WHO IS ON TOP OF THE WAR AGAINST INVASIVE SPECIES?

Who is on top of the war against invasive species? Or has the government really declared that war? To name two examples, the janitor fish and the knife fish are still multiplying like crazy in Laguna Lake, and they are probably also wreaking havoc in nearby water systems within the vicinity, including the Pasig River. Both the janitor fish and the knife fish were originally introduced locally as ornamental fish, but then they escaped into the lakes and rivers when floods came. Either that, or some irresponsible owners simply threw them away, not knowing the problems that they would cause. Both invasive fish eat the eggs of other fish and even other smaller fish, thus making them a threat to the ecosystems. Believe it or not, tilapia is also an invasive species, but it has been around for so long such that many people think that it is already a native fish. Native or not, what is important to consider is whether or not it is causing damage to the ecosystems by affecting the real native species, and the answer to that is yes. Every now and then, we hear about efforts by the LLDA to control the invasive species in the lake, but it seems they are not winning the war. Either that, or they are not very good at reporting their victories. Besides, it should be the DENR that should be leading this war nationwide, and there are more invasive species to fight. IKE SENERES/09088877282/12-29-23