Leyte town vows to step up coastal water protection

TACLOBAN CITY, March 9 (PNA) -- The local government unit of Palompon, Leyte vowed to sustain preservation of their coastal waters and enforce the fishery laws after it was recognized as one of the country’s outstanding coastal community this year.

Palompon Mayor Ramon Oñate said they are now more committed to stepping up local environmental management programs after winning first runner-up in the first “Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan (MMK) by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

The local government received the award on Wednesday from President Rodrigo Duterte and Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol at Malacañang Palace. 

“It’s not an easy feat. We worked hard for this the past decade and recovering after super typhoon Yolanda is a great factor,” Oñate said in a phone interview. 

“This award goes to the people of Palompon. We would also like to thank Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla and Rep. Lucy Gomez-Torres (Leyte 4th district) for their unstinted support in our town.” 

Among the local government’s initiatives are solid waste management, total ban on the catching of danggit (rabbitfish) during the spawning season from February to April, total ban on coral extraction, regulation on the use of superlight and other destructive fishing methods, and the establishment of a 24-hour patrol against illegal fishing and other violations of environmental laws.

In recognition of their efforts in the preservation of coastal waters and enforcing the fishery laws, the national government awarded PHP8 million check to the local government. They also received PHP2 million as regional winner.

Palompon is a 2nd class town with a population of 58,150. The town is 120 kilometers from Tacloban City, the regional hub. 

The town is famous for its sun-dried danggit and its jewel destination, Kalanggaman island. 

It also bagged the Hall of Fame Pearl Award as best tourism oriented local government 

(Municipality Category) in the Association of Tourism Association of the Philippines Pearl Awards 2016 last October, for winning the award for three-straight years.

The Department of Agriculture through BFAR advocates MMK to encourage the local government units to adopt best practices and promote conservation, management and sustainable development of municipal waters. 

The town of Cortes in Surigao del Sur and Calatagan in Batangas were declared MMK champion and 2nd runner-up, respectively.(PNA)
FPV/SQM/VICKY C. ARNAIZ