MANILA, Philippines – Filipino scientists have returned from their two-week-long expedition to the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Chief Scientist Dr. Deo Florence Onda of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute said they have at least a year to test the specimen or organism samples from the area.
The project is funded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in cooperation with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Onda noted the significance of WPS especially in the cultivation of marine resources being the center of the world’s biodiversity and serves as breeding ground for various species of fish that migrate to nearby oceans particularly in the northern part of Luzon.
“Iyong mga itlog ng isda, ng corals, pati maliliit na isda dinadala ng anod. Mula (sa) West Philippine Sea, aanurin ang mga iyan mula sa West Coast ng Luzon at sa West Coast ng Palawan,” Onda explained.
(Fish and corals spawn and eggs are carried away by the currents. From the West Philippine Sea, they will be carried away to the West Coast of Luzon and the West Coast of Palawan.)
“Ngayon ang mga maliliit na isda tsaka mga itlog na iyon, kapag nakarating sa West Coast ng Palawan, doon sila lumalaki. So iyong nakikinabang talaga sa mga itlog na nanggagaling sa West Philippine Sea ay ang West Palawan at West Luzon,” he added.
(Now, the small fish and the eggs, when they reach the West Coast of Palawan, that’s where they will breed. So those who benefit from the eggs that are coming from the West Philippine Sea are West Palawan and West Luzon.)
During the expedition, the team noticed damaged corals possibly a result of illegal fishing.
Such practice must stop, they argued, because the corals serve as natural habitat for breeding fish.
“Ang isang corral doon mangingitlog ang isda. Lalangoy siya papunta sa kabilang coral reef. Doon siya lalaki tapos doon naman siya mangingitlog,” the scientist said.
(Fish lay eggs in the corals. They will migrate to other coral reefs. That’s where they will grow and eventually lay their eggs as well.)
“So meron kang pinagmumulan, meron kang pinupuntahan. Kung iyong pinagmumulan mo nawala, ano mangyayari doon sa mga populasyon na pupunta doon sa kabilang reef? Mawawala din,” he noted.
(So you have the origin, then the destination. If the origin is destroyed, what will happen to the population that will migrate to other reefs? They will be lost.)
According to the team, local fishermen lament the depleting population of fish in the area as they are not catching as much as they used to in the past.
“Sabi nila: Matagal na kaming walang nakukuha o nahuhuling malalaking Lapu-lapu dito,” Onda said referring to his conversation with one of the local fisherfolks.
(They said they have been catching only a few large Lapu-Lapu.)
Aside from being a source of fish, the expedition team hopes to find an organism that could be used as ingredient in making new medicines that could help cure certain diseases like cancer.
“Sa pag-aaral namin, marami sa mga shells for example ang tawag namin cunus ay pwede pagmulan ng mga bagong gamot, pain killers, pwedeng gamot sa cancer,” Dr. Onda explained.
(Based on our study, more shells for example or what we call ‘cunus’ can be good sources of new medicines like pain killers or cure for cancer.)
“Iyong mga bacteria na nakikita mo sa sponge o nasa coral, sa MSI nakita naming na pwede silang i-exploit din para sa anti-bacterial activity bilang isang anti-biotic or bilang isang anti-cancer,” he added.
(The bacteria that we see in sponges or in corals, through MSI, we discovered that they can be exploited for anti-bacterial activity such as an antibiotic or an anti-cancer.)
Dr. Onda noted that the increase in number of nations fishing in the area is an indication that the WPS is rich in marine resources.
Thus, the UP Marine Science Institute is encouraging neighboring countries to protect the West Philippine Sea because the impact will be huge if the area is exploited.
Ultimately, the group said, nations benefiting from its resources will be the ones to suffer.
“Kapag nagpakawala ka daw ng isang itlog sa West Philippine Sea at titingnan mo yung galaw ng dagat, yung mga itlog na iyon pwedeng madeposito sa China, sa Vietnam, sa Thailand, sa Malaysia, sa Indonesia, sa Brunei, sa Pilipinas,”
(When you release eggs in West Philippine Sea and consider the movement of the ocean, those eggs may end up in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines.) – MNP (with reports from Rey Pelayo)
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