International nongovernment organization (NGO) Oceana has called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to immediately rehabilitate abandoned, underdeveloped, and underutilized (AUU) fishponds as part of its effort to rehabilitate degraded coastal and marine environment. Atty. Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio, Oceana Philippines’ legal and policy head, said fishponds whether covered by fishpond lease agreements (FLAs) or not, are supposed to be reverted back as mangrove forests at the end of their lease agreements or in case of failure of the fishpond owners to make them productive. An environmental lawyer, Eisma-Osorio said there are cases wherein former mangrove forests that were used as fishponds are somehow reclassified and declared as alienable and disposable land, hence, making the acquisition of these properties by private individuals legal.

Mayuga, J. L. (2023, September 13). DENR urged to rehabilitate 1K hectares of AUU fishponds turned over by BFAR. Business Mirror, p. A4.