DAVAO CITY — To dramatize the campaign for sustainable environmenal protection and preservation, the environment regional office here highlighted the Ocean Month celebration by holding series of activities with the the stakeholders at Mabini Protected Landscape and Seascape (MPLS), in the town of , Davao de Oro on Saturday
In a press statement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources XI stated they collaborated with the stakeholders to push this year’s Ocean Month Celebration with the there “Sustainably feeding the global population” by launching a series of simultaneous events including scubasurero, clean-up drive, coral reef enrichment planting, and photo exhibit.
Among the elected officials who joined the campaign was Kapalong mayor Maria Theresa Timbol who vowed to help in the protection and preservation of the country’s natural resources.
“We are a lowland town but the need to protect out environment is ncessary to cushion the impact of climate change,” Timbol stressed.
The Provincial Government of Davao de Oro collaborated with the DENR, LGU Mabini, and local stakeholders and volunteer groups with the members of the Mabini Protected Area Beach Resorts Owners Association (MAPABROA) in conducting a clean-up drive along the coastline of the town.
The costs was shared as resort owners also donated cash for the fabrication of reef frames which will be used to augment the coral reef rehabilitation efforts in the protected area. Meanwhile, the Davao Gulf Divers (DGD), a cause-oriented non-government organization based in Mabini, led the conduct of scubasurero and installed sixty-one (61) frames within the identified coral rehabilitation site.
At the staging area, life-sized photo panels featuring the unique biodiversity and ecosystems in MPLS were displayed to raise awareness of the values of representative species that can be found within the protected area. Moreover, attendees of the event were entertained by the mascot named “Barry” which is a Humpback Grouper or Barramundi Cod, locally known as Lapu-Lapung Buktot, that serves as the flagship and keystone species in the protected area to advocate awareness for the wise use of various coastal and marine resources.
OIC-PENR Officer Rita Fe C. Gunn shared the rationale of the Ocean Month celebration which is anchored on Proclamation No. 57 series of 1999, as well as the importance of conserving the Mabini Protected Landscape and Seascape.
Gunn described the Mabini protected areas a “Jewel of Davao Gulf”.
The activity was also attended by Mayor Emerson Luego of Mabini and other town officials, officers from the national government agencies and the Kapalong North Lady Eagles Club, among others.
