The Search for Best Coastal Management Programs 1998

The first ever Search for Best Coastal Management Programs was conducted from October 1997 to September 1998. Seventeen coastal municipalities were nominated; their geographical distribution is shown in Table 1. Table 2 shows selected characteristics of the nominees.

Table 1. List of Nominees

 

Table 2. Selected Characteristics of the 17 Nominees to the Search for Best Coastal Management Programs 1998.

1 Bais City did not qualify for further evaluation as the Search is open to municipalities only.

Six municipalities were chosen by the NSC as winners of the Best Coastal Management Program Awards 1998. In the EXTERNALLY ASSISTED CATEGORY the following municipalities were adjudged winners:

Malalag, Davao del Sur

The municipality of Malalag in Davao del Sur is a community of 32,018 people spread in 15 barangays, three of which are located along a 2.7 km stretch of the Malalag Bay coastline. Fishing, fish cage culture, fish vending, and oyster culture are the major sources of income for the town’s 5,335 coastal residents.

In 1991, Malalag was selected by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (DOST-PCAMRD) as a pilot site for its coastal resource management program because of the various conflicting issues and diversity of the interests of the stakeholders in the municipality. That year, DOST-PCAMRD trained local officials, Department of Agriculture (DA) staff, members of the Philippine National Police, and fisherfolk from both upland and coastal communities in CRM. This resulted in the formulation of a CRM plan for Malalag, and marked the beginning of the sustained implementation of CRM in the municipality.

In 1996, Malalag Bay was selected as one of the six learning sites of CRMP. Among the primary activities of the project was the facilitation of the CRM process and conduct of participatory community resource assessment in all coastal barangays, which resulted in the development and production of resource maps, which in turn served as basis for CRM planning activities currently being conducted in each barangay. The project also assisted the Aquaculture Office of the local government unit in organizing the Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council (FARMC) and supported a study on the carrying capacity of Malalag Bay specifically on the effects of fish cages and fish pens in the Bay. Currently, the CRMP, through its partner NGO, the ISFI, is facilitating community organizing activities in barangays around the Bay.

CRM projects – milkfish production in cages, mangrove rehabilitation, and fish sanctuary, for example – are now evident on the coast of Malalag. Coastal law enforcement has been strengthened as the local government acquired handheld radios and motorboats for use in monitoring fishing activities within and outside the fish sanctuary. The Sangguniang Bayan formulated and enacted a number of ordinances to reinforce non-regulatory measures related to CRM. These include a fishery ordinance and an ordinance prohibiting the use of trawls, lampurnas, and other destructive fishing gear in municipal waters.

The approach is integrated. Aside from projects that directly impact the coastal environment, there are also projects geared to rehabilitating and developing upland as well as lowland areas. In the uplands, these include agroforestry, community reforestation, watershed rehabilitation, and organization and training of farmers in the production of cash crops and livestock. In the lowlands, major projects involve road greening, stream bank stabilization, and a clean-and-green program. A municipal tree park has been established to serve as buffer in the urbanizing barangays.

The effort is multi-sectoral. Non-governmental organizations help organize and train farmers and provide them credit for the production of cash crops and livestock, as well as leguminous seeds, which are used in establishing hedgerows. Even the business sector has been involved – the Malalag Ventures Plantation Inc. (MVPI), for example, planted bamboo along the riverbank that runs through the company’s plantation to prevent soil erosion. MVPI, along with the Rural Bank of Malalag, also donated trash cans to schools, the local government, and the public market under the clean-and-green program.

As a result of these projects, the average daily catch of fishers has increased from between 0.75-1.0 kg to 2.0-5.0 kg and monthly household incomes are up from PhP360-480 to PhP960-2,400. In addition, fish stocks appear to have increased as shown by the increase in the number of species reported in the fish sanctuary.

Pres. Garcia (Pitogo), Bohol

The island municipality of Pitogo (officially called Pres. Carlos P. Garcia) is located 124 km northeast of Tagbilaran City in Bohol, among the Camotes group of islands in the Ormoc Bay and Camotes Sea area. The marine ecosystem of the island is probably one of the most diverse in the province of Bohol; ironically, the predominant problem of the community is the very low productivity of its fisheries. This stems from the fact that there are about 22,000 people living on Pitogo, most of them artisanal fishers and all largely dependent on the coastal waters for their livelihood.

In 1995, the Small Islands Agricultural Support Services Programme (SMISLE) identified Pitogo as a project site "to improve the general welfare of local fishing communities… through the implementation of community-based coastal resource management projects while promoting a sustainable coastal and marine environment". This was an offshoot of a consultation-dialogue held in Pitogo in 1994 between SMISLE, the local government, and the municipal agricultural office. It was agreed that the program would include a package of integrated and community-based micro-projects on coastal resource management, including mangrove reforestation, the establishment of fish sanctuaries and artificial reefs, livelihood and enterprise development, and rain-fed agriculture development and agro-forestry. Since then, the island has become a "laboratory" for measuring the replicability and sustainability of the identified projects.

