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Do you think the sea front (of blvrd) can be restored back to its prime state?

Discussion in 'Diving and Marine Life' started by Jopliniac, Apr 9, 2012.

  1. Jopliniac

    Jopliniac DI Member

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    Yeah, so today, the tide was so low. First time in my three years of stay here i saw the sea front having that tide so low. (We call it "hunas" kaayo.) So me and my best friend were strolling at the blvrd and went down to see what the locals were trying to "catch/watch/sift/collect". And as we were also doing our stuff there (looking at the miserable marine life there) we found out some interesting creatures and "marine life" there despite the ugly, dirty and horrible state of the sea there. Corals were mutating, rock colors, weeds, and sponges, almost everything are kind of mutated or at least look nasty and ew-ish. But you know, despite all that, there were still beautiful fishes out there living in that poor sea. There were a lot of various beautiful sea urchins. Pink ones, green, red, brown, black, black and white, there were orange and red, a lot of them! And there were beautiful star fishes too, blue ones and stylish red starfish (or correctly called as "sea star"). And there were eels, we saw two. And what made me at least kind of think that the sea could be somehow restored? Well, we saw sea anemones! Really surprising to see one there! (in that terrible state of the water). And you know what's amazing? There were two transparent, bright colored "shrimps" guarding it! (i'm not sure if they are shrimps, but they looked like it). I took pictures actually but by my phone, and doesn't really give justice to how beautiful they are in actual. Any event i wonder, how the sea front looked like before it was destroyed by pollution and toxic waste from the direct sewers flowing onto it. (considering neighboring beaches are so beautiful, like Zamboanguita/Apo Island have extremely beautiful coral and marine life, Dumaguete's sea front might have been like that before). Question, do you think the sea front can be restored back to its prime state, maybe like 100 years from now or two by constant check and clean up and environmental awareness if we act them like now?
    The major problem here, i think, are the city's sewers!
     
  2. RR_biker

    RR_biker DI Senior Member Veteran Marines

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    It's a matter of money and political will to restore the sea in front of the blvd. Like you did observe the city sewer system is one of the main reasons marine life get destroyed as it cause a great pollution. But sorry to say, I believe that the majority of the population of Dumaguete isn't really interested in marine life, environment and so on. Just a little example. Yesterday was waiting on the pier next to a ticket booth. A couple (man and woman) carried a baby to the waterfront. The baby less than one year old had his/her things done in the pamper and the parents wished to give the baby a fresh new one. Instead of leaving the dirty pamper in a garbage bin, no, it was just jumped into the sea. Ever seen the filthy state of the blvd by the evening. Visitors take from home or stalls all kind of food, mostly wrapped up in plastic. It seems to much asking to leave these plastics in the garbage baskets all around so much easier to drop it on the ground where you stand or sit. No more comments.
     
  3. OP
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    Jopliniac

    Jopliniac DI Member

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    Yeah, so true.
    I even wonder why these simple things (like really implenting fines for throwing wastes/garbages/wrappers/etc and having them arrested/warned/jailed) are not given attention so we would have a better surrounding there. Boulevard is where i most hang-out (just next to my piano room) and yesterday, i was amazed how beautiful it might have been if it is just protected and preserved. But also, even if great measures are put, still i think it will be somehow just the same, because yeah, main problem is the city's sewer system! yikes! :(

    And yep, it's frustrating to see people just throwing almost everything to the sea front! (And most of them are the uneducated locals, or vendors, trike drivers, local dwellers at the blvrd, and i also see a number of foreigners doing it too)
    Especially in the evening, yikes, you can see plastics flying with the sea breeze, balut egg shells scattered around like they wanted it to be the new tiles of the boulevard, and the heaping garbage bins, sometimes dog poop urgh!, uh what else? Still a lot to mention. :(
     
  4. DavyL200

    DavyL200 DI Forum Luminary ★ Global Mod ★ ★ Moderator ★ Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    It's the same on siliman beach,pampers,plastic and a bad smell. Alot of people swim there and many fishermen! Just walk to the end of the beach next to the runway and take a look!
     
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    Jopliniac

    Jopliniac DI Member

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    Yay, also Silliman beach? Whoah, okay, i will pay a visit there. I've been there twice, i think, but it was late in the evening. (You know, party with peers) It's near the "clubs" right? Ah, not sure, last time i went there to that place with a lot of clubs were 2 years ago. tsk.
     
  6. newbie27

    newbie27 DI Forum Adept

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    And whats the Silliman University Marine Biology students/ professors doing for this poor marine life in Dumaguete?
     
  7. Dave & Imp

    Dave & Imp DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Is there a reason that enforcement is so lax - to protect us?

    I have heard there is a fear that too many people doing enforcement will become independent business men collecting fines on the spot. Consequently rather than attempting to have clean enforcement department they do not have any at all.
     
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    Jopliniac

    Jopliniac DI Member

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    Actually, When i was a freshman, the Biology deparment of Silliman, together with some organizations and groups, made activites to clean up Silliman Beach and the sea front, so i think that was nice of them, although i don't know about now, haven't heard any activities regarding to coastal clean up either the beach or the sea front. Also, at that same (i think) they made studies of how dangerous the water in the sea front is, and also its ph level, and found out that it was very toxic and dangerous. (which is obvious to the naked eye! But imagine the locals, esp kids, still skinny-dipping there. O-o )
     
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    Jopliniac

    Jopliniac DI Member

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    Dave,

    Uhm, i never heard or have seen yet groups doing activities for the good of the environment which eventually became independent businesses collecting fines and stuffs, but if that's true, wow that's so disgusting of them!
    But what i heard is that, when some group wants to build or do something good for the community, the politicians will immediately "go" to them or something like that, and there are a lot of possibilities that will happen after that. Maybe the politicians might side to them to earn "people's sympathy" or maybe if he's THAT greedy, he will kick out that group and make that group's activities on his name, again to earn the "people's choice award". I know, sick. :(
     
  10. Broadside

    Broadside DI Forum Patron

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    There is not much chance of any improvement to the environment when crass stupidity, sheer idiocy and total disrespect of marine life is widespread and rampant. This story was in the Cebu papers last week, but it has now gone global via the internet and is a lead story on AOL. It is rightly causing outrage amongst conservationists world wide. At Boljoon, southern Cebu island, fishermen pulled a stranded whale shark into shallow water. These are extremely gentle giants of the sea. Having pulled it into shallow water, scores of people then went to it to poke and prod it. One imbecile then tied a rope around its tail so that it was held there, an act of cruelty in itself as whale sharks need to keep moving in the water to breath. Obscenely, one girl, whose turn it clearly wasn't to be in charge of the family brain cell, was photographed on the poor creatures back "surf boarding".
    It was finally released and guided out to sea by some people with a bit of knowledge, but injuries could be seen around the tail and the head. What thoughtless lunacy. The powers that be, who are pumping billions of pesos into encouraging tourism then wonder why tourists come here, see that kind of stupidity and vow never to return, telling others about it who then also decide not to visit. The story on AOL is already attracting a host of negative comments, one of the most poignant being from someone who wrote, "I'm surprised they didn't kill it and eat it". I guess the writer of that has already visited here. The authorities in Cebu say they want to tighten up the laws, which is just words to pacify an angry world press, because if they can't enforce the existing laws then any new ones introduced won't be enforced either.
     

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