MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) teams up with the Office of Senator Cynthia Villar in organizing a series of inter-agency Manila Bay coastal clean-up that will cover parts of the National Capital Region and nearby towns in Central Luzon and Calabarzon in the coming months.
With the theme “Manila Bay: Gawing MMK (Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan),” DA-BFAR hopes to rouse public awareness and involvement in the rehabilitation efforts being initiated in Manila Bay and in the long run, transform the Bay into a clean, thriving body of water where fisheries resources are sustainably managed and protected.
The agency is working closely with partner government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Coast Guard and other organizations to rehabilitate, restore and conserve the Bay following the Supreme Court’s Writ of Continuing Mandamus.
“Our effort to restore Manila Bay is aligned with the Department of Agriculture’s main thrust under the leadership of Secretary Emmanuel Piñol. DA-BFAR seeks to ensure food sufficiency and improve the livelihood of the fisherfolk through the implementation of various coastal resource management programs like the Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan in the country’s major fishing grounds including Manila Bay,” DA Undersecretary for Fisheries and BFAR national director Eduardo Gongona said.
The first leg in the series of the coastal clean up will happen in Kawit, Cavite on June 20 and will continue in different coastal areas surrounding Manila Bay until October 2018.
The Mandamus Agencies will be joined by local government units, the private sector and youth volunteers at the clean-up site, which will be divided into 16 areas each measuring 50 meters.
Aside from the coastal clean-up, participants will also plant mangrove seedlings on a 200–square meter mangrove area in Cavite.
Among key personalities who will join the activity are Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan and district representatives and local government chiefs of Cavite. (BFAR PR)
