Mandaue considers ban on cutting, damaging mangroves
Proposed 131-hectare reclamation project in Paknaan to damage mangroves, says claimant
ANYONE caught cutting and damaging the mangroves in Mandaue City may be penalized soon.
This as the City Council is deliberating on a proposed ordinance that will save and preserve all the mangroves in the city.
City Councilor Elstone Dabon, head of the committee on agriculture, drafted Ordinance 75-2016, which will be known as the Mangrove Protection Ordinance of Mandaue City.
If approved, the measure also prohibits removing mangroves to pave the way for fishponds.
Dabon said the proposed measure is line with Presidential Decree 705 or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines and Republic Act 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998.
Productivity
“The cutting and conversion of mangroves has led to the decrease in fishery productivity, increased vulnerability to climate extremes and the decrease in resiliency of social structures and natural systems,” he said.
If approved, a violator will be fined P5,000. He or she will also be compelled to restore the damaged area.
“It is prohibited to cut, dam- age and convert mangroves to fishponds, salt beds and the like in the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Mandaue,” part of the ordinance read.
Review
The mayor’s office and the City Legal Office in coordination with the 27 barangays in Mandaue will be responsible for the implementation of the ordinance.
The council referred the measure for review to the committee on environmental protection.
After the committee renders a report, the council will hold a public hearing.
Reclamation
Earlier, a claimant lamented the imminent damage to the mangroves in the 131-hectare reclamation project in Barangay Paknaan.
Mario Florante Cabahug, who owns a portion of the proposed reclamation area, said that the P9-billion project of the City Government and a private entity that aims to build a global city in Paknaan will mean the cutting of mangroves, which cover almost half of the area.
The global city project will include a port complex, a mixeduse residential and commercial center, a casino and an entertainment complex.
Cabahug said he supports the development in the area as long as they preserve the mangroves.
“This is the only area in Mandaue, an industrial city, that has mangroves so the property is very important,” he added. FMG