ILOILO CITY — Provincial governors will gather on Friday to sign a covenant of commitment for the adoption of a framework for the conservation, protection and restoration of the Visayan Sea fisheries management area.
The governors attending the 10th Visayas Sea Governors Summit at Sheridan Boutique Resort in Oton, Iloilo, are from the five provinces whose jurisdiction includes the Visayan Sea.
Felina Grace Basco, agriculturist II of the Provincial Agriculture Office, said those who have confirmed their attendance are Governors Arthur Defensor Sr. of Iloilo, Antonio del Rosario of Capiz and Alfredo Marañon of Negros Occidental.
Governors Hilario Davide III of Cebu and Antonio Kho of Masbate are sending representatives during the summit, Basco said in an interview on Thursday.
Among the main topics in the summit are the milestones of the governors in their continuous efforts to save the Visayan Sea to be discussed by renowned Filipino environmentalist Antonio Oposa.
Basco said the governors will also sign a covenant of commitment for the adoption of the Ecosystems Approach to Fisheries Management.
The framework has three priority goals — to restore the fishery resources and rehabilitate habitats of the Visayan Sea; sustain livelihoods, both fishery and non-fishery related, through enhanced capacities and equitable access to available resources; and establish efficient and effective governance structure with improved fishery law compliance and enforcement that addresses socio-economic security and ecological integrity.
“Through the adoption of the framework, the five provinces which share bodies of water of the Visayan Sea will be able to establish guidelines, improve law enforcement and fisheries management and they will be able to connect their plans and programs,” Basco said.
In his Thursday’s regular press conference, Defensor said the summit is their “effort to save the Visayan Sea, which used to be one of the richest fishing grounds in the entire Asia.”
“We have lost this but we are saving the Visayan Sea by restoring the marine resources that we have lost,” he said.
He added that ongoing illegal fishing is one of the major challenges that they currently facing while restoring the resources of the Visayan Sea.
“That is why we are meeting again. We want to increase our degree of commitment and we want to prove to ourselves that we intend to succeed in this effort,” he said.
“We want to catch the illegal fishers as often as we can and punish them,” he added.
The summit will end with a “Pasasalamat sa Katauhan” awarding ceremony to recognize some individuals who are considered environmental champions.
The previous summit was held in July 2017 at Sicogon Island, Carles, Iloilo, which focused on strengthening policies for the protection and restoration of the Visayan Sea. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
