Showing posts with label marine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marine. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Resolution of Philippine Association of Marine Science to stop oil exploration in the visayas

This Resolution is signed by over 150 Marine Scientist in the Philippines
------------


CALL TO ACTION

RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND ALL
CONCERNED AGENCIES TO STOP THE OIL EXPLORATION AND POSSIBLE
EXPLOITATION OF THE TAÑON STRAIT PROTECTED SEASCAPE (TSPS).

WHEREAS, Tañon Strait was declared as a Protected Seascape by Presidential
Proclamation 1234 by then President Fidel V. Ramos in 1998 in due recognition of the
extraordinary abundance and diverse assemblage of cetaceans (dolphins and whales), 11
out of the 25 species found in the Philippines can be sighted in the area, and its known
importance as feeding, breeding, and resting grounds for these marine mammals;

WHEREAS, uniqueness of associated habitats in TSPS, such as coral reefs, mangrove
and seagrass communities among others, provide livelihood, support food security; and
sustain and safeguard the integrity of the traditional interaction of people and nature, for
which protected seascapes have been established;

WHEREAS, the impacts of activities such as seismic surveys, exploratory drilling, and
actual oil mining operation would negatively impact the marine ecosystem and organisms
dependent on it; sound is very important to whales and dolphins as they use it for
hunting, navigation and communication, and in general, these animals maybe sensitive to
certain sound levels; coincidentally, a study being conducted by Aragones et al. in the
area showed immediate negative effects on the surface behaviors and delayed (1 year
after) negative response on the relative abundance of spinner dolphins implicating short
and intermediate term changes on these animals possibly brought about by the seismic
surveys (using gun arrays) conducted in the summer of 2005;

WHEREAS, the process used to evaluate the potential impact of seismic surveys and
exploratory oil drilling had procedural lapses, lacked transparency and appropriate
consultation with stakeholders, and failed to seriously and adequately consider substantial
scientific evidence on the potential detrimental impacts of such activities to marine
animals like mammals and fish.

NOW THEREFORE be it:

RESOLVED, that further seismic surveys and exploratory drilling be immediately
stopped in due recognition of the protected status of Tañon Strait and its national, global
and ecological importance;

RESOLVED FURTHER, that the impacts of such activities be recognized for the threats
they pose to marine animals like whales, dolphins and fish, people’s livelihood, and
potentially irreplaceable and invaluable natural heritage;

RESOLVED FURTHERMORE, that an appropriate body undertake the investigations
and review with adequate inputs from the scientific community and affected
stakeholders;

RESOLVED FURTHERMORE, that the current system of obtaining Environmental
Compliance Certificate (ECC) in ecologically critical areas (ECA) should be evaluated in
the light of the serious threats posed to important habitats like the Tañon Strait Protected
Seascape for assessing future oil explorations and similar undertakings;

RESOLVED FURTHERMORE, that copy of this resolution is circulated to the
following:

Office of the Environmental Ombudsman of the Philippines
Office of the Senate, Committee on Environment (Senator Pia Cayetano)
Office of the Senate, Committee on Economics (Senator Loren Legarda)
Office of the House of Representatives, Committee on Environment
Office of the House of Representatives, Committee on Economics
Office of the House of Representatives, Committee on Energy
Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Cebu and Negros Oriental Provincial Chapters
Office of the Senate Committee on Women and Children’s Affairs (Senator
Jamby Madrigal)
Senator Miguel Zubiri
All concerned local, provincial and regional government units
Office of the Team Leader of the Visayan Sea Squadron (Atty Antonio Oposa)
All media outfits

AND IT IS FINALLY RESOLVED, to conduct simultaneous and intensive
investigations on the above matter from all concerned agencies.

WE, members of the Philippine Association of Marine Science (PAMS) and fellow
marine scientists and practitioners, whose signatures appear below, strongly support this
resolution.

Signed this 26th day of October 2007 at Punta Villa Resort, Iloilo City.





Sunday, November 18, 2007

Negros Fact-Finding Report on Oil-exploration of Japex

FACT-FINDING MISSION REPORT

2007




Objectives



Various progressive organizations hold a fact-finding mission on several coastal communities of Guihulngan City and Vallehermoso in Negros Oriental and San Carlos City and Calatrava in Negros Occidental.


