Roaring voices culminate envi month in Maasim town

It takes strong will and passion to restore, rehabilitate and protect Sarangani Bay and the environment as a whole.
But for at least 120 people coming from various government and private organizations who gathered at Sarangani Energy Corporation (SEC) jetty facility on Friday, June 27 – it takes action more than passion to show deep compassion for the environment.
After all, action speaks louder than words.
Said event is Maasim’s culminating of the Environment Month celebration with this year’s theme: “Raise your Voice, Not the Sea Level.”
Highlighting the celebration is deployment of 160 Artificial Reef Domes (ARD) into Sarangani bay by volunteers coming from SEC, local governments of Sarangani province, municipality of Maasim and barangay Kamanga, Kamanga Agro-Industrial Ecozone Development Corp., Condrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation Inc (CLAFI)., Philippine National Police, 72nd Infantry Battalion, 10th Infantry Division Philippine Army, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Coast Guard among others.
With its commitment to help rehabilitate and preserve Sarangani Bay, the Alcantara Group’s SEC has launched the program in 2009, forming part of their coastal protection and management interventions.
To date, more than 1,000 ARDs were already distributed into the waters of Tampuan, Looc and Mangelen.
“As I have observed, this multi-billion investor is much willing and committed to do their share in saving the bay,” opined Vice Mayor Uttoh Salem Cutan.
SEC’s 210 Mega Watt (MW) coal-fired power plant currently undergoing construction in Maasim, Sarangani is one of only two power plants that will be operating by 2015 to help provide a sustainable and lasting solution to the power crisis that has been plaguing Mindanao since 2010.  At US$570 Million, the SEC plant is the single largest investment in the province and the entire Region 12.
CLAFI, Alcantara Group’s corporate social responsibility arm forged partnership with the country’s leading cement manufacturer Holcim Inc. last year in a bid to fabricate more domes.
As agreed, Holcim Inc. will supply 2,000 bags of cement for construction of more reef domes.
 “We have been doing these years before the construction of the plant even started here in Maasim. We remain committed to this day by conducting various coral reef protection and conservation efforts as a long-term plan to mitigate impacts brought about by our ongoing construction activities,” Joel Aton, SEC Human Resource and Project Assurance Head stressed out.
“This commitment is manifested in our ‘Save Sarangani Bay’ initiatives which include the deployment of ARDs, mangrove planting activities, and the release of healthy bangus fry to the bay.”
SEC, along with community partners have successfully released 1.645 million healthy bangus fry to the bay and have planted close to 35,000 mangrove seedlings with high survival rating for the past five years.  
Meanwhile, DENR-12 Regional Executive Director Sultan Tungko Saikol during memorandum of agreement signing on Adopt-a-Waterways project Monday, June 30, has cited SEC’s 7,500 – hectare Watershed Protection and Development program as model of a strong private-public partnership particularly on the National Greening Program the government.
The project is set out to cultivate public and private lands with commercial agro-forestry crops like rubber, coffee, guayabano, jackfruit to name a few – giving highland farmers sustainable income.
SEC has already planted 700,000 seedlings at 1,400 hectares covering barangays Amsipit, Kablakan, Nomoh, Pananag and Lumatil –– benefiting 450 families to date.
“Partnership with the private sector is important for the success of any endeavor, any project to save the environment,” Saikol said.
Indeed, will and will alone is not enough to restore, rehabilitate and protect Sarangani Bay and the environment as a whole. Teamwork is also pivotal.