The city government in partnership with the private sector is set to launch “Save the Puerto Princesa Bay Project” in the coastal area of Barangay Mandaragat on Saturday, July 15, 2023, in an effort to reduce environmental pressures in the city’s coastal waters and take bolder actions to regulate activities that caused pollution to the bay.
During the launch, Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron together with city officials will led in cleaning the coastlines through coastal clean-up and scoop basura (scoop the waste), tree planting at Puerto Princesa Baywalk as part of the city’s Urban Forestry Program, mangrove planting, EM mudball throwing, and other clean up activities. They will be joined by city government employees, business sector, civil society organizations and stakeholders. The Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (City ENRO) is preparing the site for activities and other preparations. The arrival of the guests and participants will start at 4:30am.
Mayor Bayron during the Pista Y Ang Cagueban press conference held two weeks ago, announced that the city government will launch this project aimed to save the city’s coastal waters and its environs. He emphasized the importance of Puerto Princesa Bay to the city’s tourism citing its natural beauty, a strategically located and naturally protected coastal waterfront due to its surrounding mountains.
In 2022, the city’s tourism office recorded a total of 563,960 tourist arrival in Puerto Princesa, which 304,216 are foreign tourists while 259,744 are domestic tourists coming from different parts of the country.
“Ito ay Number One na industrya natin na nagbibighay ng maraming trabaho, na nagpapaikot ng ating economiya. Kaya hindi natin ito pwedeng pabayaan,” he said.
The activities during the launch of Save the Puerto Princesa Bay Project intend to take off major activities to clean the bay as studies showed that contamination from various sources has caused alarm to local leaders and the community, including informal settlement, untreated wastewater, fishing structures and activities within the bay, among others.
The study, “Water quality of Puerto Princesa Bay in relation to the presence of informal settlers in its coastal areas,” authored by Rhea C. Garcellano and Loida Japson of the College of Sciences, Palawan State University (PSU) published in August 2020, affirmed through their analysis that the presence of informal settlers affects water quality in terms of fecal coliform and the five phytoplankton genera.
In 2021, the City Government and its private sector partner, completed the P240-Million water sewerage and septage treatment plant now known as Puerto Princesa Water Reclamation and Learning Center (PPWRLC) which is among the concrete steps made by the city government to address untreated sewage and wastewater.
Atty. Carlo B. Gomez, the City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (City ENRO) said that measures to save Puerto Princesa Bay is immediate and their office has already started in collecting water samples from water bodies to check and monitor the water quality of these estuaries.
“We need to come up with strategic approach and mitigating measures to save Puerto Princesa Bay. Ang pwedeng gawin ng opisina is to establish sampling sites and create a team to (water quality) monitoring. All rivers and creeks leading the bay, dapat maisama sya, for monitoring activities,” Atty. Gomez said.
The City ENRO is continuously conducting bioremediation activities in the coastal waters of Puerto Princesa Bay through the use of effective microorganisms mudballs intended for the natural healing of the city’s coastal waters. EM mudball is a low-cost wastewater treatment that bioremediate water, soil and waste materials, therefore fixing and restoring the water bodies’ state and quality.
Last year alone, the City ENRO applied a total of 62,000 pieces of mudballs during mudball-throwing activities at the city’s baywalk in partnership with stakeholders, civic organizations, government agencies and offices.
Atty. Gomez said that the bioremediation, which started in 2016, will continue for 11 consecutive years to attain significant results and achieve better coastal water quality.
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