ENVIRONMENTAL lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos on Wednesday lauded the appointment of a special prosecutor for the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS), one of the country’s largest marine-protected areas (MPA).
“With the designation of a special prosecutor for Tañon Strait, we will no longer have to file cases through city or prosecutors. There will be a state prosecutor from the Department of Justice [DOJ] who will handle the cases,” Ramos said in an interview.
Ramos is vice president of ocean-conservation advocacy group Oceana Philippines.
With the DOJ’s appointment of a special prosecutor for Tañon Strait, alleged crimes committed within the TSPS will now be handled by Assistant State Prosecutor Karla Cabel.
The TSPS covers the entire Tañon Strait, which lies between the islands of Negros and Cebu.
Ramos said the appointment of a special prosecutor “will boost their campaign to preserve the beauty and bounty of the Tañon Strait.”
The TSPS is severely threatened by illegal and destructive fishing, apart from climate change, waste mismanagement, habitat destruction and pollution.
Oceana has been pushing for the stronger protection of Tañon Strait, and was instrumental in the revival of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) two years ago.
Today, the TSPS PAMB members regularly meet to develop policies and give direction to the Protected Area Office headed by Prospero Lendio, the Protected Area superintendent.
The PAMB is linking arms with various law-enforcement agencies such as the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police Maritime Group and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and various task forces organized by local government units within the TSPS to intensify the campaign against illegal activities, particularly illegal fishing.
The TSPS is host to 27 visiting shark and ray species, including marine turtles—migratory species the Philippines is committed to protecting under its commitment to the Convention on Migratory Species, also called the Bonn Convention.
She said filing of cases against so-called “environmental terrorists” is a must to deter the commission of crimes. She added Oceana is also contemplating in pursuing cases against authorities—or officials of government agencies who failed to perform their duties and responsibilities or agency mandates.