By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent MISAMIS Oriental Vice Gov. Jose Mari Pelaez yesterday said some of the owners of a beach resort in Medina town were unaware of a move to erect a statue of the Virgin Mary underwater there. The move sparked a debate among religious devotees in the town. Pelaez, whose family is a stakeholder at Duka Bay Resort Inc., pointed to Medina Mayor Donato Chan as the one behind the construction of the “Shrine of Our Lady, the Star of the Sea.” Pelaez said his family was not consulted by town officials and members of the group of divers. “Na-a na man kana diha,  pero  wala man kani masayod ana, kay  wala na kana namo mahisgoti sa meeting sa  board of trustees sa among family,” he said. The six-foot statue, weighing about a ton, was erected 45 feet underwater in an area referred to as “Paradise  Garden.” Lawyer Gregorio Miguel Pallugna, president of Duka Bay Resort Inc., said the underwater shrine was not conceptualized, funded, constructed or even installed by the firm. He said it was the initiative of a small group of Marian devotees cum  divers who are members of Duka Dive and Aqua-Sports. Pallugna said the divers wanted to have a place underwater where they could venerate the Blessed Mother. Barangay officials and villagers have signed a petition, protesting the construction of the underwater shrine, asserting that it was a disrespect and mockery of the Virgin Mary. Superstitious villagers said they were worried that the “blasphemy” would result in a disaster. Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny  Emano said the underwater shrine would be an asset of the provincial tourism industry. The capitol said Roman Catholic priests in Medina did not find anything wrong with the underwater shrine. (nitz arancon)