The FFM was prompted by the start of the exploration drilling to an area in the waters off the western coast of Cebu on November 10, 2007.


The exploration drilling was granted by the Environmental Management Bureau of the DENR amid the oppositions of local fisherfolks organizations PAMANA-SUGBO and PAMALAKAYA-Negros and the questions raised by environmentalist groups.


The FFM aims to document the alleged fish kills, reduction of fish catches and destructions of the “payao” during the exploration since 2005.


The FFM result will also be used in the current campaigns initiated by PAMALAKAYA and DEFEND PATRIMONY Negros to stop the oil and gas exploration in Tañon Strait.


Methodology


The team is composed of 12 members from different people’s organization. The team includes the PAMALAKAYA-Negros, PAMALAKAYA-North Negros District, PAMALAKAYA-Vallehermoso, BAYAN, GABRIELA, Aglipayan Forum, and Timbang Satellite Environmental Volunteers Organizations of Cadiz City.


The team visited 8 coastal communities from Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental northward to Calatrava, Negros Occidental. These are So. Cotcot of Barangay San Isidro, Calatrava; So. Sumulog and So. Lawis of Brgy. Buluangan, San Carlos City; So. Look Uno, Brgy. Poblacion and So. Baybay of Brgy. Pu-an, Vallerhermoso, Negros Oriental; So. Lamacan of Brgy. Malusay, So. Pier of Brgy. Bulado and So. Bocana, of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.


The team also visited local public officials for an interview. The team made courtesy visit to Mayor Perla Fernandez of Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental and Vice-Mayor Cesar Macaluja of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.


Two methods were used by the Team, the Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interview. In FGD, A group of fisherfolks sat and shared with the FFM team to discuss the issue facilitated by the team leader. In Key Informant Interview, the team interviewed one person, who may have deeper knowledge of the issues.


The Team interviewed 15 key informants from the visited area, most of whom are municipal fisherfolks.


THE TAÑON STRAIT


The Tañon strait separates Cebu and Negros. Its peripheral provinces are Cebu, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. The Strait has a total coastline of 452.7 km. and a total area of 3,108.00 square kilometers. It is relatively deep with the deepest at 509 meters. Its coast is sharply sloping and fringe with reefs.


Tañon Strait is bounded with 36 coastal municipalities and cities of Cebu, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. Small islands and islets can be found at the central part and northern boundary of the Strait.


Patches of mangroves aggregates are found in the southern coast at both sides of Negros Oriental and Cebu. There are 188.3 sq. km. of coral reef within the strait, composed mostly fringing reef along the Negros and Cebu coastlines.


The Strait is a distinct habitat of the chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius, local name taklong) and a migration route of Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). It is home to at least nine species of cetaceans, the most interesting of which are the Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia simus) and Melonheaded whale (Peponocepala electra). Thus, the strait is one of the priority areas for conservation of cetaceans and reef fishes.


The rich marine resource of Tañon Strait is the basis for the Presidential Proclamation 1234 by President Ramos on May 1998.


Tañon Strait is one of the major fishing grounds of Central Visayas and is identified as major source of squids. Based on the survey of the BFAR and the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), there are about 26,850 fishers operating in the area and more than 12,000 motorized and non-motorized boats.


Tañon Strait is particularly the fishing grounds of Eastern Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental and Western Cebu. Study shows that Tañon Strait have the highest number of gillnets (kurantay (drift gillnets) Palabay (bottom gillnets), patuloy (surface-set gillnets), hooks and lines (pamasol) and squid jigs among the major fishing grounds of Central Visayas. Beach seine (sahid / baling) is also concentrated in Tañon Strait, although declared illegal is tolerated.


THE OIL EXPLORATION IN TAÑON STRAIT


In a desperate effort to achieve energy independence within 6 years under the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (2004-2010), the government has been awarding service contracts to various foreign oil and gas exploration company around the country. To date, there are 28 Service Contract, 1 GSEC and 9 Petroleum Energy Contracting Rounds (PERC).






