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Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, Philippines - Marine sanctuaries should be considered part of the income-generating systems of coastal communities as these are also considered as tourism hotspots by the Tourism department.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said creating marine sanctuaries would eventually result to an improved fish catch for fisherfolks, but these can also be seen as “eco-museums” that would educate locals and tourists alike on the importance of the marine ecosystem.
Durano, together with Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn and Law of Nature Foundation president Tony Oposa, attended the launching of the Filipino-made glass bottom boat at the School of the SEAs (Sea and Earth Advocates) in Barangay (village) Okoy, Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island on Friday.
“(I observed that) before entering the marine sanctuary, the coral reefs are destroyed. But once inside the sanctuary the corals are like flowers under the sea. There were also large fishes,” he told reporters.
The Tourism Secretary said that in promoting marine sanctuaries as tourist spots officials should also consider the livelihood of the people in the community.
“The problem of the fishermen is the decrease in fish catch,” Durano said. “We should tie this in with the life of the people.”
He said that with the fishermen faced with this dark situation, they were forced to resort to fishing measures that are destructive to the environment.
Durano said there is an alternative which will bring back the pristine state of the country’s resources.
The building of Filipino-designed glass-bottom boats that are made from indigenous materials and fiber glass could be used as an environmental awareness tool for local and foreign tourists, he adds.
Durano said the state of the fisheries resources at the School of the SEAs, which is run by the Law of Nature Foundation, could be seen as eco-museums.
“It's like peering into an aquarium that is 100 times bigger. You don't have to get wet to see the marine resources here,” he added.
“Not all of us can snorkel or scuba dive. This (project) can (be used) to reach out to a different market base,” said Durano, who pointed out that local tourists should be the focus of the project.
“The people who have a stronger impact on our marine resources are the Filipinos. The tourists would just come here to look but we are the ones who use (the resources),” he said.
“We will start with the people of Bantayan Island and then the people in the cities will be next,” he added.
The glass-bottom boat building project would be financed through the Department of Tourism's Grassroots Entrepreneurship and Eco-tourism (GREET) program.
