Old mangrove trees destroyed

ORION, Bataan—Centuries-old mangrove trees, which serve as habitats for fish and other marine creatures, have been felled by a firm constructing a dockyard at a 1.9-hectare coastal property in Barangay Sta. Elena here, angering municipal officials.

Mayor Antonio Raymundo has asked the provincial offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to determine the extent of damage to the mangrove plantation on the land now being administered by Orion Dockyard Inc., a Metro Manila-based company.

Raymundo informed the agencies that 3,990 mangrove trees (with a combined value of P319 million) and 16,720 saplings (valued at P167,200) were destroyed.

Rolando San Jose, caretaker of the Orion mangrove reforestation project, told the police that the mangrove area had been sold to Orion Dockyard in August by its owner.

A group of Japanese tourists used to visit the mangrove farm, which has since become barren area after filling materials were dumped there, Raymundo said. He said his office did not issue any permit to backfill the lot that used to host the mangrove trees.

In September, the DENR said the firm planted 10,000 mahogany trees at Liang village in Pilar town as part of its environmental initiatives.

Heeding the mayor’s request, police also investigated the loss of the mangrove forest in November.

Raymundo said the municipal government wanted the mangrove forest restored. Greg Refraccion, Inquirer Central Luzon