Press Release
October 14, 2007

Loren lauds joint efforts to revitalize Lake Lanao

Sen. Loren Legarda has credited the Lanao de Sur provincial government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Muslim Mindanao and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for their combined efforts in finding ways to fully restore the country's second largest lake.

Legarda was referring to Lake Lanao, which has become the target of a technical support program funded by USAID, the US government agency that extends economic and humanitarian assistance.

The senator is author of a bill that seeks to establish a special body that would look after Lake Lanao, which is an integral part of the powerful river system that produces 70 percent of Mindanao's electricity.

According to the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), Lake Lanao is endangered by rampant logging in the adjoining watersheds, decreasing water level as a result of the six hydroelectric plants along the Agus River and uncontrolled trash and wastewater discharges.

"The lake is headed for an environmental disaster that will adversely affect the lives of thousands of people living in the 18 towns and one city around it. Freshwater fish production is already dwindling rapidly," GEM said in a statement.

Alarmed by the situation, the Lanao del Sur provincial government, the DENR in Muslim Mindanao and the USAID-backed Philippine Environmental Governance Project have joined forces to improve management of the lake and its environs. They forged an agreement to this effect in Marawi City last month.

Situated 702 meters above sea level in Lanao del Sur, Lake Lanao is fed by four rivers, covers an area of 355 square kilometers and has a depth of 60 to 112 meters.

The lake is the country's second largest, after the 950-square kilometer, two-meter deep Laguna de Bay, situated between the provinces of Laguna and Rizal.

Lake Lanao's only outlet is the Agus River, which flows via two channels, one over the Maria Cristina Falls and the other over the Linamon Falls.

The lake is also the habitat of 18 native species of freshwater fish, and supports a large number of waterfowl. Fishing villages likewise thrive around the lake, which is a major source of subsistence.

"Lake Lanao is definitely of strategic value -- economically and environmentally -- to Mindanao. Thus, we need a special body to exclusively look after the lake, to ensure that it is adequately protected at all times, and properly managed and developed," Legarda stressed.

"This way, future generations may continue to benefit from the lake's resources," she added.

Under Senate Bill 229, authored by Legarda, the Lake Lanao Development Authority would be established. The entity would exercise rights over public water in the lake, require enclosing communities to adopt appropriate zoning and regulatory measures, and curb industrial, agricultural and municipal waste discharges into the lake.

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