PANGLAO – There is already the life-size Virgin Mary and Sto. Nino statues entrenched undersea along Danajon Double Barrier Reef, off Bien-Unido, the seaweed capital town. This time, maybe, it is the Chocolate Hills reefs undersea in this premier tourist municipality. A plan is shaping up for embedding artificial coral reefs here in the form and look like the world famous natural wonder Chocolate Hills found only in Carmen town as proposed by The Unique Reefs, Inc., said the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), in-charge of the environmental management and implementing arm of the provincial government. The undertaking is the community project of barangay Danao of this premier tourist town, said the proponent, The Unique Reefs, Inc. is manned by Executive Director Danny Brumbach, a German who is married to a Filipina.

The Unique Reefs Inc. tries to rebuild damaged reefs with local community and offers “complete reef management” apparently for tourism, fisherfolk, marine biologists and dive enthusiasts. According to the proponent, the construction of the artificial coral reefs has become one of the best alternatives necessary “to save the reef dwelling species throughout the world whose natural habitats are threatened due to human impacts by pollution.” It will also help “control the erosion of beaches, create recreational dive sites and bring back more fish for local fisher folks.” It has become a positive method for enhancing, renovating, and constructing new habitat for species threatened by the loss of their natural reefs, the proponent said. The plan would create 8 pieces of 3 x 1.5 m; 8 pieces 6 x 3 m; and 1 piece of 10 x 5 m for a total of 17 Chocolate Hills-formed spread out in an area of 2500 m². Including in the plan would be the replicating a 3-meter “Tarsier” Statue. The project is expected to be completed after four months.

“We will attach the mesh wire around the hills as well building hiding places for different kinds of fish species made out of materials like PVC, concrete and hollow blocks and connecting the EMG system to the structures and start to attach broken corals found around the area to the hills. All of the materials to be used are environmental friendly to assure a high quality and Unique Reef,” the proponent said. The Choco Hills reefs will help grow or produce coral reefs through “electro-accretion” developed by Prof. Wolf Hilbertz of Galveston, Texas, said the proponent. (RVO)