In December 21, 2004 the Philippine Government awarded to JAPEX-Philippines, Inc. the Service Contract 46. The Service Contract 46 covers 2,850 square kilometers offshore of Tañon Strait covering 13 barangays in Pinamunghan and Aloguinsan towns in Cebu; 14 towns and cities in Negros Oriental and 4 towns in Negros Occidental.


JAPEX-Philippines is a 100-percent subsidiary of Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd., a leading Japanese upstream company engage in oil and natural gas exploration and production (E & P) activities both in Japan and overseas. JAPEX employs some 1,470 employees worldwide.


In May 2005, JAPEX holds a 751-kilometer multi-channel sub-bottom profiling survey using the M/S Veritas Searcher and two chase boats. It carries a 3.5 kilometer cable


Seismic surveys are used to determine the structure of underground rock formations by firing explosive charges in the ground. The intense sounds produced reflect back to a receiver to provide information about oil and gas deposits that may lie beneath the seabed.


According to local fisherfolks, the survey operates on a 24-hour basis. They could hear sounds of blasting at an interval of 5-20 seconds much like that of a thunder and as if the ship furrowing the undersea.


According to Energy Undersecretary Guillermo Balce, Tañon Strait is expected to produce 1 Billion barrels of oil. Out of this potential reserve, about 100 million barrels of oil can be recovered.


Starting November 10 this year, Japex plans to drill a hole 3,150 meters-deep in an area some 3 km west of Pinamungajan town in western Cebu. JAPEX will use the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), known as Hakoryu V.


If they believe that there is gas, they will set a 7" liner (steel pipe) to test the well but if gas and oil is negative, they plug the well with cement and abandon it. Another well within the contracted area will be drilled until they are certain of their data and information.




MAJOR FINDINGS


  1. FISH CATCH REDUCTION


The team confirmed the fish catch reduction after the Seismic Survey of the R/V Veritas Searcher in May 2005. The fish catch reductions continue up to this day in all areas visited by the team. The average fish catch were drastically reduced by 50-70 percent from pre-oil exploration catch of 10-15 kilos average catch per day to 2-3 kilos of fish per day.


A local fish called “baga” (bucaobucao) almost vanished in the fishing grounds off the waters of Guihulngan City after the seismic survey. Before the seismic survey, fisherfolks could produce 15-20 kilos but thereafter, they could only catch an average of 1-2 kilos.


Fisherfolks attributed the drastic reduction of the fish catch to the destruction of the “payao” or the fish aggregating device” (also called as artificial reef). The team recorded a total of 136 payao destroyed during the 2-weeks seismic survey.


According to Rene Bulado, the chairperson of the Malusay Fish Loving People, a local fisherfolks associations and serving as a leader of the Guihulngan’s City Fisherfolks Associations Management Council (C-FARMC) said that one of the three boats of the JAPEX is the one destroying the “payao” of the fisherfolks. The bewildered fisherfolks were only handed with a one-page notice right in the middle of the sea.


A payao is an artificial reef made of Styrofoam materials deployed in strategic areas. The use of payao by the local fisherfolks contributes to high fish catch. Gango o Payao is the local name for artificial corral reef and indigenuous fishing technology defined as “man-made” structures set up in marine environment to serve as shelter, source of food, and breeding ground for different fish and other organisms in the absence of the natural habitat.


Its destruction therefore has affected the fish catch of the community. Some of the payao owners were paid but some were not. In Guihulngan and in Calatrava, JAPEX paid the fisherfolks P5, 000 per payao through the intercession of the Department of Agriculture. In some areas, payao owners were paid P 4,000.00. With the exception of Calatrava, most of the areas visited by the team have not replaced the payao.


It must be pointed out that while the project proponent paid the payao owners, the most numerous yet the most affected by the seismic survey have not received compensation for almost a week of being prohibited from fishing, the marginal fisherfolks. Most fisherfolks did not dare to fish near the survey vessel for fear of being rammed or hit.


  1. FISH KILLS


Two local fisherman interviewed by the team confirmed the fish kills during the seismic survey. Of the 15 informants, three have confirmed the fish kills in their respective fishing grounds.


Marcelo Descaliar, a fisherman of Sitio Sumulog, Brgy. Buluangan, San Carlos City says that a day after the M/S Veritas Searcher zigzag the waters off their communities, at about 1 kilometer from the shoreline, the beach seine catches dead coral fishes. Fisherfolks from Guihulngan also told the team that marginal fishers have seen dead tuna on the waters.


