BY: REY ANTHONY H. CHIU
TAGBILARAN CITY, June 1 (PIA)—Danajon Double Barrier Reef conservationists found a new ally in a mobile children’s theater capable of bringing out key conservation issues on stage.
One of the world’s only six double barrier reefs, the Danajon has been the common fishing grounds of people from Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Southern Leyte and is now suffering from severe fishing pressure to feed majority of the Visayas.
Dwindling fish catch and destructive fishing methods in trawl, blast fishing and encroachment of commercial fishers in the municipal waters have contributed to the rapid degradation of the area and threatening communities already wallowing in poverty.
Mayor Restituto Auxtero has aired his concern over keeping Talibon waters free from these opportunistic fisher but the campaign has largely been cat-mouse, the numerous islands and islets in the Danajon reefs affording unlimited cover for illegal fishers, most of them living within the numerous islands comprising the string of islands in the Danajon.
Seeing that the problem can only be solved with the communities involvement, a group of missionaries in the diocese of Talibon took up the dare to help in the campaign.
Visayas Missionaries Confraternity Incorporated (VMCI), a group of religious missionaries led by Rev. Fr. Bienvenido Disu, CM has always been looking for ways in protecting Danajon.
In its mission areas, they realized putting up community theaters can do a whole lot to campaign for community involvement.
VMCI, a missionary NGO was established in response to the spiritual, human development needs of several under-served rural areas, and its mobile theater has been one of its implementing arms to effect the desired socio-cultural transformation.
With the help of key Bohol community theater workers, artists and arts consultants, VMCI, went into staging a creative production of the folk tales of the people of Danajon with playwright Jerrey Aguilar and a host of artistic talents integrating a musical play called Sirena sa Jao.
With funds from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Local Governments of Bohol and Talibon, Kasing Sining and Teatro Bol-anon, Sirena sa Jao recalls the story of the famed mermaid guardians of Danajon and its counterparts in the islands; the monitor lizards or hawo (Jao).
The musical tells of the tragedy of Dana, princess of the mermaids to Jao, prince of the reptiles, who had to die to keep their love.
This fatal result of greed has also reconciled the warring magical kingdoms, but when humans came and started illegal fishing, the kingdoms have to sulk and hide from the face of the earth and under the waters of Danajon.
The play also aggressively moves the community to pledge for the preservation of Danajon, Jao and its islets and its spectacular underwater environs. (mbcn/rahc/PIA7-Bohol)