The city government of Dumaguete launched Wednesday its latest tourism attraction dubbed “Dive Dumaguete” with the reopening of the Banilad Marine Sanctuary in Barangay Banilad.
Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria declared the dive site open in ceremonies attended by government officials and representatives from different government agencies.
The project was made possible with the help of the Barangay Banilad Council, the Dumaguete Tourism Office, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Tourism.
A video presentation by Michael Angelo Alano, representing the Snorkelling, Diving and SportFishing Community, showed that this Reserve was modeled after the Dauin District Uno marine sanctuary in Dauin, Negros Oriental, about 20 minutes drive south of this capital.
Alano said his interest in helping the city government in developing its marine sanctuaries is mainly because he is a member angler and incorporator of “the leading sportfishing forum organization in the Philippines, www.filipinoanglers.org”.
He said he gained knowledge of the current state of fisheries in the country through the forum and how to control or reverse the depletion through responsible fishing methods.
Also, he is an auxiliary member of the 206th Squadron of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary in Negros Oriental under Cmdr. Jonathan Allere, plus he believes it is his “civic duty in helping to promote the efforts of the Bantay Dagat”.
Setting up marine sanctuaries has been a pain before because many fishermen think that their livelihood is being taken away and their food security is their utmost concern, Alano said.
He disclosed that Barangay Mangnao, which used to have a strong position against the establishment of marine sanctuaries, is now clamoring to be a marine protected area as there is no longer enough fish to catch there. Alano said they are now encouraging more fishermen in the area to support efforts to establish a marine reserve in Mangnao.
There are currently three Marine Protected Areas in Dumaguete and these are in Barangay Bantayan (Silliman Beach), Barangay Looc, and Barangay Banilad, Alano noted. (PNA)