Scientific studies have shown that “seismic blasting damages planktonic eggs and larvae found in the immediate vicinity of airguns and can reduces catches in commercial fisheries” (Dalen and Knutsen, 1985). Seismic blasting can cause behavioral modifications and reduce or eliminate available habitat for breeding / spawning, foraging and migration.


In Guihulngan, fisherfolks says that “baga” (bucaobucao in Ilonggo) almost vanished. Before the survey, Guihulngan is known as the sources of the “baga” in the province but now its almost gone.


  1. NO CONSULTATIONS WITH THE FISHING COMMUNITIES


All respondents interviewed by the team express that they have no knowledge or information of the seismic survey and the exploration drilling at Tañon Strait.


One of the fishers even though that it is an illegal fishing vessels and even call for police to apprehend but bewildered to see the escort Coast Guard. Others though that the vessel is cleaning the seabed. Only a few knows that it is a seismic survey.


All of the local public officials interviewed by the team express disappointment on the apparent lack of information drive and subsequently of the exploration drilling. They said that the national government and national government agencies should have informed and consulted them.


Since the awarding of the Service Contract in 2004, the Department of Energy and the JAPEX visits the local government only this July till October 2007. Their so-called “information drives” were attended by a few people.


Amid the dangers that the seismic survey poised to the marine environment, JAPEX never informed the concern stakeholders in the Tañon Strait, there were no consultations or even information drives before the survey were conducted.


During Seismic survey, one of the chase boats handed down one-page flyers to fishers at the sea. The said flyers are informing the fishers to stay away from the survey vessel. There are coastal communities that were never informed of the seismic survey.


The lack of consultations with all stakeholders is apparent in the absence of participations of the fisherfolks and other concerned organizations in the process to secure the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). It is not simply a matter of haste in approval of the ECC but the substance of the process itself.


While the projects involved cities / municipalities of three (3) provinces, there was no public hearing or consultations conducted in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental but in their own words “visits”.


It is worth reiterating that when we mean “environmental impacts’ it is “probable effects or consequence of proposed projects or undertakings on the physical, biological and socio-economic environment that can be direct or indirect, cumulative positive or negative”.


This might have prompted Dr. Angel Alcala of the Silliman University and a noted marine biologist to say, “IEE document wanting in the critical survey data and information needed for determining the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the proposed operation of JAPEX”.


It is only recently that the JAPEX and the Department of Energy conducts “information drives” on each of the cities and municipalities within the coverage area of their Service Contract 46. Yet, these so-called “information drives” were miserably attended by a few people, mostly local government and national line agencies employees or selected fisherfolks leaders.


Yet, the process in acquiring the ECC were called as a sham, not only because they were lacking in consultations but also with the apparent denials by government agencies of all grounds posed by fisherfolks and environmental groups against the project.


WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?










Saturday, October 13, 2007

Recall of Japanese Mining Company’s ECC Urged (from bulatlat.com)

Recall of Japanese Mining Company’s ECC Urged

The Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center together with several small fisherfolk organizations in Cebu City have reiterated a long-standing demand for the recall of the Environmental Compliance Certificate issued by the Environmental Management Bureau-Central Visayas to the Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd.

BY KARL G. OMBION
Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 36, October 14-20, 2007

The Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center (FIDEC) together with several small fisherfolk organizations in Cebu City have reiterated a long-standing demand for the recall of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-Central Visayas to the Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX).

FIDEC executive director Vince Cinches, in a recent interview, said they want JAPEX’s ECC recalled because it violates the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act, environmental impact assessment (EIA) laws, and the Fisheries Code of the Philippines.

The Department of Energy (DoE) Visayas Field Office recently announced that it will start oil exploration in Tanon Strait, in partnership with JAPEX, in November this year.

DoE Visayas Field Office Director Antonio Labios said they approved the JAPEX oil drilling project with a 1.5 kilometer territorial water radius in the Tanon Strait after the DENR granted it an ECC.

Areas to be affected by the oil exploration include most towns in mid-north and southwestern Cebu and on the Negros side, from Escalante City in Negros Occidental to as far as Sibulan town in Negros Oriental.

