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[av_heading heading=’ Drilon slams ‘negative’ esplanade reports ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Sen. Franklin Drilon criticized the press for “highlighting the negative” when he inaugurated Phase 3 of the Iloilo Esplanade, his pet project.
He played down the adverse effects of the esplanade’s expansion to mangroves at the Iloilo River.
“The entire project is forgotten because of the way the press is highlighting the negative. I wish there could be less negative publicity than I see,” said Drilon on Saturday.
During a visit here on Aug. 8 and 9, Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he was “bothered to see the construction of a pathway along the Iloilo River. Ginpang-utod ang mangroves.”
He ordered the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 6 to conduct an investigation.
Drilon said Iloilo River’s mangroves will be “preserved.” “The situation” was being addressed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), he added.
Once completed, the Iloilo Esplanade will be the longest in the country at 7.5 kilometers, said Drilon.
“And yet the emphasis of the press is (on) the few mangroves na tinatamaan. We will not…we assure you we are conscious of the duty to preserve these mangroves,” said Drilon.
Piñol said Iloilo City is unique because it is only one of a few cities in the country with mangrove areas.
“I don’t know why we should destroy such a beautiful area, the mangrove area, to build something where people will jog and run,” he said.
Mangroves are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous goods and services both to the marine environment and people. They are home to a large variety of crab, shrimp, and mollusk species, too. These fisheries form an essential source of food for coastal communities.
“Karun gub-on n’yo kag mahimo kamo ka-jogging area? Is that how you prioritize development,” asked Piñol.
Drilon said he was assured by DPWH and DENR “that they will follow the law.”
He recalled that Iloilo River’s mangroves were preserved when phases 1 and 2 of the esplanade were being constructed.
“In fact we planted more mangroves,” said Drilon.
The Iloilo Esplanade (phase 1), some 1.2 kilometers long, was formally opened on Aug. 19, 2012 as part of efforts to rehabilitate the Iloilo River and enhance its tourism and economic potentials. Built at a cost of P58.7 million, it stretched from Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to Carpenter’s Bridge in Mandurriao district.
The area is now a popular recreational space for walking, jogging, open-air dining, and venue for river water sports.
Across Iloilo Esplanade 1 on the other side of the Iloilo River is the Esplanade 2. Phase 3 that Drilon inaugurated on Saturday was from the Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue to Jalandoni Bridge in Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz district.
Construction of phase 4 and phase 6 is ongoing. This involves land reclamation for an embankment from Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue Bridge to Jalandoni Bridge (Esplanade 4) and all the way to Forbes Bridge (Esplanade 6).
Public Works assistant regional director Al Fruto said esplanades 4 and 6 would have minimal effect on the mangroves, following concerns that DENR director Jim Sampulna expressed.
Fruto said the embankments would have big cross drains for saltwater to pass through – water that mangroves need to thrive.
The Iloilo River is actually not a river but an estuary or arm of the sea. Some 15 kilometers long, it is home to an estimated 22 species of mangroves.
Fruto did not discount the possibility that some mangroves may have to be transplanted elsewhere at the Iloilo River.
In this case, the earth-balling method would be observed, he said.
Earth-balling is the process of moving a plant by digging out the earth and the roots in a circular shape, leaving most of the root system undisturbed.
“We cannot say with 100-percent certainty that no mangroves would be affected by the esplanade’s expansion. But our past experience showed we even enhanced the growth of mangroves at the esplanade,” said Fruto.
DPWH secretary Mark Villar, who was also here on Saturday, agreed it was important to preserve the Iloilo River mangroves.
“We are very sensitive sa environmental concerns at gumagawa kami ng infrastructures that are environmentally acceptable,” he stressed.
The Iloilo River, passing through 35 barangays, is a source of livelihood for fisherfolk and a habitat and nursery for many fish species, thanks mainly to the lush mangroves growing on its banks./PN
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