Tuesday, April 29, 2008 [ manilatimes.net ]
THE Laguna Lake Development Authority said it would continue dismantling fish pens inside the critical 12,000-hectare area in Laguna de Bay to save the lake from further degradation.
LLDA General Manager Edgardo Manda said they are cooperating with the Department Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to remove illegally erected fish pens being financed by big corporate entities.
“They [fish pen operators] even hire and train individuals making them a virtual private army to harass and stop government workers who visit and serve them eviction notices,” he said.
Manda said he is satisfied over the start of the demolition of fish pens the other day after government forces faced no violent resistance from fish pen operators.
“The clearing operations would proceed without let-up,” he said adding that his conviction earned the ire of retired and active military generals, retired and active politicians, who are the owners of the fish pens.
Fish pen operators claim they supply 30 percent of fish in Metro Manila and stopping their operations in the lake will result to higher prices of fish in the market.
But Manda said such claim is untrue because, in fact, the continuous operations of the fish pen owners further pollute the quality of water of Laguna de Bay.
Manda said fish pens clogged waterways and the use of chemical feeds leaves huge amounts of residue, which result to heavy sedimentation that eventually kills planktons and fish.
LLDA has recently spearheaded a bike caravan over the weekend along the 280-km stretch of Laguna de Bay shorelines to raise environment awareness aimed at saving the country’s largest living lake.
Manda said they also plan to introduce bamboo propagation in communities along the lake to give people livelihood and to prevent flooding and pollution.--Angelo S. Samonte
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