Sec. Reyes commends Gov. Migs for Sarangani Bay Protection

ALABEL, Sarangani (November 27, 2006) – Environment Secretary AngeloReyes has commended the leadership shown by Governor Migs Dominguez inthe protection and conservation of biodiversity in Sarangani Bay.

Reyes inspected Saturday the P31-million Environmental Conservationand Protection Center (ECPC) his department turned over to theprovince last August."This is a very, very big indication that we have confidence in theability of the governor and the provincial government," Reyes toldlocal leaders and employees.He lauded the governor's intention "to provide technical assistancenot only to government offices but also to private sectors who come inand give grants for specific researches.""It's a convergence area of efforts towards the same direction. This should be a template on how efforts can be done," said Reyes, whosevisit was timed for the province's November 24-27 celebration of its14th Foundation Day Anniversary.

The Capitol-based ECPC, known as the region's best research facility,boasts of a P1.6-million multi-parameter water quality monitoringequipment.The equipment, the only one in Region 12, was used for research byneighboring Davao del Sur province when a fish kill incident occurredin Balut Island that killed some 10 tons of fish last May."I would like to report to the secretary that we are finishing alsoour land use planning for the seven municipalities which has givengreater interest to effectively manage their forest resources togetherwith DENR and USAID Eco-Governance," Governor Dominguez said.Reyes urged local officials to maintain their concerted efforts andkeep up with their resourcefulness."Magaling kayo sa resource mobilization. You'll see, it pays to synchronize, cooperate and unify our efforts," the Secretary said.

According to the governor, the septage treatment facilities (STF)being built in the six coastal towns can be operational by the firstquarter next year.STF funding was P62M for Maitum, Kiamba-P69M, Maasim-P42M, Glan-P56M,Malapatan- P49.8M, and Alabel-P60.7M.The STF seeks to address the threat posed by environmental degradationdue to rapid population increase.The STF also aims to protect and conserve the coastal and marinehabitats, and resources found in Sarangani Bay and reduce thepollution in the coastal towns. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)