MACTAN, Cebu, Philippines - Governors of provinces surrounding the Visayan Marine Triangle met in Cebu Tuesday for the historic Visayan Sea Summit to discuss various ways in protecting the rich coastal and marine resources in the region.
Governors Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu, Arthur Defensor of Iloilo, Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental and Rizalina Seachon-Leanete of Masbate, along with mayors, other local officials and authorities in charge of guarding the marine resources in the region tackled such subjects and other related matters in said summit held at the Shangri-la Hotel in Mactan.
''We are willing to set aside territorial boundaries that define our islands as we recognize the fact that the Visayan sea separating us could eventually unite us in our collective efforts to protect our rich coastal and marine resources,'' Garcia said in her opening message, even as she stressed that the Summit should be seen as a call to provincial governments in the Visayas to muster all-out support in the campaign against illegal fishing.
Garcia said the effective protection of the Visayan Sea also depends on the cooperation of all local chief executives of the various cities and municipalities situated along the coast in the area.
Former Cebu board member Jose Maria Gastardo, who is the current project officer of the Provincial Anti-illegal Fishing Task Force clarified that the Summit was only limited to the four provinces surrounding the Visayan Seas.
Leanete called on leaders of the Visayan provinces to help Masbate succeed in its fight against illegal fishing and to clear Masbate's waters of pollutants. She acknowledged that some of the illegal fishers in the Visayan Marine Triangle come from Masbate, and vowed to do all she could to eradicate them through the help of other leaders in the Visayas. Masbate is actually a part of Bicol, on the western side of Luzon although a section of its land mass is part of the Visayan Marine Triangle.
For his part, Defensor said Iloilo province is slowly succeeding in quashing illegal fishing and efforts to protect the Visayan Sea and the province is fast realizing its dream of effectively protecting its seas.
''We come here to Cebu not only to dream but to commit, to plan, and to execute because we have realized that before we lose the marine resources of the Visayan Sea, before it gets too late, we must act,'' said Defensor.