Environmental law violations

Cinches said the EMB must recall JAPEX’s ECC because of the company’s failure to conduct public hearings and consultations and other similar activities to present its environmental impact statement (EIS) for proper appreciation – a requirement, he said, since the EIA should study the ecological, geophysical and socio-economic impacts of the preparatory, operational and decommissioning phases of the activity.

Cinches cited Sec. 9 of Presidential Decree No. 1586, or the decree establishing an EIS System, which states that:

“Any person, corporation or partnership found violating Section 4 of this Decree, or terms and conditions in the issuance of the Environmental Protection Council pursuant to this Decree shall be punished by the suspension or cancellation of his/its certificate or and/or a fine in an amount not to exceed Fifty Thousand Pesos (50,000.00) for every violation thereof, at the discretion of the National Environmental Protection Council.”

The conduct of an EIA is a requirement under Philippine law. Sec. 4 of Presidential Decree No. 1151, or Philippine Environmental Policy, provides that “all agencies and instrumentalities of the national government, including government-owned or controlled corporations, as well as private corporations, firms and entities shall prepare, file and include in every action, project or undertaking which significantly affects the quality of the environment a detailed statement on:

“a. the environmental impact of the proposed action, project or undertaking;

“b. any adverse environmental effect which cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented;

“c. alternative to the proposed action;

“d. a determination that the short-term uses of the resources of the environment are consistent with the maintenance and enhancement of the long-term productivity of the same; and

“e. whenever a proposal involves the use of depletable or nonrenewable resources, a finding must be made that such use and commitment are warranted.

Cinches also said that the DOE and EMB violated the NIPAS Law. “We note that the project is part (of) and within the Tanon Strait, (a) protected seascape under Presidential Decree No. 1234,” he said. “As such, the activity will also be governed by Republic Act No.7586, the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act.”

Section 20 of the NIPAS Act provides that “except as may be allowed by the nature of their categories and pursuant to rules and regulations governing the same, the following acts are prohibited within protected areas:

“(a) Hunting, destroying, disturbing, or mere possession of any plants or animals or products derived therefrom without a permit from the protected area management board;

“(b) Dumping of any waste products detrimental to the protected area, or to the plants and animals or inhabitants therein;

“(c) Constructing or maintaining any kind of structure fences or enclosures, conducting any business enterprise without a permit.”

Section 12 of the NIPAS Act further provides that:

“Proposals for activities which are outside the scope of the management plan for protected areas shall be subject to an environmental impact assessment as required by law before they are adopted, and the results thereof shall be taken into consideration in the decision making process. No actual implementation of such activities shall be allowed without the required ECC under the Philippine EIA system…”

Aside from violating the EIA laws and the NIPAS Act, Cinches said, JAPEX’s ECC also violates the Fisheries Code of the Philippines which protects the municipal waters – in this case the waters of Toledo City, Pinamungahan and Aloguinsan towns in Tanon Strait’s Cebu side, and Guihulngan and Vallehomoso towns in the Negros side – from the intrusion of offshore mining projects.

“This kind of project destroys the marine biodiversity, fish stocks, water pollution, air pollution, oil spills, and worse, the deprivation of small artisan fisherfolk from their main sources of livelihood,” Cinches said.

“We condemned DoE for pursuing the project despite evidences gathered during our environmental investigative mission (EIM) that the seismic survey conducted (in) 2005 has resulted in dramatic reduction of fish catch, also it resulted in fish kill, and health problems in the southwestern part of Cebu, particularly Toledo, Pinamungajan, and Aloguinsan,” he added. “Tourism activities such as dolphin watching and diving (in Bais and Cebu) were affected.”

He said that two years after their EIM, various marine species have yet to return for the season and fish catch continues to decline especially in Pinamungajan, Aloguinsan and Vallehermoso.

He slammed EMB for withholding related documents such as EIS, EIA and other bases for granting an ECC to JAPEX despite repeated formal requests from their office.

He however said that a copy of the said ECC which they got from former Environment Secretary Angel Alcala revealed that the DoE and EMB had only done initial environmental examination (IEE) of the impact of the project and not the complete and thorough EIS and EIA. “This is a serious deception and should be penalized,” he said.

