ADOPTING THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF CORAL REEFS IN THE PROVINCE OF PALAWAN AT PHP 12,000 PER SQUARE METER FOR PURPOSES OF ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND/OR REHABILITATION

WHEREAS, coral reefs and coral ecosystem provide various goods and services to the populace, both direct and indirect, which include among others: food, raw materials, medicines, jewelry, recreation, ecosystem services, and many more;

WHEREAS, the Province of Palawan being an archipelago of more than 1,700 islands and islets, has the largest coral reef and coastal-marine areas in the Philippines;

WHEREAS, the latest monitoring results conducted by the PCSDS reveal that the Province’s coral reefs show signs of deterioration, both from natural and anthropological causes;

WHEREAS, according to literatures and expert opinion, the fastest natural regeneration rate ever recorded for coral reefs has been 20 years in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; while some coral reefs take as long as 70 years to regenerate back to their original condition;

WHEREAS, a major and recently occurring anthropogenic cause of coral damage in the Province of Palawan is ship/vessel/barge agrounding;

WHEREAS, in incidents of ship grounding and the coral reefs are left alone to regenerate on their own, it will take the ecosystem several years to recover;

WHEREAS, in the process of coral reef restoration or rehabilitation, the recent study for the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park commissioned in 2006 by Conservation International which estimated the appropriate fines for ship grounding violations recommended imposing a minimum fine of Php 9,500 per square meter or a maximum of Php 15,000 per square or an average amount of Php 12,000 per square meter of damaged coral reef;

WHEREAS, similar situations in other areas of the Philippines such as in Apo Reef Natural Park, a ship grounding incident in 2003 resulted to imposition of fine amounting to Php 13,000 per square meter of damaged corals;

WHEREAS, coral damage attributed to occurrence of similar incidents recorded imposition of much higher fines such as: in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (United States) as high as US$ 481 per sq. m. or approximately Php 24,000 per sq. m., and in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Australia), the fine was A$ 733 per sq. m. or approximately Php 28,000 per sq. m.

WHEREAS, there is a need to protect, conserve, restore and/or rehabilitate the remaining coral reefs of the Province which are being mainly affected by anthopogenic causes such as ship/vessel/barge agrounding and others;

NOW THEREFORE, this Council, as a matter of policy, resolves to adopt as it is hereby adopted the economic value of coral reefs in the Province of Palawan at Php 12,000 per square meter, based on the aforementioned Tubbataha Reef Study of 2006, for purposes of ecosystem restoration and/or rehabilitation.

RESOLVED FURTHER, that this amount be used in estimating the cost of environmental damage to coral reefs due to vessel agrounding and similar causes, the presence or absence of negligence notwithstanding.

RESOLVED FINALLY, that copy of this resolution be furnished the Office of the National Administrative Registrar at the UP Law Center, Diliman, Quezon City.

ADOPTED AND APPROVED this 6th day of July at Puerto Princesa City.

I hereby certify that the above-quoted resolution has been duly adopted and approved by the PCSD on July 6,2012 at Puerto Princesa City.

JOSEPHINE S.MATULAC Acting Secretary

APPROVED FOR THE COUNCIL:: GOV.ABRAHAM KAHLIL B. MITRA PCSD Chairman

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