Antique ordinance seeks to avert coastal pollution

Hoping for a bountiful catch, these fishermen in Culasi, Antique help one another pull a fishnet to the shore. Locals call this panahid (beach seining). A typical beach seine has weights attached to the leadline at the bottom of the net and buoys or floats attached to the floatline at the top of the net. The downward force of the weights counteracted by the buoyancy of the floats keeps the net open vertically when it is pulled through the water to entrap fish. A beach seine is often set from shore to encircle a school of fish. PN PHOTO
Hoping for a bountiful catch, these fishermen in Culasi, Antique help one another pull a fishnet to the shore. Locals call this panahid (beach seining). A typical beach seine has weights attached to the leadline at the bottom of the net and buoys or floats attached to the floatline at the top of the net. The downward force of the weights counteracted by the buoyancy of the floats keeps the net open vertically when it is pulled through the water to entrap fish. A beach seine is often set from shore to encircle a school of fish. PN PHOTO

SAN JOSE, Antique – Loads of trash are frequently seen along coastal areas where 15 of Antique’s 18 municipalities are situated.

Some coastal barangays do not comply with Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, according to Vice Gov. Edgar Denosta.

Because of this, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved an ordinance requiring all households along the coastal areas in the province to conduct regular cleanup activities.

These should mitigate if not prevent marine pollution, said Denosta who authored the ordinance.

“With the new ordinance, I hope there will already be uniformity in the implementation of those laws by the barangays,” he said.

Cleanup will be scheduled by all coastal barangays at a mutually agreed date and time.

“Households will have to regularly clean their front yards facing the coastal area,” Denosta said.

Penalties would be imposed on individuals, households, or establishments that fail to comply. These are the following:

* first offense – P2,000 fine and reprimand

* second offense – P3,000 fine plus coastal cleanup  service

* subsequent offense – P5,000 plus coastal cleanup service

The municipal or barangay treasurer is deputized to collect the penalties.

Aside from the regular coastal cleanup, a synchronized cleanup will also be conducted by all coastal barangays twice a year – every third week of March and third week of September during the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day.

The purpose of the ICC is to engage people around the world to remove trash from beaches and waterways, identify the sources of litter, and change behaviors that cause pollution, the same idea behind the provincial ordinance.

A Barangay Solid Waste Management Committee will also be formed in each village with the barangay captain as chairperson.

The committee will assist in the implementation of the ordinance and conduct training on ecological solid waste management. (PNA/PN)

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