Officials from Negros Occidental, Iloilo, and Cebu signed a covenant over the weekend geared towards the conservation, protection, and restoration of the Visayan Sea, during the 9th Visayan Sea Summit on Sicogon Island, part of Carles, Iloilo.
Among the signatories were Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr.; Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr.; Bureau of Fisheries and Natural Resources (BFAR) Director Eduardo Gongona; Baltazar Tribunalo, Jr., on behalf of Cebu Governor Hilario Davide; alongside mayors from the Iloilo province and other officials.
According to the agreement, officials vowed to cooperate and promote the conservation, protection, and restoration of the Visayan Sea; adopt a management framework for the said items; and collaborate and cooperate with the formation of a “Visayan Sea Fishery Management Area.”
The covenant also established the Visayan Sea Fishery Management Area Council, which will be composed of the governors and BFAR directors for Regions 5, 6, and 7.
Involved local government units (LGUs) were also tasked with carrying out similar policies over waters within their respective jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, Gongona pledged to donate a monitoring control and survey vessel (MCS) and 38-foot patrol boats to LGUs located along the Visayan Sea.
In his address to those gathered, Marañon recounted a story where he accompanied former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Angel Alcala on missions to chase down illegal fishermen.
He said the donations by BFAR would act as a deterrent for future illegal fishing activities./WDJ
Officials from Negros Occidental, Iloilo, and Cebu signed a covenant over the weekend geared towards the conservation, protection, and restoration of the Visayan Sea. (Richard Malihan photo)