Enjoy SarBay, save the bay

By BEVERLY C. PAOYON

 

GUMASA, Sarangani (May 25, 2013) – More than the beach fun that SarBay Fest brings is its campaign to preserve the beauty of Sarangani Bay and the vibrancy of marine life that it breeds.

 

Amidst the festive mood, thousands of beach enthusiasts are reveling over scores of sports events and parties during the two-day biggest beach party in Mindanao.

 

Organizers estimate that the massive crowd now would surpass the 70,000 attendance last year.

 

Provincial environment and natural resources officer (PENRO) Rolando Tuballes is calling environmentalists at “heart and mind” to spare at least P20 from their pockets as contribution to rehabilitate mangrove areas in Sarangani.

 

With that little cost, mangroves can be bought in the main event area where buyer’s got to have their names printed in a tarpaulin for posterity.

 

“Yung mga tao na mga environmentalist at walang panahon para magtanim, this is their time now para maka-contribute sila. We will plant it for them.”

 

Buyers need not have to plant the seedlings themselves. Tuballes said his office will lead the planting in partnership with a people’s organization in an identified area in barangay Maribulan, Alabel to mark the culmination activity of the Ocean Month on May 31.

 

Mangrove rehabilitation has been a regular program in Sarangani where Tuballes reported around 500,000 mangroves have been planted.

 

PENRO targets around 50,000 hectares to be planted in the six coastal towns of Sarangani.

 

In some areas, what PENRO is doing is “enhancement” where seedlings are inserted in between mangroves. The nearer the space, according to Tuballes, the better “para ma-improve ang ecosystem natin.”

 

Actually, the seedlings which they got from a people’s organization are just for display particularly for this event. Whatever amount they could raise, they will give it to help the organization for its propagation program.

 

PENRO is also enforcing solid waste management in coordination with the local government during SarBay Fest. Tuballes is urging participants, traders and guests not to litter anywhere. Segregated waste receptacles are all over the place.

 

The festival aims to continuously pursue and encourage the young generations to shield Sarangani Bay while promoting it as an eco-tourism site.

 

The festival is a window to reveal the rich culture of Sarangani people and the historic stories that occurred around the bay.

 

The launching of Sarangani Bay Festival is mandated by Provincial Ordinance No. 2006-5-30, enacted March 2006 by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to inculcate on the stakeholders the importance for a continuous awareness drive of protecting the bay. It was authored by then Board Member Rommel Falgui.

 

The festival is also being held in consonance with the May 19 Provincial Charter Anniversary and in commemoration of May as Month of the Ocean.

 

The province was named after Sarangani Bay. The bay was believed to have been named also from Saranganing, a famous Sangil voyager who came from the coast of Indonesia and traded with the great Sultanate of Buayan, which is now General Santos City.

 

Sarangani Bay hosts rich resources including marine wildlife and the tuna capital of the Philippines - General Santos City.

 

Out of the seven turtle species declared by the Convention of International Treaties of Endangered Species as protected and endangered species in the world, five are found in Sarangani Bay. For more news and updates, please visit the <a href= http://www.sarangani.gov.ph/ > Province of Sarangani </a>. Live web updates powered by SMART. (Beverly C. Paoyon/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)