SAVING THE BAYS. This sculpture, made by artist Ronel F. Roces, is located in Puerto Princesa Bay. The city government is taking steps to protect the bay from being negatively affected by pollution resulting from human activities. (Photo by Izza Reynoso)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – A project aimed at saving three major bays in Puerto Princesa will soon be launched by the city government to prevent their further deterioration due to pollution.
Mayor Lucilo Bayron announced on Monday that they will launch the "Save Our Bays" project in the coming weeks.
It aims to protect Ulugan Bay, Honda Bay and most particularly, Puerto Princesa Bay, encompassing four coastal barangays in the city with dense populations.
"We are launching this in hopes everyone will understand our direction. Puerto Princesa Bay, Ulugan Bay, Honda Bay are important bodies of water, and they are sources of many good things for Puerto Princesa. We need to save them," he said in Filipino.
He expressed concern about the increasing pollution levels, especially in the Puerto Princesa Bay, stating that it is worsening at an alarming rate. He emphasized that everyone has a role to play in addressing this issue and making a positive impact.
He explained previously that one of the potential solutions for protecting these bays entails relocating coastal residents who live either directly on the seas or are located in close proximity to those waters.
Bayron added that preliminaries surrounding the proposed relocation had already taken place with the people who lived along the coast. The fact that the majority of replies received were positive is a very encouraging sign.
Residents have stated their willingness to cooperate in the attempts to relocate them and have acknowledged the possible dangers that come with living in susceptible places.
"They (affected residents) have come to realize that they are really in the danger zone. That is a problem waiting to happen. So, we have leveraged President Bongbong Marcos' Pambansang Pabahay Program to acquire 21 hectares of land for relocation, and we are still looking for other available properties in the city where we can build dwelling units, he revealed. (PNA)
