The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has declared the Sabang Bay in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro and the Coron Bay in Palawan as water quality management areas.
Environment said the move aimed to further protect the marine biodiversity in the areas from the unwanted effects of tourism activities.
Both Sabang Bay and Coron Bay are world-class diving sites with great visibility and masses of underwater life, making them among the favorite destinations of tourists and diving enthusiasts.
“These latest WQMA designations are critical to effectively address development issues on safeguarding the areas’ ecosystem qualities from the rapid growth of tourism activities in the towns of Coron and Puerto Galera, while sustaining the economic benefits for the local host communities,” said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.
Paje said as diving tourism and the associated residential and commercial developments “exert a considerable pressure on the ecological fabric” of the two bay areas, there was a need to ensure their water qualities compled with the standards prescribed under the Philippine Clean Water Act.
He said the strong reliance on healthy and attractive coral reefs made the tourism sector in Coron and Puerto Galera “particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.”
Paje said the WQMA designation would provide the DENR, local government units, communities and other stakeholders identify water quality problems, sources of pollution and the beneficial use of Sabang Bay and Coron Bay.
The designation will also help stakeholders determine what control measures to institute to effectively achieve water quality objectives or improvements.
The Coron Bay WQMA covers the bay itself and eight of the 23 barangays comprising the entire town of Coron, while that of the Sabang Bay includes the bay itself, which is part of the world famous Verde Island Passage, and the whole Barangay Sabang.