FISHERS’ PROTEST Fishermen and groups supporting them hold a fluvial parade in October 2021 to oppose a reclamation project backed by the local government of Consolacion in Cebu province. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CEBU CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Central Visayas has recalled its earlier decision giving the municipal government of Consolacion in Cebu province permission to proceed with its 235.8-hectare reclamation project.
Allan Poquita, BFAR regional director, informed Consolacion Mayor Joannes Alegado that his office was withdrawing its letter of no objection (Lono) issued on June 28, 2021.
In a letter on March 2, Poquita said the regional office had no authority to issue a Lono for the application of area clearance, considering the size of the proposed reclamation.
“[The] issuing authority rests [with] the bureau’s national director Eduardo Gongona,” he wrote.
Poquita, however, did not explain in his letter why a Lono was given to Consolacion when his office had no authority to do so.
Instead, he assured Alegado that he would endorse Consolacion’s application to the BFAR central office “for appropriate action.”
The BFAR earlier issued a Lono to the Consolacion reclamation project, attesting that no marine ecosystem would be affected by the proposed project.
But fishermen in Consolacion and the neighboring cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, protested, saying they had been fishing in the waters off Barangay Tayud, the proposed reclamation site.
They lamented that they were never consulted about the project either by the municipal government or the BFAR.
Sought for comment on Thursday, Alegado said the BFAR’s withdrawal might be connected to boundary issues.
“I surmise that this stemmed from some boundary issues between [the nearby] Mandaue [City] and Consolacion. As of now, we are in talks with Mandaue to settle our disputes. Both local governments are applying and in the process of doing reclamation projects,” he said in a text message to the Inquirer.
The proposed reclamation, which would be done in partnership with Consolacion and a private consortium, has drawn staunch opposition, especially from environmentalists and fisherfolk affected by the project.
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