The Macajalar Bay during sunset from a vantage point in Cagayan de Oro City. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Ports Authority-CDO)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) in Macajalar Bay has reached an "alarming" level, the Environmental Management Bureau in Northern Mindanao (EMB-10) said Thursday.
Macajalar Bay is a deep body of water facing Misamis Oriental province and this city.
In an interview, EMB-10 Director Reynaldo Digamo Jr. said the agency's five-year data from water samples showed the FCB to 1,000 most probable number (mpn), which led to the reclassification of the bay from Class A to Class C level.
Under the agency's standard, only 50mpn of FCB is acceptable.
Data from 2018 to the first two months of 2023 for the inlet's FCB contamination showed a continuous increase over time, Digamo said.
"The local government units (LGUs) are the ones that will take action on any intervention like implementing and imposing national laws, but it seems there's no movement to minimize coliform content came from respective informal settlers," he added.
Adding to the problem in the bay, the agency said, are piggeries from coastal communities where wastes are directly discharged to the sea.
The EMB-10 has called for the formation of an inter-agency technical committee composed of representatives from LGUs and concerned regional government agencies to address the matter. (PNA)