Pitogo now has six marine sanctuaries and undertakes mariculture and other enterprise development activities to ease pressure off the marine environment. Destructive fishing is still evident in the area, but the local government is taking measures to strengthen law enforcement in the coastal waters of Pitogo by acquiring a patrol boat through SMISLE and the continuous training of fish wardens.

Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon

Prieto Diaz is one of seven municipalities of Sorsogon facing the Pacific Ocean. Located 80 km east of Legaspi City, the municipality has a land area of 6,408 hectares encompassing 23 barangays and a total population of 18,106 (1995). Nineteen coastal barangays comprise its 8.5-km coastline, where almost 90% of the population live.

The town’s experience in coastal resource management dates back to August 1993, when the Coastal Environment Program of the DENR was implemented in 11 adjacent barangays, largely in response to concerns about resource overuse, illegal fishing and the general degradation of the coastal environment. Since then, the local government has implemented a number of projects under its own coastal resource management program. These include the MARILAG Marine Reserve, which was established in October 1997 to improve fish catch and promote coastal resource conservation; tree planting at the town’s watershed area; mangrove reforestation which covers the shorelines of nine barangays; and alternative livelihood projects such as goat fattening, oyster culture, crab culture and fattening, and seaweed culture.

The magnitude of LGU efforts in Prieto Diaz is manifested by the involvement of government agencies, NGOs and the youth sector. Schoolchildren help in tree planting and coastal clean-up activities, while the Sangguniang Kabataan Municipal Federation (SKMF) is involved in the mangrove reforestation project, along with the Philippine Army and the Barangay Council and Youth Sector of the pilot area (Barangay Diamante). Non-governmental and people’s organizations are also doing their share. Tambuyog Development Center, an NGO, is assisting a cooperative of marginal fishers. Tambuyog also helped the local government in organizing the Task Force Banyuhay sa Dagat composed of representatives from the local government, national agencies (DENR, DA, DILG, DECS, etc.), NGOs, people’s organizations, the youth sector, and the religious sector. The Task Force’s main responsibility is to coordinate the efforts of the various sectors and agencies in coastal resource management. Meanwhile, Seagrass Mangrove Coral Eco-developers Association, a people’s organization, is mobilizing its members to protect and rehabilitate the mangrove areas in the southern part of Prieto Diaz (the mangroves in the northern part are well-maintained) and has been given a Mangrove Stewardship Award for this purpose.

These efforts are beginning to bear fruit. The organization of the Task Force Banyuhay has ensured that all the major sectors of Prieto Diaz are involved in the sustainable use and management of the town’s coastal resources. The Task Force has already been responsible for reducing illegal fishing in the area. Coral reefs are beginning to recover from years of destruction, thanks to the strict implementation of laws against cyanide and dynamite fishing, in particular.

To ensure the sustainability of the program, the local government has earmarked considerable amounts for coastal resource management. Additional funds will come from the 20% community development fund for agriculture enhancement projects. More importantly, the people themselves support the program. Fishers are actively helping authorities in enforcing laws and ordinances and are committed to observe a new fishery ordinance banning illegal and destructive fishing methods. And, with the youth’s involvement in such activities as mangrove replanting, there is even better hope that coastal resource management in Prieto Diaz will be sustained through future generations.

Under the NOT EXTERNALLY ASSISTED CATEGORY, the winners were as follows:

Calabanga, Camarines Sur

Calabanga, 15 km north of the provincial capital Naga City, is one of seven municipalities bounding San Miguel Bay in Southern Luzon. It has 48 barangays, 11 of which are located along a coastline stretching to 29 km, where about one-third of the town’s total population of 59,169 live (1995). The fisheries sector – marine fisheries, aquaculture, fish processing and fish vending – is thus an important source of income for the municipality.

Calabanga’s current CRM program dates back to 1993, when the San Miguel Bay Management Council (SMBMC) was organized to serve as a central body that will coordinate all efforts towards the unified management of San Miguel Bay, a rich but fast dwindling fishery resource for 74 barangays in the seven towns sharing the Bay. Through the SMBMC, the Integrated Coastal Fisheries Management Plan (ICFMP), a holistic approach to fishery resources management, has been put in place for the San Miguel Bay municipalities. Calabanga has adopted the ICFMP as the basic master plan for its CRM program, which has so far included the following projects: a marine reserve encompassing three coastal barangays, mangrove reforestation, upland reforestation (managed by the Haribon Foundation), and bangus cage culture. Also as a result of the program, a pool of 48 fish wardens were trained and deputized to strengthen the municipality’s law enforcement capabilities. Overfishing and conflicting resource use as well as the use of destructive fishing methods have been reduced to some degree, resulting in an increase of 4 kg a day (from 2 kg to 6 kg) in fish catch for "motorized" fishers and 2.5 kg a day (from 0.5 kg to 3 kg) for "non-motorized" fishers.

The local government has allocated Php100,000 for its law enforcement and sea-borne patrolling activities to minimize the use of trawling and fine mesh nets. To fully restore the municipality’s remaining mangrove areas, no new construction of fishponds is allowed and illegal traffic of banned lumber has been stopped. Denuded mangrove areas have been rehabilitated, posing significant impact on the environment and adjoining tributaries, and preventing soil erosion and siltation.

