PCG brings in enforcement of

marine recreational safety

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol June 22 (PIA)—Taking water recreational safety one step at a time, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) brings to Bohol its second leg of its recreational safety forum via the Oceanica Resort in Panglao, June 21.

According to Commodore Rommel Supangan, deputy commander of the country’s maritime safety command, the forum aimed to update resort owners and water recreational activities operators of the most recent updates in safeguarding guests, and bringing it to Bohol is extremely important as the island is one of the busiest hubs for marine recreational tourism activities.

Apart from the world class dive sites and underwater activities that have pinned Bohol in the international tourism map, the dolphin and whale watching activities, as well as the marine recreational activities like kite surfing, boat kite surfing, hydrofoil surfing apart from wake boarding and wind surfing are now becoming mainstream recreational activities here.

Bohol is also fast becoming a hub for skin diving, recreational sports scuba diving and snorkeling, that a certain regulation has to be implemented as operators know very little of applicable laws and policies that govern these activities.

“The recreational safety forum allows us to give the guidelines for our resort owners and operators of recreational activities frequented by tourists so they can be guided accordingly for the things that they need to implement for safety,” Comm Supangan said.

The intention is to slowly raise the bar in safety and security of our people and the tourists who come to Bohol, he said.

Part of the forum is the mandatory requirement for life guards in facilities that offer water activities.

There would be upcoming lifeguard training, the official said, stressing that everything here is just a reiteration of the policies incorporated in the Memorandum Circulars which the PCG has implemented.

“We are here strengthening and enhancing the implementation and enforcement of Memorandum Circular No 3-2014, and we are using this as the opportunity for dialog and feedback to review and look back as well as enhance what the previous circulars did not mention, where our stakeholders see other areas that we need to improve, or other issues that the policy did not mention,” the PCG marine safety official added.

As to the present policy, its states that at a span of every 20 meters, there has to be an accredited lifeguard on duty.

In the case of Alona for example, that 1.2 kilometers of beachfront would necessitate so many lifeguards to watch over the swimmers, he pointed out, citing that this point allows the coast guard to include its memorandum circulars.

With the support of local government units and partner government agencies like the Philippine Red Cross, LGUS could help set ups systems that add up to the improvement of recreational safety.

Attended by over 80 resort owners, operators and activity managers, coast guard officials and personnel as well as marine safety stakeholders, the forum also empowers LGUS to come up with designated areas for swimming, for diving activities and navigational lanes to advance safety.

Commodore Supangan also said “the memorandum circulars that would be used to implement safety measures have already covered penal provisions, that this technically empowers the maritime law enforcement agencies including the PCG in coordination with the local government units to apprehend and cite violators.”

There is a separate policy which the coast guard is focusing in coordination with the Philippine Commission of Sports Scuba Diving to guide in the implementation of unauthorized dives, or violations especially for those whose violation endanger life and property, he added meaning the regulation of scuba diving activities and its introductory dives that are blatantly breached in several areas.

For his part, PCG Western Bohol chief Lieutenant junior grade Romulo Balonga Jr., said the forum is a huge help for equipping the stakeholders with the proper knowledge of what we are enforcing, and this will let them know, let us hear their issues and concerns which we can also help fix. (PIABohol)

EMPOWERING RECREATIONAL SAFETY STAKEHOLDERS. The PCG brings to Bohol its forum on marine recreational safety forum to inform as well as to gather feedbacks of the concerns that the applicable policies are posing as challenge for enforcement. (PIABOHOL)