A resort owner and a developer in Cauayan, and a conservationist of Danjugan Island , decried during the weekend what they claim a lack of support from the municipal government for the town's eco-tourism activities.

At a press conference in Bacolod City Saturday, Rafael Lizares of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc., which manages Danjugan Island , and Punta Bulata resort owner Freddie Zayco, called on Mayor John Rey Tabujara to also prioritize infrastructure support which is vital in bringing in investors and tourists to the area.

They were joined by Kenneth Tirthdas of Cartagena Development Corp. that plans to develop a 126-hectare subdivision resort in Cauayan.

ILLEGAL FISHING

Lizares said that illegal fishing activities in Cauayan undermine their marine conservation efforts and they need assistance from the municipal Bantay Dagat team in preserving the fish sanctuaries that they have established.

“Let's help protect our coastal resources and I hope the local government will also act,” he said.

He said that Danjugan Island , situated in Brgy. Bulata, has become a tourist destination, attracting mostly Europeans, because of their group's conservation efforts which began 12 years ago.

Lizares said what they are requesting from the municipal government is a patrol boat equipped with a radio and two people who will man it.

He said they have been asking for these in the last eight years under then Mayor Jerry Tabujara.

‘WE'RE DOING SOMETHING'

But Mayor John Rey Tabujara said in a telephone interview with the DAILY STAR Satuday night that he is acting on the concerns raised by Lizares.

He said they actually plan to purchase a new motorboat because their Bantay Dagat vessel is no longer running. For the meantime, the municipality has borrowed the patrol boat of Brgy. Inayawan to watch the main coastline of the town.

Tabujara said that during the meeting of the Southern Negros Coastal Development Management Council today, he will request the Provincial Bantay Dagat to help patrol the Cauayan waters and also ask the SNCDMC for legal assistance in filing cases against illegal fishers.

“We are not neglecting the protection of coastal waters. It's only that we cannot do these things immediately,” he said.

Tabujara said that after he assumed office last July, he organized the Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council for the town's 13 coastal barangays.

He said the BFARMC can apprehend those involved in illegal fishing even without the intervention of the municipal Bantay Dagat.

ROAD CLOSURE

Meanwhile, Zayco said he has requested for the declaration of the access road going to the Bulata port as barangay road under the municipality's power of eminent domain.

The road, which also leads to Zayco's Punta Bulata, a white beach resort, was closed by its owners, the Montes family, last November 8 after they reportedly sold the property to a relative.

With the road closure, guests going to the resorts in Brgy. Ilihan, including Punta Bulata, have to pass another road which takes much longer.

Also affected by the road closure are residents of the barangay's Purok 3, including students who were left without means of transportation because tricycles can no longer access their area.

Tabujara told the DAILY STAR he already met with residents of Purok 3 to discuss the opening of an alternative road, traversing properties owned by private individuals, including Ricardo Montes, who are willing to donate their lands.

He said he asked Brgy. Capt. Allan Gayuma of Bulata to check out the lot titles for drafting deed of donation since the area was already surveyed. “We will spend P229,00 to develop this alternative road going directly to shoreline.”

But as to Zayco's call to expropriate the property of the closed access road, Tabujara said he would rather negotiate with the Monteses to sell the portion which they own to the municipality.

He said he prefers to address the problem in a peaceful way without exercising the municipality's power of eminent domain. “Why not solve it without resorting to legal means?” Tabujara asked.*NLG

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