DUMAGUETE CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Negros Oriental has assured that it will deploy personnel to the municipality of Dauin to conduct inspection of dive boats and other watercraft departing for the renowned dive destination, Apo Island.
Lt. Junior Grade Donna Liza Ramacho, the PCG-Negros Oriental chief and Dumaguete Coast Guard Station commander, disclosed Tuesday that this is to accommodate the requests of those in the dive and tourism industry to include resorts.
She explained that this past weekend, she issued a directive that all boats going to Apo Island should first seek clearance from and pass through inspection by the Coast Guard sub-station at the Malatapay wharf in Barangay Maluay, Zamboanguita, the town next to Dauin.
The directive was in response to an observation raised by Dauin Mayor Neil Credo that some boats going to Apo Island allegedly did not have the required clearance from the Coast Guard.
Credo’s pronouncement came on the heels of a freak accident recently where a Chinese national was killed while diving in Apo Island after a dive boat’s propeller hit him in the head.
But dive shops, dive tour operators and some resorts complained that having to go to Malatapay first for Coast Guard clearance prior to departing for Apo Island would mean a “waste of time” especially for tourists and guests who are paying by the hour.
In the past, prior to Lt. Junior Grade Ramacho’s assignment here, the practice was for Coast Guard personnel to go to Dauin and inspect and clear the boats prior to departure.
Ramacho pointed out that Coast Guard needs to have an “office” in Dauin where its personnel can be stationed.
While arrangements are being made for this with the local government of Dauin, she said that they are hoping that someone would provide a space for even a desk and a “roof” for the Coast Guard personnel deployed in Dauin.
A resort and a dive shop operator who are adjacent to each other have both made an offer to the Coast Guard for such requirement, but the area is not suitable because it is near a marine protected sanctuary, Ramacho said.
The Coast Guard commander assured that in the meantime, her personnel would be visiting Dauin every morning for the inspection and clearance of the boats so that they would no longer have to go to Malatapay in nearby Zamboanguita. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)
