The mayor of Lobo town in Batangas province on Friday asked fishery authorities to inspect the site where a 2,990-ton Chinese-manned dredging ship had dropped anchor to determine whether it had caused damage to marine life. The MV Emerald, whose arrival on March 28 had alarmed residents of the fishing village of Lagadlarin, lifted anchor early on Friday and moved to the waters off the international port of Batangas in Batangas City, according to Commodore Artemio Abu, the Philippine Coast Guard’s Southern Tagalog district commander. Mayor Gaudioso “Jurly” Manalo said he asked the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to check for possible damage on the coral reef and seagrass at the anchorage site, about 500 meters off Lagadlarin’s shores.

Cinco, M., & Chiu, P. D. M. (2019, April 6). Lobo Mayor checks for underwater damage after dredging ship sails away. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A6.