Pasacao, Camarines Sur

Pasacao, 26 km south of Naga City, has six barangays (out of a total of 19 barangays) located along a 29.6-km stretch of the Ragay Gulf coastline. Its coastal resources can be found mainly within the Gulf, but its coastal waters also form part of the Ticao Pass and Burias Pass. Its fisheries are dominated by small pelagic; most of them caught by commercial fishing gear, notably purse seine.

With a population of 36,070 (1995), Pasacao is one of the most highly populated municipality in Camarines Sur. This number increases by about 4.02% per annum, one of the highest population growth rates in the country. Nearly 60% of the population live in the coastal areas, and many of them depend on fishing for livelihood. The pressure on the coastal environment is therefore tremendous. In the early 1990s, concerned research institutions reported widespread environmental damage in Pasacao’s coastal zones, notably on coral reefs, the coastal shelf and mangroves, and terrestrial forest. Poverty was rampant. About 78% of small fisherfolk were said to live below the poverty threshold, largely as a result of a 40% decline in their fish catch.

In a bid to reverse this desperate situation, the local government, responding to the clamor of fisherfolk organizations and supported by the Caceres Social Action Foundation Inc. (CASAFI), began a CRM program under the Fisheries Sector Program of the DA Regional Field Unit of Region 5 in Pili, Camarines Sur. This program has been sustained to this day, and includes the management and maintenance of a fish sanctuary and marine reserve, mangrove and coastal reforestation, law enforcement, "fisherfolk income diversification", and various related activities. Funding for the program is ensured through specific allocations for the programs in the LGU’s annual budget. In addition, Pasacao is a member of the Ragay Gulf Resources Management Council (RGRMC), an organization of the municipalities bounding Ragay Gulf from the provinces of Camarines Sur, Quezon, and Masbate. RGRMC was formed to bring about a unified effort to protect and conserve the natural wealth of Ragay Gulf.

More than five years since it started, the program has spelled a big difference in the lives of Pasacao’s fisherfolk. It has brought in investments amounting to at least PhP 2 million for livelihood and small enterprise development and has created employment and livelihood opportunities for about 750 individuals. Some 400 fishers have shifted from fishing to other sources of income, even as fish catch improved by about 35% and fish population is about 25% bigger than in 1992. With average household income increasing by 33% from its level in 1992, LGU revenues from fishing boat licenses, operation of beach resorts, and business taxes from the fishing sector rose by about 50% from 1994. As a result, 90% of the fisherfolks’ children are now in school, compared to only 73% in 1992.

Tanauan, Leyte

Tanauan is one of six coastal municipalities facing San Pedro Bay near Leyte Gulf. It has only six coastal barangays (out of a total of 54) and a coastline of only 6 km, but coastal residents, many of them dependent of fisheries for livelihood, make up more than 36% of the population (1995: 38,032). The degradation of the coastal zone has therefore been an ongoing concern for the municipality.

About a decade ago, a report on the state of the coastal environment in the area revealed rapid resource depletion and widespread environmental damage. Fishing for small pelagic fishes and nearshore demersal stock was said to be more than double the limit required to ensure resource sustainability. More than 70% of the coral reefs had been subjected to major damage. And even as resources were being extracted on a massive scale, poverty remained rampant in the coastal areas as the absolute number of municipal fishers increased by at least 50% over 10 years. Meanwhile, the average production of brackishwater fishponds was a low 1 MT per hectare, way below the 4 MT per hectare reported in other countries. The offshore waters, which constitute 88% of the town’s territorial waters, remained under-exploited.

Multi-sectoral concern over these problems triggered the formulation in the early 1990s of a municipal CRM program under the Fisheries Sector Program of the DA-BFAR. In line with this, a Barangay Coastal Resource Management Council (BCRMC) was established in six coastal communities to serve as the legal channel for the implementation of the program. Since then, the BCRMC has evolved into the Municipal Coastal Resource Management Council (MCRMC), which aims to generate commitment to CRM and ensure the realization and operationalization of management plans and programs by serving as a vehicle for the integration of community-based CRM initiatives in the municipality’s development priorities.

The municipal government of Tanauan has taken the initiative to implement the following: a) generation of funding from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for income diversification; b) strict enforcement of fishery laws and ordinances; c) establishment of a fish sanctuary; d) and rehabilitation of the town’s mangrove area which was almost totally destroyed during the Second World War and further damaged by pollution and other factors in more recent years; e) a continuing education and information campaign on the importance of marine life; f) various other environment-related projects - a river control project, spur dike construction, garbage recycling - are in the pipeline.

Highlights of CRM programs of other nominees

Baclayon, Bohol

Bantayan, Cebu

Bauan, Batangas

Carigara, Leyte

Estancia, Iloilo

Glan, Sarangani

Salcedo, Eastern Samar

Samal, Davao del Norte

San Isidro, Davao Oriental

Tabaco, Albay