Sampaloc Lake makes headlines yet again after GMA7 Network Inc, in their show called ?State of the Nation? reported about Sampaloc Lake being one of the ?world?s most threatened lakes? as declared by Global Nature Fund, a German NGO in 2014.

In a video report by GMA7 reporter, Ivan Mayrina, he first first talked to an old woman who grew up by the lake. The old woman also mentioned how she and her family get their income for daily needs from the lake. The reporter interviewed the representative of our NGO, the Friends of the Seven Lakes Foundation (FSLF).  He said the pollution of the lake is due to illegal structures and too many fishcages.  The wastes of the people who live on the lakeshore also amplifies the already bad situation of the lake.

The local government officer who spoke said it is not easy for them to accept that the Lake was declared as a Threatened Lake but they don?t deny that there are threats.

According to Secretary Neric Acosta of Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) who are supposedly the caretakers of the lake, they see the results of the studies as a challenge.  Secretary Neric Acosta, General Manager of  LLDA, stated that they continue to monitor and are ?always sampling, always making sure with our analysis in fact in the seven lakes, Lake Sampaloc is not the most threatened, it?s Lake Bunot.?

Local NGOs are saying that LLDA action is slow.  Lastly, it was mentioned that it has been 20 years since the ?Fisheries Zoning and Management Plan? (ZOMAP) was proposed wherein all fish cages will be moved to one side of the lake so the other half can be used for other purposes.  But until now those ZOMAPs are just plans.  

In LLDA?s defense, Acosta said that it is taking long because the ZOMAPs of LLDA and the NGOs are clashing and they can?t reach a resolution.  I just hope they could sit down and talk it out and all the promises should be written down or recorded so both sides, specially the government, will not forget what they said they would do.  Hopefully, it won?t take another 20 years.