Aerial view of Panggungan Island in Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi—the focus of coral rehabilitation efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR). (Photo courtesy of Sitangkai MPS)
Bongao, Tawi-Tawi— The Bangsamoro Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reforms (MAFAR) recently hold a meeting with local officials in Sitangkai to discuss coral rehabilitation efforts.
On July 1, delegations from MAFAR headed by Bangsamoro Director General for Fisheries Services Pendatun Patarasa thoroughly discussed coral rehabilitation measures with Mayor Tiblan Ahaja focusing on the coral reef damages caused by a ship grounding in Panggungan Island (also known as Panguan Island) in the municipality of Sitangkai.
In a message sent by Patarasa, he said that Panggungan coral reefs suffered damage when a ship was grounded in the area.
“Ito ay kailangan nating marehab dahil nasira po ito ng isang sumadsad na barko noong last year. At dahil na din sa request ng LGU upang maka recover at maging protected areas at ecotourism site ang lugar,” Patarasa said.
[We need to rehabilitate it due to damage caused by a ship aground last year. And because the LGU requested to help its recovery and eventually become a protected area and ecotourism site.]
With the military personnel of the marine detachment stationed there, MAFAR proposed several countermeasures, primarily to protect the coral reefs.
Provincial office of MAFAR stressed that improving the monitoring program, implementing habitat protection measures, fostering community engagement, and using artificial reefs to support the rehabilitation program were some of the identified strategies as mitigation measures to salvage the coral reefs.
Panggungan Island is the southwestern island frontier of the Philippines nearest to the Philippine-Malaysian border. The island, which was previously used by kidnappers, smugglers, and other lawless groups to exploit the vulnerable and marginal Sama-Badjao tribe, was only liberated by the Philippine Marines from pirates and other lawless elements in April 2017.
To complement local awareness, MAFAR also conducted a one-day refresher on the salient features of Fisheries Law on July 2 with an emphasis on the conservation of the natural resources of Sitangkai.
Sitangkai often referred to as the “Venice of the South” is home to many kinds of marine products such as seaweeds and other fisheries resources.
The presence of more visible efforts from the BARMM government in agri-fishery productivity and food security through its various initiatives highlights the collaborative commitment to a peaceful, sustainable development of marine resources and a thriving and resilient ecosystem for the future of Bangsamoro. (Laila Aripin/BIO with reports from MAFAR Tawi-Tawi)
