are not able to earn money to buy food for their families.

Each motorized boat will bear the Philippine flag as a symbol of unity and of what they are fighting for, as well as to scare away illegal fishermen, Oposa said.

He said the team would spend five to six days per trip from March to June 30, this year up to 2010.

The squadron intends to conduct 50 "explorations" during the five-year period. It will not conduct patrol operations in July, when the rainy season starts.

Operation

The VSS members will conduct patrol operations and sail to a coastal town considered a "hot spot" to conduct a survey on the marine resources. This month, their first stop will be northern Cebu.

The group will report its findings to the chief executive of the local government unit concerned, with a warning that it will be back within one year to check if something has been done. If no action was taken, charges of neglect of duty will be filed against the mayor before the environmental Ombudsman.

The VSS will then advise the mayor that at least 15 percent of the municipal waters must be devoted to a marine sanctuary in accordance with Republic Act No. 8550 or the Fisheries Code of the Philippines.

Volunteers will also organize the fisherfolk, especially the youth, and teach them about the need to conserve and protect seas. The youth will be taught about the law to help eradicate illegal fishing in their area.

As some of its volunteers are lawyers, the group will assist the LGUs in drafting and preparing ordinances on marine protection. They will assist the fisherfolk in developing options for sustainable alternative sources of livelihood.

The Law of Nature Foundation, headed by Oposa, will serve as overall team leader to coordinate the activities and call on other government agencies to help enforce and prosecute cases of illegal fishing.

The foundation, along with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Bar Association, will form a legal panel to assist squadron members who may be the subject of a harassment suit while performing their duties.

Maiden voyage

The VSS was launched at the Bantayan Marine Sanctuary in Sta. Fe on March 12.

Governors Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu, Joseph Mara¤on of Negros Occidental, and Neil Tupas of Iloilo, and Environment Secretary Michael Defensor and his predecessor, Eliza Gozun, came in a show of support and commitment to the campaign.

About 200 people, including local officials of Bantayan, Cebu and Masbate, PBA officials, personnel from the NBI, Coast Guard, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Navy, divers and fishers, signed a "Bantayan Island Declaration of Commitment" as an expression of their "collective will to restore the abundance and former glory of the Visayan Sea."

They vowed to pool their resources and create a "unified" VSS squadron.

The local officials promised to give their consent when the squadron entered their municipal waters for patrol or pursuit operations.

No politics, please

The declaration also carried a clause on "non-intervention by political personalities" in case their friends, relatives or political leaders were caught and later prosecuted for illegal fishing.

"Any person or public official who will unduly interfere shall be reported to the team leader. The team leader shall then cause the investigation and, where warranted, the filing of the appropriate charges against the person for obstruction of justice, or if a public officer, for violation of the Code of Conduct of Public Officials, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices, violation of human rights, etc.," it stated.

The signatories agreed to review and harmonize their ordinances in accordance with the standard set by the Fisheries Code.

The VSS squadron appears to be an ambitious campaign, but with the political will, determination and commitment of the people involved, especially the concerned local officials, it can be done.

They only have to remember one thing: "In the laws of nature, there is no right or wrong, no reward or punishment, but only consequences."

Those interested to extend help in the form of volunteer divers, boats, logistics and moral support may email <thelawofnature@axti.com>