USAID Mission Director Patricia K. Buckles
Inspirational Message
Conference of Coastal Municipalities of the Philippines
May 27, 1999, 8:00 a.m.
Grand Ballroom, Manila Midtown Hotel

The Honorable Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr.
The Honorable Secretary Antonio H. Cerilles;
The Honorable Secretary Horacio Morales;
The Honorable Secretary William Dar;
The Honorable Mayor Jinggoy Estrada;
Members of the Dilplomatic Community;
Dr. Daniel Pauly;
Dr. Edgardo Gomez;
Mayors of Coastal Municipalities;
Ladies and Gentlemen

Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat! (Good morning!)

For the last 20 years it has been my privilege to work in many countries in 4 continents, and never have I seen such tremendous support for coastal and marine management. Four honorable Ministers of State, the Chief Justice, the distinguished President of the LMP and over 600 mayors represent not only the government, but also the broad spectrum of all Filipino citizens all over the country now very much aware of the importance of the Philippines' coastal and marine resources. The group of concerned leaders in front of me today is from my perspective and that of many donors the last safety net of the Filipino ocean. By your presence here today, you are demonstrating that you are indeed willing to do something about coastal management. I am indeed impressed, and congratulate all of you for your awareness and willingness to commit yourselves to this important cause.

Over the past year, I have had the privilege to visit many local government units and I have seen with my own eyes the importance of coastal/marine resources for the well-being not only of coastal populations, but of people everywhere. It is clear to me after discussions with many citizens at all levels that everyone believes that their fish catch is declining rapidly. They also expressed their desire that the LGUs and the departments provide the technical and financial resources to combat this serious problem.

Studies show that approximately one-third of the Philippines directly or indirectly depends on products from the sea. However, where the sea is over-fished, where corals are destroyed by dynamite or cyanide, where mangroves can no longer serve as breeding grounds, the result is poverty. The interconnection between the problems and solutions in coastal and forestry sectors are so evident, but the solution is more difficult. In this regard, USAID congratulates the DA in making coastal management a food security issue. We congratulate Secretary Cerilles and the DENR for promoting an integrated approach in trying to address the upstream and downstream problems of natural resources through watershed management. We also congratulate Secretary Morales and others for the integrated approach of the DAR, DA and DENR in addressing natural resource management issues, and we congratulate Secretary Puno for the DILG's efforts to continue devolving such authority and responsibility to the LGUS. In addition, the strong support of Chief Justice Davide and the judicial branch to punish illegal fishing practices is a model for other countries to emulate. This kind of teamwork is critical if these difficult problems are to be solved.

It goes without saying that you, the mayors, are responsible for safeguarding the coastline of the Philippines' 7,100 islands, and thus have a critical role in managing the coastal resources of your country. Your presence shows your interest and involvement. As mayors and local government leaders, you can strive to implement the best coastal resource management practices. What are the best practices? They involve allocating your own resources for coastal management, adopting integrated community-based plans, promoting the participation of local institutions, passing fisheries and coastal management ordinances, promoting enforcement of related legislation, and implementing field activities such as marine sanctuaries, mangrove protection, and awareness-raising. These will all be discussed during the course of this Conference.

And now, let me pose to you a challenge: as local government leaders, you have the authority to make a difference in ensuring sustainability of the coastal management in your own municipalities by implementing these best practices. The challenge is: with the information, support and resources that you can make available, will you do it? I want you to know that you will not be taking on this challenge alone. The countries that have achieved success in coastal management have seven key actions outlined in the International Coral Reef Initiative's Framework for Action. These are (1) involving stakeholder groups at all levels of decision making; (2) promoting integrated coastal zone management, (3) legislating and enforcing strong environmental laws, (4) promoting environmentally sound land use practices, (5) cracking down on illegal fishing, (6) promoting sustainable fisheries management, and (7) developing an effective network of marine-protected areas. If properly implemented, these seven steps will help ensure that reefs at risk today are maintained as healthy ecosystems in the future.

I wish to particularly note that it is very appropriate that this government consider coastal/marine management an issue of food security and poverty alleviation. Let there be no mistake; coastal/marine management is not just about saving the whales or the pretty little aquarium fish. Although these extraordinary creatures are important, leaders must be also especially concerned about the well-being of Filipino people and future generations. The oceans mean and livelihood to the majority of coast-dwelling Filipinos, and through successful coastal resource management, all of us here today can keep it that way. If degradation reaches a point where only commercial fishing boats can catch fish, there will be under nourishment and poverty along the 18,000 kilometer coastline of this country. We must work hard to prevent that from happening.
To do this, the DA and the DENR can work together to promote a combined approach involving sustainable yield and the simultaneous protection of fragile and valuable coastal/marine resources. This work requires an integration of production and conservation. Indeed, USAID is impressed and highly encouraged by the new fisheries law, which devolves DA/BFAR to work more intensively in the regions; and the medium-term development plan of the DENR, which wisely is oriented less to regulation and more to assistance and service provision. We applaud these changes, and humbly join these agencies in their efforts to serve you in your important mandate to provide for the well-being of your municipal constituents.

The USAID mission also continues to assist LGUs through the Governance and Local Development, or GOLD project, and I am pleased to say that both GOLD and the Coastal Resource Management Project will continue to serve coastal management needs by increasing the funding for these efforts. We are also pleased to continue providing technical and training support to future LMP efforts to share information, promote best practices, and pursue appropriate policies at the local and national level. Here I wish to emphasize that USAID is not supporting this effort alone. Other donors, including our friends in the Japanese Government, have joined this effort. I wish to express our appreciation for their generosity in providing support for this conference, and for becoming a partner in supporting coastal management in the Philippines.

In closing, let me reiterate that it is a great honor for USAID to be invited to support and participate in this historic event. The design of this conference is for all the mayors to understand what can be done to manage your coasts, how to obtain the support necessary to do so, and to make a commitment that in your municipality coastal and marine resource management will be realized. Oceans have different names, but they're all connected. So for the one big ocean that all of us depend on, we support you, encourage you to take action, and congratulate you on your commitment.