By Carlo P. Gonzaga March 14, 2020 Wikipedia photo of Verde Island, Batangas City. The island situated in the Verde Island Passage betw...
March 14, 2020
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| Wikipedia photo of Verde Island, Batangas City. The island situated in the Verde Island Passage between the Philippine island of Mindoro and Batangas province has been identified as the “centre of the centre” of the world’s marine shorefish diversity in a study by Kent Carpenter, IUCN Global Marine Species Assessment co-ordinator, and Victor Springer of the Smithsonian Institute, according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) website. |
Five of the six barangay chairmen in Isla Verde, Batangas City has ordered a tourism lockdown as precautionary measure to block the possible entry in the island of a COVID-19 infected person.
The barangay chairmen of San Agustin Kanluran, San Agapito, San Andres, San Antonio and Liponpon have issued an order to all owners of resorts, dive shops, transient houses, including owners of private passenger boats and to other establishments for the temporary ban of both local and foreign tourists and cancellation of all tourism-related activities in said barangays.
Only Barangay San Agustin has not issued the same order due to the absence of any tourism-related establishments, according to its barangay chairman.
Although, the barangay officials see the adverse impact of the lockdown in the island’s tourism industry, they called on the island residents to cooperate because of the worst problem that they may encounter once a COVID-19 carrier have entered the island.
A tourism destination, Verde Island situated in the Verde Island Passage between the Philippine island of Mindoro and Batangas province has been identified as the “centre of the centre” of the world’s marine shorefish diversity in a study by Kent Carpenter, IUCN Global Marine Species Assessment co-ordinator, and Victor Springer of the Smithsonian Institute, according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) website.
Batangas City Mayor Beverly Rose A. Dimacuha on March 9, issued a memorandum cancelling all public gatherings including graduation exercises and moving up ceremonies in the city.
Also, all the parishes in the city are enjoined to cancel all religious processions and other related activities while calling on to put alcohol dispensers in the entries and exits of churches, chapels, schools, malls, supermarkets and other places frequented by city residents.
In a related development, the 30 local chief executive (LCE)-members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Batangas Chapter in their monthly meeting held in Taal, Batangas on March 10, have concurred to declare the cancellation of classes in all public and private schools from March 12 until March 14.
LMP Batangas Chapter president and San Jose Mayor Ben Patron said all the LCEs are united in declaring the cancellation of classes to streamline the actions in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the province despite of no recorded person positive of the disease.
“From March 12 to March 14, clean-up activities and spraying of disinfectant solutions will be conducted in public buildings and schools while private schools are encouraged to do the same as precautionary measure against COVID-19,” Patron added. (CPGonzaga with report from Balikas Online News)
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