BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Creating a marine sanctuary in Lakawon Island, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental is being pushed.
On Sunday, March 26, mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. and the media were given access to the island’s Giant Clam Village.
The 1.3-hectare mollusk habitat is currently growing more than 2,000 giant clams, not including the juveniles also present.
At least four species of the Giant Clam inhabit the village: Tridacna squamosa, Tridacna crosea, Hippopus hippopus, and Tridacna maxima.
Aside from the giant clams, the area is also inhabited by several species of seahorses, clownfish, and corals.
Escalante said there is an existing ordinance declaring the Giant Clam Village as a protected area.
There was also a bill filed before the House of Representatives during the term of former Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Escalante added.
“Maybe there is a need to revive or re-file [the bill],” Escalante said.
If the area is declared a marine sanctuary, Escalante said it would help improve eco-tourism in the island.
The city invested in a glass-bottomed boat for tourists to see the giant clams.
The Giant Clam Village is maintained by a local marine conservationist group led by Hereliza Osorio, a former employee at the Lakawon Island Resort.
During the pandemic, Osorio lost her job and was forced to return home to Sara, Iloilo, but she did not want to leave the giant clams she had been nurturing.
Osorio sought help from the Office of the City Agriculturist of Cadiz City. She was hired to continue her work on the giant clams and to create environmental awareness.
Giant clams serve as filter feeders, cleaning the water of pollutants as they ingest algae or plankton, according to Endangered Species International.
Giant clams are currently tagged as “Vulnerable” and were placed on the “Red List” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In the Philippines, it is illegal to harvest and export giant clams. Violators could face up to three years in jail and fines of up to P3 million./PN
