The Provincial Peace and Ordered Council (PPOC) has summoned three agencies and the management ofSouthern Star Bus Transit Incorporated (SSBTI) to explain in today’s monthly meeting to explain on the concerns besetting them.

The SSBTI is asked to explain the several road accidents involving their units in different parts of the province.

In line with this, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will also explain the policy being followed in suspending the franchise of a public utility vehicle or a common carrier which figure in an accident.

STRAY DOGS

Provincial Veterinarian Stella Marie Lapiz is also invited to present the status of the campaign on responsible pet ownership.

This is in the light of concerns about stray dogs that had been attributed for several road accidents.

The provincial government also wants the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian to address the concerns about stray dogs as the hosting of Bohol of ASEAN Summit meetings approaches.

Lapiz had earlier noted in her May 2015 report that just in the first half of the month, the OPV already recorded 12 incidents of vehicular accidents attributed to stray dogs where some of the cases resulted to death.

Moreover, it is on record that in 2010, Bohol had been declared rabies-free.

In 2015, Lapiz sounded the alarm three new cases of dog rabies had been recorded during the year.

Lapiz then called on the community to cooperate and take advantage of the three-month moratorium on the collection of dog registration fees implemented until end of May 2015.

Lapiz cited the successive cases of dog rabies during the first half of 2015 wherein one was recorded in February in Dagohoy; followed by another case in April in Carmen; and another in the first week of May in San Miguel.

In the first week of April 2015, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a provincial ordinance providing for a moratorium on the collection of registration fee for dogs.

It came as a support to the three-month massive dog rabies vaccination that started in the latter part of March that year.

The provincial government then provided 90,000 doses of rabies vaccines.

Lapiz had also reported that OPV used to vaccinate 40,000 dogs a year in previous uears, but the province prepared 90,000 doses for 2015.

Prior to 2015, the municipalities used to report 70,000 dog population yearly.

However, OPV noted low response in the three-month dog vaccination campaign in the early part of 2015.

Lapiz noted then that the massive vaccination had still covered 66 percent of the 1,109 barangays when the province already released 83,000 doses at that time.

She expressed lament that it meant a large population of dogs had been left unvaccinated and this could be the reason why there had been cases of rabies from time to time despite the continuous rabies vaccination.

The trend showed dog owners had taken their responsibilities lightly which could also reflect why dogs are left to stray on the roads.

MANTAY RAY VS. STINGRAY

Meanwhile, the Bohol office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will thresh out confusions between a stingray, locally known as “pagi” or “kyampaw” and manta ray, locally known as “sanga”.

This in the light of the clarification needed to determine which between stingray and manta ray is considered endangered species.

The status of “vulnerable” is one level lower than “endangered” in the score of extinction per International Union for Conservation of Nature standard.

Manta alfredi (Reef manta ray), Manta birostris (Giant manta ray) have been classified by Wikipedia under the order of Stingray- -both in category of vulnerable species with decreasing population, citing IUCN.

However, IUCN classified Manta alfredi as a manta ray where it is considered vulnerable to extinction as of 2016 in its Red List of Threatened Species.

It is assigned the common names such as Reef Manta Ray, Prince Alfred’s Ray, Inshore Manta Ray, Coastal Manta Ray, Resident Manta Ray.

IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species also placed Manta birostris under the category of vulnerable species.

It is assigned the common names, Giant Manta Ray, Oceanic Manta Ray, Pacific Manta Ray, Pelagic Manta Ray, Chevron Manta Ray.

IUCN have noted deficient data on the score of stingrays with scientific name, Dasyatis pastinaca, and common name, Common Stingray, and several other types of stingrays.

UK-based Manta Trust, BioExpedition, and University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web have been cited in a study differentiating manta rays and stingrays.

It stated that “Manta rays and stingrays differ in size, diet and appearance. Manta rays are significantly larger than the stingrays, with oceanic mantas reaching a size of 23 feet from wing tip to wing tip, and reef mantas, a smaller species, reaching a wing span of 9 to 15 feet. Larger stingrays grow to 6.5 feet in length. The manta ray also lacks the characteristic venomous stinger found on the stingray’s tail”.

The study also explained that “Manta rays and stingrays are both cartilaginous fish, which makes them closely related to sharks and other rays. They use gills to take oxygen out of the water”.

It was also explained that “Manta rays are found in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate waters in oceans around the world; while stingrays prefer warm waters as well but inhabit both freshwater and saltwater. The body of the stingray is flat and round or triangular in shape with a long thin tail. Colors vary depending on habitat and species, but they are usually murky and mottled for camouflage”.

“The manta ray exhibits a bat-like silhouette with flexible tapering wings it uses to “fly” through the water. It is a dark mottled grey on top and white underneath. The manta ray has a wide, gaping mouth that it uses to gather minuscule zooplankton, its primary food source, as it glides through the water. The stingray’s mouth is located on its underside and features powerful teeth that help it consume crustaceans, worms and small fish,” according to the study.

In late February this year, the Philippine Coast Guard and BFAR seized around 1,000 kilos of chopped manta ray meat about to be loaded on a pumpboat for transportation from Balwarte in Poblacion, Baclayon to Pamilacan Island.

The PPOC also intends to inquire from BFAR what are other endangered species found in Bohol marine ecology.