Defensor, 3 other guvs sign pact to protect Visayan Sea
Four governors in the Visayas, including Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr., signed an agreement, stating their commitment to use their collective powers and resources to restore and conserve the marine resources of the Visayan Triangle beginning with the Visayan Sea.
The signing of the declaration was held last Saturday at Carbin Reef, part of the 32,000-hectare Sagay Marine Reserve in Negros Occidental.
With Defensor were governors Alfredo Marañon of Negros Occidental and Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu. Masbate Gov. Rizalina Seachon-Leanete was represented by Gen. Darius Tuason and Supt. Feliciano Gubatan.
“Aware that in this critical moment in the natural history, we, governors of our respective provinces, have been lent with power and the means in our hands to arrest the continued hemmorhage of our marine resources. We also understand that we have limited terms in our offices. We must therefore seize this singular opportunity to instill among our people a mind shift from the present paradigm of unregulated extraction and consumption to one of conservation, preservation, and restoration,” reads the declaration signed by the four governors.
The governors also vowed that, before their terms end in 2013, they will lobby for the inclusion of the Visayan Sea among the United Nations (UN) World Heritage Sites for its “unparrelled marine wealth and the heart of marine biodiversity on Earth.”
Defensor has since been an advocate of marine resources conservation and protection. He started the fight against illegal fishing activities in the coastal towns of Iloilo province when he was governor from 1992 to 2001.
When he assumed office last July, he renewed his commitment to stop illegal fishing activities in the province.
During his initial days in office, he ordered the re-activation of the Provincial Bantay Dagat and the repair of two patrol boats.*
