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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Just how serious is the damage that the expansion of the Iloilo Esplanade has wrought on mangroves at the Iloilo River?
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 6 has started an investigation upon the order of Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol.
According to Regional Director Remia Aparri, she is also meeting with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional director Jim Sampulna and City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) chief Noel Hechanova.
During a visit here on Aug. 8 and 9, Piñol said he was “bothered to see the construction of a pathway along the Iloilo River. Ginpang-utod ang mangroves.”
Aparri said charges may be filed against those responsible for felling the mangroves, should there be proof of violation of environmental laws.
She clarified that “forest mangrove areas are not within our jurisdiction” but DENR’s. But BFAR “can help facilitate,” she said.
BFAR, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, is the government agency responsible for the development, improvement, management and conservation of the country’s fisheries and aquatic resources. Piñol said this covered mangroves.
Aparri said the destruction of mangroves has adverse effects on marine resources.
“Mangroves are critical habitats like sea grasses and coral reefs. Dira ga-buto, ga-feed kag ga-nurse ang isda. Kun madula ang critical habitat, ang production sang isda will also be affected,” she explained.
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 nio kag mahimo kamo ka-jogging area? Is that how you prioritize development,” said the Secretary.
Piñol said he does not want to “meddle in the affairs of Iloilo City but I will question that (building an esplanade at the expense of mangroves). I don’t know how they (city government and Department of Public Works and Highways) were able to get a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).”
The Iloilo River, some 15 kilometers long, is home to an estimated 22 species of mangroves.
“We love development but do we have to build at the expense of the mangroves,” asked Piñol.
Sampulna recently expressed concern that the 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) would deprive mangroves of seawater they needed to survive.
Public Works assistant regional director Al Fruto, however, said esplanades 4 and 6 would have minimal effect on the mangroves.
Fruto said the embankments would have big cross drains for water to pass through.
The Iloilo River is actually not a river but an estuary or arm of the sea.
Fruto, however, did not discount the possibility that some mangroves may need 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.
Esplanade 1, some 1.2 kilometers long, stretched from Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to Carpenter’s Bridge in Mandurriao district. Across it on the other side of the Iloilo River was Esplanade 2. These areas have become popular recreational spaces for walking, jogging, open-air dining, and venue for river water sports.
Esplanade 1 was opened to the public in August 2012.
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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