A PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Paz Lopez to destroy the fish pens crowding the Laguna de Bay and instead transform it into an economic haven.
Laguna Bay is a 911-square-kilometer body of water into which 21 river tributaries drain. It reportedly supplies 30 to 40 percent of the total fish requirement of Metro Manila.
Its 90,0000 hectares of brackish water experienced deterioration courtesy of the past administrations’ development projects under the Laguna Lake Basin 2020 scheme, which aims to convert the Laguna de Bay into a full commercial, industrial and economic hub in the year 2020.
“One of these days, I will destroy the fishpens. They cannot remain for all time at the expense of the poor fishermen. I’ve warned their owners,” Duterte said during the courtesy call of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting late Wednesday night.
“I’m saying in a diplomatic way that Laguna Lake shall be transformed into a vibrant economic zone showcasing ecotourism by addressing the negative impact of the watershed destruction, land conversion and pollution,” Duterte added.
The President’s order comes in the wake of militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya-Pilipinas) warning Lopez about the possible implications of transforming the Laguna de Bay into an eco-tourism zone following reports that fish products from the lake acquired high level of toxic chemicals that are dangerous to human’s health.
“This is not the first time fish contamination was reported in the media but it was never proven. The people around the lake and even the whole of Metro Manila consume the fish from the lake and yet there were no reported bad effects,” said Roman Antazo, Pamalakaya secretary general and a fisherman from Laguna Lake, in a statement.
If the conversion pushes through, it would affect tens of thousands of fisherfolk families living and relying on Laguna Lake, Antazo said.
“Let’s say fish from Laguna de Bay isn’t safe anymore due to pollution; does transforming it to an ecozone significantly solve the problem? No, because untreated water wastes dumped into the lake come from thousands of industrial and commercial establishments around it,” he said.
Transforming the lake would also create a major shortage of fish in the National Capital Region, Pamalakaya said.
Lopez recently bared “initial plans” to carry out the President’s order which include removing fish pens from the lake, reconfiguring the sewage systems of the lakeside communities and reforestation of the mountains around it.
The Laguna Lakeshore Development Authority disclosed that 14,000 hectares out of the 100,000 hectares of the Lake are occupied by fish pens. The lake is supposed to have a carrying capacity of only 8,000 to 9,000 hectares.
LLDA General Manager Neric Acosta said that some 400 owners of fish pens are registered with them, but they have received reports that some of them may be dummies of Korean and Chinese businessmen.
The LLDA is now validating such claims, noting that the likelihood is high given that a 50-hectare fish pen requires a P5-million capital.
Lopez said that they would set up additional sewage treatment plants to treat water from the lake and enforce pertinent laws, such as the [Laguna Lake Development Authority] law that requires [fish pen operators] to get permits.
She added that the DENR would look at all the reclamation being done that is making the lake shallower.
Meanwhile, the environment secretary said she will look into complaints against Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp. which has earned the ire of Mt. Talinis residents over the planned expansion of its 223-megawatt geothermal power plant in Valencia, Negros Oriental.
The EDC, which is an affiliate of First Gen Corp., is the country’s largest geothermal producer. The company has diversified its renewable energy business to include solar and wind.
It has applied for an environmental clearance certificate for the expansion of the geothermal plant’s capacity by some 60 additional megawatts.
Lopez said she will not hesitate to “use the full force of the law” to protect the environment and preserve the ecological balance of Mt. Talinis and other biodiversity areas.