CAUSED BY FISH PENS? HOUSE SETS PROBE ON LAGUNA DE BAY OVERFLOW
MANILA, OCTOBER 9, 2009 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla -A member of the progressive bloc of the House of Representatives sought yesterday an investigation into the overflow of Laguna de Bay, which was allegedly caused by fish pens in the area.Party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis cited Memorandum Circular 1 of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) issued in 1999 wherein the agency issued “Policy Guidelines for Fishpen Registration in Laguna Lake,” allocating a maximum of 50 hectares to firms in the fish pen industry.
“Instead of blaming the situation on residents and small fisher folks living in the coastal areas of Laguna de Bay, the LLDA should look deeper into their policies and the vast hectares of fish pens it granted to corporations,” he said.
Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon filed a measure to look into the current state of Laguna lake to determine the reason and extent of rise in water level that caused massive flooding at the height of tropical storm “Ondoy” last Sept. 26.
Biazon’s House Resolution 1444 also hopes to formulate possible measures necessary to address the problem of pollution, clogging of waterways, and the flooding in the communities along the shoreline of the lake.
“Heavy rains brought about by tropical storm Ondoy last Sept. 26 caused Laguna lake to overflow, leaving about 2.2 million residents of nearby districts with submerged homes that could stay flooded for the next three months,” Biazon said.
Mariano blamed the existence of “corporate fish pens” that have largely contributed to the obstruction of the natural flow of water to the floodways.
Records from the Lake Management Division of LLDA showed that in 2002, there are about 35 corporate fish pens operating in Laguna lake. Each corporation is in excess of the maximum allowable total area.
Fish pens cover at least 10,000 hectares of the 900 square-kilometer Laguna lake surface area and corporations operate a majority of the fish pens.
“At first, these corporate fish pens deprived subsistence fishers of their right to communal fishing grounds, reduced their income, and further buried them into the quagmire of poverty,” Mariano said.
“Now, corporate greed not only led to the loss of livelihood and habitat of subsistence fishers but greatly contributed to the flooding,” Mariano said.
Biazon said there has been an increase in the frequency of flooding in the communities along the shoreline with increasingly longer periods of drainage and very slow drop in the lake’s water level.
“We have the administrator of the LLDA, blaming the situation on poor garbage management, heavy silting, deforestation in surrounding watersheds and the construction of housing settlements that obstruct the natural flow of water, including shanties along the floodways,” he said.
Marikina lawmaker blames LLDA for floods
Rep. Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina City blamed LLDA head Edgardo Manda for the flooding brought by tropical storm “Ondoy” that caused massive floods in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
He said the LLDA chief should be held liable for his prediction that 2.2 million of the total six million people residing near the Laguna lake could stay flooded for three months or until Christmas.
It is the existence of illegal fish pens in Laguna de Bay that caused massive floods.
“The flood mitigation control by the national government should have been coupled with the prevention of illegal fish pens by the bay. In effect, it is LLDA who should be liable for the illegal activities which could have been prevented had they implemented the law,” said Teodoro.
Biazon scored the national government for not offering any long-term plan for the areas surrounding Laguna lake.
“So far, what we hear are the short-term response to flood victims in Cainta, Marikina and Pasig. I have been calling attention to the plight of those along the shores of Laguna lake, particularly in my district,” he said.
“We should be looking now beyond just relief operations because if we fail to address this problem, it will be repeated,” said Biazon, who claimed that he has been calling the attention of the government on this issue since 2001.
Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo I, whose district regularly experiences heavy floods, blamed the floods on overpopulation and poor urban planning in the country.
“The local government units and national government should once and for all implement a land use plan and institute comprehensive housing and urban development reforms. According to GK Chesterton, doing only half of the reforms means there is no intention to really reform.”
Teodoro asked the government to provide livelihood programs to lessen the incidence of poverty in the flood-affected areas.
“The burden of mitigation rests on the national government. If the prediction of the LLDA is true, then the incidence of poverty will rise in the affected areas so there should be government intervention stimulus programs to aid the affected families,” said Teodoro.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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