Borongan folk say no to seawall construction
TACLOBAN CITY—Government officials and residents in Borongan City have slammed the proposed construction of a seawall in the Eastern Samar provincial capital, fearing this would disrupt the marine ecosystem in the area.
Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said that while the project was commendable as it was aimed at protecting lives and properties of residents, the seawall planned to be built in Barangay Lalawigan would also result in damage to or destruction of beaches, coral reefs and marine life.
“The reef system is our best defense against calamities, having recently discovered that corals are present even beyond the shoreline,” he said.
Concerns
Lalawigan is one of the city’s sites for surfing and Agda stressed that having a seawall in the area would impact on Borongan’s thriving surfing tourism.
Residents, most of whom are fishermen, also raised concerns about how their livelihood would be affected by the proposed project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Agda said the city government did not ask the DPWH to build this 1.365-kilometer seawall, which costs P864 million.
“Its impending threats to the Lalawigan fisherfolk’s livelihood were also seen as a paramount concern, with the seawall threatening to [obstruct] the fishermen’s docking area,” he said.
Agda said local officials were not consulted by the DPWH about the proposed project.
The mayor said he would write the DPWH to formalize the city’s sentiments against the project in Lalawigan, which is about 2 km away from the city center.