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BY HERBERT VEGO
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Tuesday, May 9, 2017
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Syudad sang ILOILO – Patay ang isa sa duha ka high-value targets sa pagduso sang ilegal nga droga kag subjects sa warrant of arrest para sa kaso nga two counts of murder sa operasyon sang Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 6 sa Barangay Ticud, La Paz alas-3:34 sang hapon kahapon. Gindeklarar nga dead-on-arrival sa West Visayas Medical Center si Aslani Ansari alyas Boy nga nakaagom sang pilas sa lawas. Na-aresto naman ang upod sini nga si Alex Mapandi alyas Angari/Agie, 31. Sandig sa report halin kay Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, hepe sang CIDG-6, upod ang mga katapo sang Special Weapons And Tactics kag Iloilo City Polic
ANYBODY who has boarded a ship passing by the Iloilo-Antique periphery must have seen the 64-hectare Nogas Island even at night. The island under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Anini-y, Antique is where a lighthouse blinks the light that indicates the maritime route’s turning point.
How the island got its name is the stuff that a legendary tale is made of. According to this local legend, this Island was formed after two lovers named Anini and Nogas had broken their promises to their fairy God Mother. That legend says that that their boat capsized due to big waves summoned by the fairy God Mother. On the spot where Nogas and Anini were last seen rose a white-sand island full of mangroves.
Today, Nogas is a day-time tourist spot directly facing Sira-an Hot Spring (earlier featured in this column). The only permanent man-made structure thereat is the lighthouse facility maintained by the Philippine Coast Guard. A cleared pathway crossing the calachuchi plantation leads visitors directly to the lighthouse location.
The lighthouse is a tourist destination by itself. It has a spiral stairway to the top, where a tourist gets a breath-taking view of the surrounding white-sand and coral-lined beaches.
Bamboo-and-nipa picnic cottages for visitors to rest and eat their food provision surround a portion of the shoreline at the embarkation point. Visitors are allowed to stay in the island until 5 p.m.
The interior of the island beneath the lighthouse is congested with mangrove trees.
The eastern side of the island is somewhat rocky because of the soft corals that dot the shoreline. But the other side beckons swimmers to hit its crystal-clear sea. In fact, the Divers Association of the Philippines encourages divers from Boracay to also come to Nogas. An ideal spot very near the island is marked in their map.
The diving area is rich in 21 identified species of seaweeds.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assessed Nogas and declared it a “marine sanctuary.” It has a live coral cover of 73.64 percent. Four species of sea grasses have been discovered there. The bed of marine vegetation promotes grazing, spawning and breeding of fishes, seashells and other invertebrates.
The marine sanctuary has a high fish biomass of 246.54 grams per square meter.
Some 32 species of birds inhabit the island, including rare ones. The tabon, a flightless bird that lay eggs on the ground, is on the verge of extinction.
To prevent further obliteration of Nogas’ natural resources, the municipality of Anini-y has mobilized the Nogas Island Development Council (NIDC) aimed at conserving bio-diversity. It aims to enhance proper utilization of marine resources, maintain maximum sustainable yield for fisherfolk, and increase the people’s productivity and income.
Nogas Island is accessible by rentable motorized boats on standby at Siraan Hot Spring. Each boat, which has a maximum number of 10 passengers, costs P500 to rent round-trip anytime between sun-up and sundown. Overnight stay-in is prohibited. The 1.5-kilometer distance is reachable in 10 to 15 minutes, depending on boat and sea conditions.
If I may add, time seems to have stood still between 1982 and the present year when I first visited and last visited, respectively, Nogas Island. The place looks perpetually the same – as it should be, being a marine-life sanctuary.
Finally, thanks to Billy Plazuelo, an employee of Anini-y’s municipal planning office, for accompanying me while doing research for this article. (hvego@yahoo.com/PN)
e Office, plano nila nga i-serbe ang warrant of arrest para sa kaso nga two counts of murder kontra sa duha sang nagluntad ang insidente. Ginapasuni nga nagbatu si Ansari paagi sa pagtiro sa isa sa mga katapo sang CIDG-6 rason nga na-puersa ang mga otoridad nga magbalos kabangdanan sang iya kamatayon. Narekober naman sa paghinakop sang duha ang duha ka mga pusil kag pila ka plastic sachets sang ginapatihan shabu. Sa interbyu naman sang mga katapo sang media kay Senior Insp. Rey Sumagaysay, hepe sang La Paz PNP, sanday Ansari kag Mapandi ang ginatudlo mga suspek sa pagpatay paagi sa pagsunog sa isa ka Muslim nga nasapwan nga naputos sa plastic sa circumferential road sa Brgy. Balabago, Jaro sang tinalikdan nga bulan./H
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