TACLOBAN CITY – Once a shining example of community-led conservation and coastal resilience, the Paraiso Mangrove Eco Learning Park in Barangay 83, San Jose, is now quietly fighting for its survival.

What began as a grassroots initiative to heal ‘Yolanda’-ravaged shores has evolved into a full-fledged marine and wildlife sanctuary — and is now facing slow decline due to underfunding, neglect, and the looming threat of urban development.

After Super Typhoon Yolanda flattened Tacloban in 2013, the shoreline of Barangay 83 was left barren. In response, the community turned despair into action: dead mangroves were processed into charcoal to generate income, which was then used to buy seedlings for a mangrove reforestation project. With support from local government, NGOs, and international organizations, the initiative grew.

By 2016, the community had planted over 10,000 mangrove seedlings across five hectares of shoreline. A cooperative was established — the Paraiso Tacloban Mangrove Eco Learning Park Service Cooperative — composed of volunteers who not only rehabilitated the mangroves but also envisioned the area as an educational, ecotourism, and wildlife refuge.
Today, the park stands as the only mangrove sanctuary of its kind in Tacloban City — a place where visitors, students, researchers, and birdwatchers gather to reconnect with nature.

But the years have taken a toll. Aging boardwalks once used by visitors to walk into the mangrove forest are now rotting and unsafe. Entrance fees — P20 for students and P30 for others — provide only minimal income for maintenance.

“The boardwalk was very popular, especially for photos, but now you can’t even walk there safely,” laments Danilo Elias, 66, a long-time volunteer and one of the park’s most passionate caretakers.

While one path leading to the floating cottages has had partial concrete upgrades, the majority of the infrastructure remains wooden — vulnerable to rot and collapse in the marshy conditions. Several boats are also damaged, and one cottage is now unusable.
“We’ve cemented only half. The rest has to wait until we find more funding,” Elias explains.
In the past, groups like An Waray, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and OISCA International contributed resources and support. But over the past few years, these funding streams have dried up, and the park is now largely reliant on volunteers and meager entrance fees.

“We have so many plans, but without money, we’re left to manage on our own,” Elias says. “We do what we can, but it’s difficult to keep this park alive without real support.”
More worrying than maintenance issues is the ongoing construction of the 2.56-kilometer Tacloban City Causeway, a road embankment and reclamation project that could irreversibly damage the mangrove habitat.

Elias warns that the causeway could pollute the bay, alter marine currents, and disrupt migratory patterns of wildlife.

“The water here is alive. Fish and birds go in and out. If you block that, you change everything. The soil they’re using for the causeway? It’s toxic to shellfish. And nobody’s listening,” he said. “The city doesn’t care.”

Despite everything, Elias remains fiercely loyal to the park. He recalls weddings, birthdays, seminars, and outreach activities held at the site over the years — evidence of the sanctuary’s social value.

“You can see so many creatures here — halu, ibid, sawa, tikarol, tukmo, balinsasayaw, even bukaw. Migratory birds from China come here. White birds, talabong — people from abroad come just to watch them.”

“This is the only place like this in Tacloban. If it disappears, there won’t be another.”
As the mangroves face yet another man-made threat, Elias and his fellow volunteers continue their quiet fight — not just for trees and birds, but for a vision of what community-led environmental protection can truly be.

(JUSTIN ANDRIAN F. POTOLIN, LNU STUDENT INTERN)

Reelectionist Senator Francis Tolentino has vowed to push for the full implementation of maritime protection laws and stronger enforcement capabilities to safeguard the livelihood and rights of fisherfolk in coastal provinces facing Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Speaking during a press conference with fellow senatorial candidates of the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, Tolentino said Filipino fishers are bearing the brunt of repeated harassment and intimidation by Chinese vessels in Philippine waters.
“Mahigpit nating ipatutupad ‘yong Republic Act [12065], ‘yong Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law, na maliwanag po kung saan dadaan ‘yong mga malalaking barko galing sa ibang bansa. Sa ganoong paraan, maiiwasan po ‘yong banggaan,” said Tolentino, who is also the Senate majority leader.

He pointed out that recent maritime incidents, including fatal collisions involving large foreign vessels, have gone unresolved to this day.

“Alam ko po ‘yong nangyari sa Villasis (Pangasinan)… ako po ay nakipaglamay doon sa mga kababayan natin na nabangga ng isang malaking barko. Nasa husgado pa ho ito sa Singapore para makakuha tayo ng ilang claims,” he said.

Tolentino also stressed the need to bolster maritime defense and law enforcement agencies, particularly the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, which he said remain under-resourced.

“Ang kailangan po dito ay patuloy na palakasin natin ang Coast Guard at ang BFAR. Idagdag ko pa ho dito ‘yong PNP Maritime Police Command na sa ngayon ay medyo mahina,” he said.

Citing both economic and strategic stakes, the senator said China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea are not just acts of harassment, but are also designed to encroach on the Philippines’ valuable marine resources and energy reserves.

“Hindi naman po siguro karapat-dapat na ‘yong yaman ng dagat natin, kabilang po siguro ang 5.4 billion barrels of oil sa West Philippine Sea, ay naglalaway pa sila. Ito po ay pag-aari ng Pilipinas,”he said.

He warned that China’s influence efforts extend beyond the seas and into the domestic political landscape, linking maritime harassment with attempts to sway Philippine policymaking and repeal hard-won maritime laws.

“Gusto ng China na manalo ‘yong Pro-China senatoriables … gusto nilang ma-repeal ‘yong batas na ‘yon,” he said, referring to the Philippine Maritime Zones Law. “Gusto nilang ma-repeal, wala ng oversight no’n kung repealed na ‘yon, hindi na ipapatupad.”

He urged unity and vigilance among Filipinos, asserting that the defense of the country’s territorial integrity and the livelihood of its coastal communities should remain a top national priority.

“Dapat ipakita natin bilang isang bansa na nagkakaisa po tayo. Ito po ay isang concerted effort to really undermine the democratic system and our way of life here in the Philippines,” he said.(PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, through Task Force HOPE–Eastern Visayas, has deployed an additional 86 military personnel across the region to help ensure peaceful and orderly national and local elections on Monday, May 12, 2025.
With this latest deployment, the total number of troops assigned to election security in the six provinces of Eastern Visayas has reached 2,821 personnel.

According to Task Force HOPE (honest, orderly, peaceful elections)–Eastern Visayas Commander Col. Arlino Sendaydiego, the additional forces will be deployed to areas threatened by the presence of communist insurgents and other potential sources of election-related violence.

“The troops will be stationed in strategic locations, particularly in communities affected by the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG). Their mandate is to provide a secure environment for voters, candidates, and election personnel,” he said.

Sendaydiego added that the military will also assist in monitoring the presence of private armed groups, which may attempt to disrupt the elections through intimidation or violence.
Maj. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of the 8th ID, assured the public that despite election-related deployments, internal security operations against insurgents will continue without interruption.

“We remain committed to our primary mission of neutralizing the remaining communist terrorist elements. At the same time, our troops will fulfill their election duties while remaining non-partisan and apolitical,” he said.

Orio reminded all deployed personnel to strictly observe their constitutional role of securing the conduct of free, honest, and peaceful elections, without engaging in political activities or favoring any candidate.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)