Few years back, I could say that majority of Tibiaonons and a good 90 percent of Antiqueños don’t know the existence of Seco Island. Thanks to the “information superhighway” that brought about a 360 degree turn on how we communicate and share information. With the emergence of social networking sites, the beauty of this hidden paradise is no longer a secret. As an enthusiast photographer and a self proclaimed environmentalists, visiting Seco Island has always been in my bucket list. In fact, it was a childhood dream visiting the island upon hearing my older brother and cousins talked about it. An island so beautiful with powder white sand, crystal clear water, colorful corals that is home to thousands of fishes that trickle their feet. Years had passed, but it still tickles my imagination, so in 2011, I set my foot at “Pungtod” (Seco island’s local name) and the very second I have seen the beauty of the Island, as dramatic as it may sound, I got teary eyed because of the overwhelming feeling of pride, of being a Tibiaonon blessed with such beautiful gift of nature. Since then, I frequented the island and even bring friends to show off its beauty and every visit brings more discoveries, sad discoveries about the real status of Seco Island. Seco Island is located 21 miles west of Tibiao. It is an island atoll with just over 3.5 hectares of white sand surrounded with hectares upon hectares of corals. Because of the considerable distance from the mainland, it is subjected to different illegal activities that threatens the very existence of the island. Dynamite and cyanide fishing and illegal quarrying of sand are among the illegal activities that is a common scenario in the island. As if that destructive activity is not enough, the once beautiful island has been turned into a dump site as garbage littered all over the area due to tidal currents and garbage brought by tourists and fishermen alike. This scenario together with the plea of fisherfolks in my village that encourage me to author an ordinance that declares the island as Marine Protected Area( MPA) that aims to regulate its use and prohibits its exploitation and creating a support mechanism for its protection and development. Despite the support of the local PO’s and NGO’s especially the fisherfolks, the local government unit of Tibiao still cannot totally implement the ordinance due to budgetary constraints, that was even made worse as typhoon Yolanda hit our municipality last November that considerably changed our priorities. But the dream to do something for Seco did not simply die, with the help of similar minded people in the person of SB Sumande of the Municipality of Hamtic together with his team from ATI and AMSI, an activity to create awareness about Seco island and its condition was crafted. An advocacy that is supported by SP Piccio and SP Condez, through a series of meetings we have come up with “Seco Island Clean-up and awareness Campaign” on June 12, 2014. The activity hope to create awareness among people especially Tibiaonon and Antiqueños about Seco Island and its call for help. That in our small way, we can help save and protect this gift of nature. So, I am inviting everyone to join us in celebrating our 116th Independence Day for a Cause - Seco Island Clean Up and Awareness Campaign. With an amount of P1,200.00 as your registration fee that will cover the transportation cost, meals, T-shirt and other logistics needed, you can be a part of this important cause. The scheduled activities on that day are as follows: Short Program Commemorating Philippines Independence Day Seco Island Clean Up IEC against Illegal activities Tree Planting Biathlon (Swimming and Running) I will be posting more detailed information soon.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:35:10 +0000
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