Groups call for clear tourism regulation

An association of tourism stakeholders in Lapu-Lapu City is calling for clear regulations on tourism-related activities, especially those that maybe hazardous to the environment and public safety.

The Ocean Care Advocates, an association of resorts, diveshops and boat operators cited the case of the Yellow Submarine, a tourist submarine which reportedly hit and damaged corals along its path.

It is important to have clear regulations especially in marine and aquatic tourism activities as the coastal and marine ecosystems are already in fragile condition.

Mario Marababol, administrative officer of Ocean Care, stated that 80 percent of the country’s corals are in various stages of deterioration, and only 10 percent are in excellent condition.

Ocean Care according to Marababol is holding a series of public awareness raising activities on the importance of conservation work in our coastal and marine environment as part of the Coral Triangle Day celebration on June 9.

The Coral Triangle refers to the tropical marine waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste that is recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity.

The decline in the health of coral reefs in the country, especially in Cebu province, said Marababol, a marine biologist, “can be attributed to many factors like human activities related to illegal fishing, garbage to overpopulation and climate change.”

For tourism-related activities, he said there should be a lead government agency to regulate it.

It can be recalled that the country’s lead maritime regulatory agency, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) was in a quandary over what policy to apply to the Yellow Submarine incident, as current policies only refer to surface watercrafts, and none for submersible watercraft.

The Yellow Submarine is the country’s first submersible watercraft that caters to tourists.

Marababol further cited weak enforcement of existing environmental laws like the Wildlife Resources and Conservation Act and the Fisheries Code of 1998 to the decline of coastal and marine resources.

Among the activities Ocean Care is holding in relation to the Coral Triangle Day are coastal clean up in barangays Ibo, Buaya, Mactan and Punta Engaño, all in Lapu-Lapu City and underwater clean-up or scubasurero in barangays Maribago and Marigondon.

“The northern barangays are chosen for the coastal clean-up because of the northern monsoon or amihan. Marigondon and Maribago are chosen for the scubasurero,” said Marababol.

He added that they monitor garbage mostly plastics in areas where there are public beaches.

Marababol said the garbage they monitor drifting to Mactan Island, a major tourism destination are domestic wastes coming from mainland Cebu.

Mangrove planting activities will also be done in barangay Kalawisan.

Coral Triangle Day activities said Marababol are jointly sponsored by the private sector – mostly tourism stakeholders in Lapu-Lapu City, non-government organizations and government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Coast Guard. /Joy Cherry Quito and BenCyrus G. Ellorin