11 October 2005
Alaminos moves to revive dying corals
ALAMINOS CITY – After taking over the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) last Thursday, the city governments here faces a big challenge in reviving the dying coral reefs in the waters surrounding the resort.
City Mayor Hernani Braganza revealed that since two months ago, the corals were found looking pale and sickly, especially those located in the water around the Marcos Island in the Hundred Islands group.
This was confirmed by various groups of scuba divers who described the corals as whitish or suspected to have been affected by a marine phenomenon called “bleaching.”
“We still don’t know what ails the corals but the different groups that we talked to are due to submit their reports,” said Braganza.
Restoring the corals to their old natural state is one of the projects mulled by the city government for the HINP.
Concerned about the fate of the corals in which schools of fish take shelter and breed, Braganza talked with three different groups that may extend help in restoring the lost vitality of the coral reefs in the Islands.
First to be invited to help in this venture is a non-government organization based in Batangas called Eco-Rescue, which is into scuba diving and is also involved in environmental protection.
Also tapped is the Tanggol Kalikasan which is also concerned with the preservation and protection of the underwater corals.
The city government is now planning to commission a group that offered to conduct a rapid evaluation and assessment of wildlife above water and below water.
The wildlife include a big bird called “duroko,” whose wing span measures from four to five feet, migratory birds, bats, monkeys and the local wild ducks that grow and breed in forested areas of the Hundred Islands.
City Mayor Hernani Braganza revealed that since two months ago, the corals were found looking pale and sickly, especially those located in the water around the Marcos Island in the Hundred Islands group.
This was confirmed by various groups of scuba divers who described the corals as whitish or suspected to have been affected by a marine phenomenon called “bleaching.”
“We still don’t know what ails the corals but the different groups that we talked to are due to submit their reports,” said Braganza.
Restoring the corals to their old natural state is one of the projects mulled by the city government for the HINP.
Concerned about the fate of the corals in which schools of fish take shelter and breed, Braganza talked with three different groups that may extend help in restoring the lost vitality of the coral reefs in the Islands.
First to be invited to help in this venture is a non-government organization based in Batangas called Eco-Rescue, which is into scuba diving and is also involved in environmental protection.
Also tapped is the Tanggol Kalikasan which is also concerned with the preservation and protection of the underwater corals.
The city government is now planning to commission a group that offered to conduct a rapid evaluation and assessment of wildlife above water and below water.
The wildlife include a big bird called “duroko,” whose wing span measures from four to five feet, migratory birds, bats, monkeys and the local wild ducks that grow and breed in forested areas of the Hundred Islands.
