CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The proposed restoration project for corals damaged within the 12-hectare marine protected area in Barangay Bonbon here after an underwater cable installation activity by a telecommunications company in 2022 has yet to start.
THE city government of Cagayan de Oro, together with various government agencies, conducts a clean-up drive at Bayabas Marine Fish Sanctuary in Cagayan de Oro City on September 20, 2020, in celebration of International Coastal Clean-up Day. (Photo courtesy of ELambatan of the Agriculture Productivity Operations Office)
Pablo Rojas Jr., fisheries division chief of the Agriculture Productivity Operations Office here, explained that coral reef rehabilitation is a very technical project that needs a well-planned intervention.
Rojas said that they cannot start without the money committed by the independent contractor of the DITO Telecommunity Corp.
“Without the money, we cannot promise that we can start or kick off,” Rojas said on Tuesday, January 30, and warned of further damage if they start the project without enough funds.
Based on the City Mayor’s Office’s letter to the city council last September 28, Huawei Marine Technologies, the independent contractor, installed DITO’s submarine fiber optic cable within the marine protected area in the barangay in June 2022.
A team composed of representatives from city government offices and government agencies conducted a monitoring dive in July 2022 and discovered various damages such as abrasions on massive corals, dislodgement of branching corals, and fragmentation of branching coral forms.
Section 96, Paragraph 2, of Republic Act (RA) No. 10654, amending RA No. 8550, or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, states that “it shall also be unlawful for any person, corporation, or entity to commit any activity that damages coral reefs.”
Rojas asserted that the contractor allegedly did not inform them what transpired after the installation activity, narrating that DITO was worried when it was informed.
According to DITO’s letter to the City Legal Office here signed by Benedicto Lacsamana, director of DITO’s construction, acquisition, and permitting division, it said that the company does not have any control over its independent contractor’s activities.
However, Huawei Marine Technologies has agreed to pay P1.4 million to resolve the matter, and that they are ready to take necessary actions to mitigate the impact, the contractor’s letter to DITO on May 17, 2023 said.
On January 29, the city council passed proposed Ordinance No. 2024-371 authorizing Mayor Rolando Uy as the representative of the city government to enter into and sign the settlement agreement with the DITO Telecommunity Corp. covering the restoration project amounting to P1.4 million.
“We’re very happy because we have been waiting for so long,” Rojas said.
Rojas said the agreement was endorsed for the city council’s session agenda just this year because they took time exchanging a series of communications on the matter.
In the meantime, while waiting for the restoration project to start, the fisheries division is just relying on the idea that coral reefs can heal by themselves as they are situated within the marine protected area. They also enhanced the guarding and enforcement by the localities to ensure no further damage.
The fisheries division chief emphasized the significance of protecting these coral reefs as it would provide a safe haven for certain marine species.
“This is not only about the payment after the damage, but this is about losing the time and opportunity of these corals to house and nurse potential baby fish,” Rojas added.