Odette’ 1st year anniversary
TACLOBAN CITY – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) together with the Southern Leyte Police Provincial Office (SLPPO) with the support from the Department of Tourism (DOT) conducted a coastal clean-up drive and scubasurero activity in Southern Leyte to commemorate the first year anniversary on the onslaught of typhoon ‘Odette’ that devastated the province in 2021.
The coastal clean-up was conducted in Barangay Mohon, Macrohon town while the scubasurero was in the village of DaangLungsod village in Padre Burgos town.
Mohon is one of the coastal villages that was heavily devastated by typhoon Odette, while DaangLungsod is the location of major diving operators in the province.
“To see this place again alive and very productive is really a great thing,” OCD Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said during the program held in Mohon.
OCD and SLPPO personnel were also joined by the members DECO Warriors and of the Tau Gamma fraternity and volunteers of the international non-government organizations All Hands and Heart.
The OCD also turned over portable butane gas stoves and canisters to the village officials of Mohon.
Claire Pumanes of DOT-8 said that several dive sites in the province were badly affected and damaged when Southern Leyte was pummeled by Odette.
Responding to this, the OCD, DOT, and local government units put together the REEF project which stand for regrow, revive, re-experience with the Sogod Bay dive site as identified area.
From March of this year, several dive experts had already participated coral restoration programs and community engagement to strengthen the marine conservation policies.
The DOT, together with dive operators in the province, had participated in various dive fairs.
“As we continue to execute the objective of this project, we hope that in the coming years we will still have the same enthusiasm with what we have now to fully regrow, revive, and re-experience the Sogod Bay dive sites,” Pumanes said. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