In a separate statement, Alcala – who now heads Silliman University’s Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management – said the DoE and EMB’s survey of Tanon Strait “was extremely rapid, lacking in critical data essential for valid and meaningful comparisons in order to determine the impacts of the exploratory drilling.”

“It is clear that DoE and EMB are in cahoots with various environmentally destructive corporations when they decided to push through with seismic surveys last year,” Cinches said. “They are pushing for marine rehabilitation and protection while pursuing offshore mining.”

Socio-environmental costs

Cinches reiterated his group’s stand that offshore mining should be banned in the Visayas since the activity “will have great repercussions on marine supply, food security, local economy, and will dislocate thousands of already impoverished fisherfolk.”

Cinches also said that offshore mining “will strengthen the control of foreign monopoly corporations over our resources, since the service contract awarded to JAPEX will allow them 100-percent ownership and control on prospecting, mine development, and extraction.”

Cinches said that they are mobilizing the broadest network possible to resist and halt the JAPEX-DoE oil drilling in Tanon Strait. Bulatlat

( categories: )

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Joint Statement of DEFEND our Sea Coalition and FIDEC Inc. on Offshore Mining in Central Visayas

DEFEND OUR SEA COALITION!
COALITION AGAINST OFF-SHORE MINING FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES



STOP ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION. STOP DISLOCATION OF FISHERFOLKS.
RESIST FOREIGN CONTROL OVER OUR RESOURCES.


The planned off-shore mining exploration in Cebu-Bohol Strait is not alarming. it is revolting.

DOE and other government agencies tasked at protecting the environment have become willing apologists, partners and lackeys of destructive foreign monopoly corporation.

Being partners, they became blind to the overwhelming effects of exploration in Tañon Strait. Being lackeys they ignored credible scientific data that exploration has resulted in fish kills, reduction of fish catch, destruction of fishing gears, destruction of fish aggregation devices, and other health related problems.

This project like the Tañon strait exploration lacks transparency, corporations and government agencies involved is hiding important details and particularities of the project from the public.

The claims of these agencies regarding energy independence is nothing but an attempt to make the poison more palatable and seeks to mislead the Visayans. Under the service contract, corporations were given sole authority to identify, develop, and distribute whatever fossil fuel deposits in the area.

As with Tañon Strait, a large part of the Cebu-Bohol Strait is protected, being one of the global center of marine biodiversity. The Cebu-Bohol strait like Tañon is a migratory path and breeding ground for species from other countries.

The exploration will not only affect the local economy and tourism of Cebu and Bohol it will have a great repercussion on food security in the Visayas, Philippines, and the world.

As experienced, JAPEX failed to compensate the owners of payao and other fish aggregating devices destroyed during the exploration in Tañon and no amount of assurance can allay our fears regarding the projects.

In the course of the Tañon exploration, the corporations and government agencies involved in the project failed to identify and implement alternative livelihood for affected communities.

It is reckless for DOE to dole-out certificate of non-coverage to NorAsian without the consent of local government authorities and the affected communities. It is equally condemnable for DENR and EMB for consenting and its failure to act against the obvious destruction of protected areas.

With this we demand that the project should be stopped at all cost. We cannot afford to trade the irreparable damage to our marine sources for a few million of pesos which will benefit the few corrupt officials in the government.

We call on various government agencies in the area to reiterate their strong stand against the project. We also urge various environmental advocates, organizations to stand against the destruction of our marine resources.

Instead of pursuing destructive projects, we urge the government to channel their efforts in sustainably developing the lives of the marginalized fisherfolks and pursuing the development of clean and renewable energy sources. Pursuing the development of Renewable energy sources can save RP with $ 2.3 Billion annually.

Based on WWF-Philippines' 10-year PowerSwitch scenario, the country should bring down dependence fossil fuel to 28 percent by 2012 from the current 61 percent.

STOP OFF-SHORE MINING.
JUNK MINING ACT OF 1995.
DEFEND THE PEOPLE. DEFEND THE SEAS.

DEFEND OUR SEA COALITION
CENTRAL VISAYAS FISHERFOLK DEVELOPMENT CENTER INC.
(032)256 1365
0905 2624123