DENR: Most of Cebu’s corals are damaged

In light of the Ocean Month and International Year of the Reefs, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)7 has found out that majority of Cebu province's corals have been damaged.

Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Management Program (CMEMP) Regional Focal Person Lorenz Gideon Esmero, during Kapihan sa PIA Forum, said natural and man-made elements caused the damage in the corals.

He also stated that after establishing their random sample grid assessments, they have concluded that the province's average percentage of living corals are between 10 and 25 percent, which has been classified as poor by the DENR.

Although it has been recorded that Sibonga's percentage of living corals are between 36 and 88 percent, which is classified as fair to excellent, the lowest recorded percentage has been taken in Barangay Tindog in Medellin, Cebu with a recorded percentage of 3.5 percent.

"Ang AR, taas kaayo nang cost kay mag-establish pa ka og nursery sa ilawom unya magkuha pa sad mo og mga tao. Daghan na'g cost jud. Compared sa mag-protect ra ka, ang portion sa reef gwardyahan ra sa bantay-dagat. Wa kay lain buhaton," said Esmero.

Esmero also said that to protect the corals, they implemented Green Fins approach, which is a voluntary code of conduct mainly for Scuba Divers to protect the reefs from any harm.

In line with both Ocean Month and International Year of the Reefs, University of Philippines (UP) and the National Taiwan University, alongside with the DENR, will be holding a three-day World Experts Lecture Series on Marine Soundscape at UP-Cebu on May 14-16 with experts Dr. Lin Tzu-Hao from Taiwan and Dr. Akamatsu Tomonari from Japan.