Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Annie Perez, ABS-CBN News

Annie Perez

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1734337986451121624_THUMB.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Annie Perez, ABS-CBN News</div>CEBU -- A fourth bridge that will link Mactan Island to Mandaue City  in Cebu province has been touted as “iconic” because it will be the first steel box girder-type bridge in the country.  The construction of the P76.41-billion ($1.31 billion) Mandaue-Mactan bridge, however, has fueled concerns about its adverse impact on the broom-making industry in Mandaue and marine species in the Mactan Channel.   It’s common to see villagers soaking buri stalks in the waters off Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City. Buri or Buli is a native palm tree in Cebu, whose fiber could be made into a broom. For decades now, broom-making has been a major industry in this village which comprises at least two sitios. About 40 percent of the barangay or roughly 13,000 residents subsist on broom-making.   After most trees were cut to make way for factories, residents had to buy buri from a supplier. They soak the fiber in the waters of Mandaue city by the Mactan Channel and dry it in the sun before assembling it into a broom. It&#x27;s painstaking hours-long work, but one can earn as much as P5,000 ($86) a month, depending on the number of bulk orders. All the broom-makers in the village rack up P500,000 ($8,635) profit a month. At 31, Jose Elvis took over the family business from his mother following her retirement. They get by, but they are worried that they may need to pack their bags and leave their livelihood behind.  <script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABR0vGO8kYQ7FG02&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script>Paknaan is among five barangays affected by the construction of the bridge designed to decongest both Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue cities.   “Yung plano talaga nila tambakan, kumbaga tabunan. Ano naman ang pamumuhay kung tabunan ito? (Their plan is to dump soil on the water, to cover it. What will be our livelihood if they will cover this?)” added Elvis.If this happens, the water for their buri will turn murky, posing a threat to their source of livelihood. The bridge goes along with a reclamation project of the local government unit of Mandaue where 80 hectares will be reclaimed near their barangay, based on a previous announcement of the city.Since construction of the bridge won’t begin until next year, some residents are worried not so much about their displacement but their relocation, if at all.  “Tagaan sad siguro mig luna o ibalhin mi nila o asa mi ibalhin. Panginabuhian mani sa mga Paknaanon. (They should give us an area where they will transfer us. This is the main livelihood of the people of Paknaan),” said Emelia Mangubat, chair of the barangay cooperative composed mostly of buri broom-makers.<div>BRIDGE TO EASE TRAFFIC</div>Composed of a 3.3-km bridge and a 4.9-km, four-lane coastal road, the infrastructure is designed to ease traffic congestion in the developing metropolitan areas of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue in preparation for a new international port in the adjacent town of Consolacion.The project, part of the previous Duterte administration’s “Build Build Build’’ program, is funded with a P52-billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. JICA is implementing a 0.1 percent annual interest for the project and 0.01 percent annual interest for consulting services. The repayment period is 40 years with a grace period of 12 years.The project implementer, Department of Public Works and Highways, has obtained an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for the project.  <div>ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT</div>Based on the Environmental Impact Assessment Survey of JICA, the project will have a minimal effect on flora and fauna.There are 30 species of macrobenthic algae and at least four species of seagrasses in the Mactan Channel which are food for fish that propagate in the area. Seaweeds were also found. Mud snails were also present and no coral reefs were logged.But for marine biologist Dr. Danilo Largo of the University of San Carlos, it is more than minimal. Largo and his team conducted a study identifying the marine ecosystems at the Mactan Channel where they found an abundance of seaweed beds that are natural marine habitats to fishes and other sea creatures.This, despite the “murky water” in the area which has been impacted by runoff from seven river streams. “Already full of silt,” said Largo.The species of seagrass that they found include the Halodule uninervis, Thalassia hemprichii and the Sargassum, among others. They also found soft corals near the Cansaga Bay Bridge.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1734338106610IMG_7071.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Annie Perez, ABS-CBN News"/>Annie Perez, ABS-CBN News“Affected in a sense that the site where the structure will be built will incur damage. It has to be compensated by rehabilitation elsewhere. Damage control,” said Largo in a mix of English and Cebuano.</div>Although he explained that the seaweed will just bloom on its own time, many sea creatures still depend  on it.With the construction, the silt might just continue to pile up without proper dredging.DPWH Central Visayas has not responded to inquiries on their next move on the project despite multiple requests.However, based on their recently published resettlement action plan, they already conducted multiple public consultations with different sectors including broommakers.“Surveys were conducted for the affected families and establishments. The purpose of the survey is also to relocate/resettle the Project Affected Persons where they will have better security compared to the mangrove area owned by the government,” a portion of their plan wrote.They also said that the project will not close the area nor fill-up the mangrove swamps where the buri are being soaked. “Those areas that will be affected are only those areas with the bridge columns or piers. Any type of loss of livelihood will be sufficiently compensated and replacement will be provided,” their report added.<div>PROMISE TO ADDRESS WOES </div>Mandaue City officials assured residents that no livelihood will be displaced, and that any environmental impact will be minimized.  “All of these affected livelihoods including settlers are considered in the plan,” said architect Marlo Ocleasa, department head for Planning and Development in Mandaue City.He notes only a “few” broom makers will be affected. Validation is still ongoing. <script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABR0uujbDpYDBgpj&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script>Ocleasa added that a relocation site is being prepared for the Paknaan villagers in case the broom making industry will be halted due to the construction of the bridge. The provision of alternative livelihoods is also in the works. “We will also implement information campaigns about the project,” added Ocleasa. The city will also be firm in implementing the terms provided in the project’s environmental compliance certificate. These include the prohibition on the cutting of mangroves and trees during the project implementation and the planting of 10,000 seedlings in support of the Green Philippines Master Plan.Fisherfolk will also be given free access to Mactan Channel even if construction work is ongoing.  The project is expected to be completed in 2028.<div>SEAWEED BED ESTABLISHMENT PUSHED</div>Dr. Largo is open to help in the rehabilitation of the affected area by establishing a seaweed bed of the Sargassum species. The Sargassum can thrive in concrete blocks and other substrates such as pillars of the bridge. “We can produce seedlings and plant them. They can become habitats,” said Largo.Sargassum could also be harvested and as a raw material, could be used as alginate extract for the biomedical, dental, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries. This innovation was inspired by techniques done in big coastal infrastructure projects in Japan and South Korea but they use a different method unique to the Mactan Channel. “Whatever activity that is introduced to an area that affects the marine environment, it has to be accompanied by rehabilitation. That should be responsible enough as it affects the people,” added Largo.Actual construction is set to begin by the first quarter of 2025. Until then, Largo and his team remain hopeful that they will be tapped to save marine life and, eventually, livelihood.

A fourth bridge that will link Mactan Island to Mandaue City in Cebu seems to be a threat to the livelihood of broom makers in the area.

A fourth bridge that will link Mactan Island to Mandaue City in Cebu seems to be a threat to the livelihood of broom makers in the area.

$1.31-B ‘iconic’ bridge threatens broom-making industry, marine species in PH’s Cebu province

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$1.31-B ‘iconic’ bridge threatens broom-making industry, marine species in PH’s Cebu province

Annie Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 16, 2024 05:54 PM PHT

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Updated December 17, 2024 08:09 AM PHT

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