Newsbriefs

BAN ON SHELL TRADE

LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Paz Radaza said the city is not threatened by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri’s proposal to ban trading in seashells.
Radaza said the pros and cons of the senator’s proposal have yet to be weighed and the city has enough livelihood projects to help those who would be affected in case a ban is enforced.
The mayor, however, said she will meet with an new organization of shellcraft traders opposed to the proposal.
Benjamin Dimaano Jr., owner of Sta. Cruz Shell Gallery Philippines Inc., said he fears the effects of a ban on small-scale shell firms.
Dimaano said their company has workers in Sta. Rosa, Olango Island, but would move to Vietnam if Zubiri’s proposal is approved.
He said the shellcraft industry should not be banned since it is dying.
“Despite laws against selling endangered shells, smugglers continue to sell them and get rich while the good, law-abiding owners of shell establishments feel the loss,” Dimaano said.
“All we are asking is for the government to implement the law properly, to arrest the smugglers and stop their illegal activities. The legitimate exporters will be greatly affected if the banning of trade in shells proceeds.”/Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos

‘CITY WILL KEEP ZOO’

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he is confident that Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia will fulfill her promise to let the city government continue operating the Cebu City Zoo in barangay Kalunasan.
Rama said the governor no longer intends to recover the zoo lot from the city to build a provincial women’s center.
“What provincial officials want is the assurance that the city won’t claim ownership of the lot, which belongs to the provincial government,” he said.
Rama, however, said he doesn’t want to preempt ongoing discussions between City Administrator Jose Mari Poblete and Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda about the ownership of the zoo lot and the Fuente Osmeña circle.
Poblete visited the Capitol last Tuesday to discuss the need for a memorandum of agreement to resolve the dispute on the ownership of the lots.
Rama said the City Council need not join the discussions on the MOA but may intervene in the court case that the province earlier filed to determine ownership of the Fuente Osmeña circle.
Rama said he wants the zoo to continue operating under manager Giovanni Romarate.
The mayor said he won’t consider the co-management proposal that Yupangco Holdings Corp., the developer of Subic Safari, earlier presented to Cebu City south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña.
“A sharing scheme would be confusing,” he said, adding that he is looking at funding improvement of the zoo.
“If we have the money, investment in a zoo is necessary. If you don’t have the feel, the touch, then you don’t develop respect for animals.” /Chief Of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac