Philippine
Year of the Ocean campaign wins Anvil Merit Award
RP supports UN fishery accord
Not enough fish supply for Lent
Restriction on active gear does not cover spear guns,
beach seine -- BFAR
Government to monitor food security program
Drive vs fine mesh nets planned
Local governments want easier ECC requirements
Groups to help protect Celebes, Sulu Seas
Calamity loan for seaweed farmers
Mangrove shortage hurting tuba drinkers
Philippine Year of the Ocean Campaign
Wins Anvil Merit Award
“Year of the Ocean: A Philippine Response to the Call to Action
for Our Seas”, a year-long package of special events and public
education activities received an Anvil Award of Merit from the Public
Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP).
Now on its 34th year, the annual Anvil Awards regarded as the “Oscars”
of the public relations industry in the Philippines.
The Year of the Ocean campaign was launched in February 1998 in celebration
of the International Year of the Ocean. It was spearheaded by the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through its Coastal Environment
Program and The Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP) in partnership
with the UNESCO National Committee on Marine Sciences and supported
by the United States Agency for International Development.
The Year of the Ocean campaign consisted of six components. “Our
Seas, Our Life,” an exhibit on marine life, was shown in Cebu City,
Manila, Dumaguete City, Davao City and Gen. Santos City, where more
than one million people viewed it. Competitions and events highlighting
the ocean theme were also held in various parts of the country. A community
arts project called The Blue Tapestry was started with the help of Levi
Strauss Philippines Inc. and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. CRMP
launched oneocean.org, its official website, which focused on developments
in coastal resource management in the Philippines and other parts of
the world. In addition, a new organization called “I Love the Ocean
Movement” was created to allow concerned individuals to work together
for the ocean’s cause. “I Love the Ocean,” which now
counts more than 10,000 members nationwide, adopted “Ang Dagat
ay Buhay”, a song written especially for the Year of the Ocean
campaign by multi-awarded composer Vehnee Saturno, as its theme song.
CRMP Chief of Party Catherine Courtney said the Year of the Ocean is
the result of “effective collaborative effort” among many
organizations and sectors. “Several organizations and people pushed
the celebration forward, giving support and initiating action to promote
appreciation for and protection of our resources,” she said.
Among those who participated in the campaign were the Department of
Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine Information
Agency, Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank, SM City Cebu and SM
Prime Holdings, Gaisano Citimall-Davao and Gaisano Gen. Santos, Islands
Souvenirs, Universal Aboitiz, WG&A, the hotel, food and beverage
industries and travel companies.
RP supports UN fishery accord
The Philippines gave its full support to a UN accord on “responsible
fisheries,” which provides for sustainable or environment-friendly
fishing, aquaculture, and other fishery-related activities.
During a two-day Food and Agriculture Organization ministerial meeting
held in Rome, Acting Philippine Agriculture Secretary William Dar said
the Estrada administration endorses the Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries. The code was adopted by the FAO conference during its 28th
session in October 1995.
In a country statement presented at the start of the two-day meeting,
Dar said “the Philippine government has given special emphasis
on fishing operations, one of the six major areas of concern outlined
under the code.” He also said the Department of Agriculture-Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) has created a 12-member
committee on the code’s five other concerns, namely, aquatic development,
fisheries management, integration of fisheries into coastal area management,
post-harvest practices and trade, and fisheries research.
To emphasize the importance of the code to various coastal stakeholders,
“training programs have been incorporated into the curriculum to
introduce the concept of responsible fisheries, encompassing sustainable
utilization of fishery resources in harmony with the environment,”
Dar added.
Dar was among 40 secretaries presented their respective country statements
in support of the FAO-initiated fisheries code. PNA in Sun.Star Daily,
03.15.99
Not enough fish supply for Lent
Cebu, an island province in central Philippines, is bracing itself for
a deficit in fresh fish supply as Catholics abstain from meat in observance
of the Lenten season.
Corazon Corrales, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR), said the government has entered into an agreement
with the fish producers of Bantayan Island, a favorite fish source for
Cebuanos, to address the problem. She cautioned, however, that the fishermen’s
harvest “would greatly depend on the weather.”
Corrales identified the Visayas Sea, Sulu Sea, Bohol Sea and the Tanon
Strait as possible sources of fish for Cebu. Last year, Cebu’s
fresh fish production hit only 13,620 metric tons, way below the demand
of 111,171 tons. The average fish consumption in the Central Visayas
region is 36 kg per person per year.
To ease the expected shortage, fish suppliers have begun producing dried
fish. Part of the requirement will be sourced from Bantayan Island,
and another 900,000 kg will be sourced from other provinces. By GM
Tenchavez, Cebu Daily News, 03.09.99
Restriction on active gear does not cover spear
guns, beach seine -- BFAR
The use of spear guns and beach seine is not prohibited in municipal
waters. Director Arsenio Camacho of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource (DA-BFAR) expressed this opinion in
an official communication, dated November 3, 1998, to Fisheries Division
Chief Reuben Majam of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of
the province of Negros Oriental.
Camacho’s opinion is based on Section 90 of the Philippine Fisheries
Code (Republic Act No. 8550), which contains penalty provisions that
specifically apply only to certain violators: imprisonment (2-6 years)
for “the boat captain and master fisherman of the vessels who participated
in the violation,” and a fine of P2,000-20,000 for “the owner/operator
of the vessel”, the chief executive if the boat owner/operator
is a corporation, or the managing partner if the owner/operator is a
partnership.
The opinion, however, appears to have overlooked a third penalty provision,
which is general in application and may cover all offenders. The third
provision states simply, “The catch shall be confiscated and forfeited.”
“The restriction on fishing using active gear within municipal
waters, bays and fishery management areas refers only to active gear
of fishing boats, both municipal and commercial, since the culpability
lies on: (1) the boat captain and master fisherman (for commercial fishing
boats); and (2) the owner/operator (of both municipal and commercial
fishing boats),” said Camacho.
“That being the case,” he added, “it is deemed that the
restriction does not extend to spear gun fishing nor to beach seine
fishing. Even assuming that spear gun fishing is an active fishing gear,
it is employed by a diver, not by a fishing boat. And although a boat
is utilized in beach seine, it is only to spread the net further from
the shore but the actual catching of the fish is done by those pulling
the net (gear) on the shore, not aboard a boat.”
As defined in the Code, active fishing gear is “a fishing device
characterized by gear movements, and/or the pursuit of the target species
by towing, lifting, and pushing the gears, surrounding, covering, dredging,
pumping and scaring the target species to impoundments; such as, but
not limited to trawl, purse seines, Danish seines, bag nets, paaling,
drift gill net and tuna longline.”
The Code clearly states that “it shall be unlawful to engage in
fishing in municipal waters and in all bays as well as other fishery
management areas using active fishing gears as defined in this Code.”
Government to monitor food security program
Regional monitoring teams are being set up to ensure the effective implementation
of the national government’s food security agenda in the provinces.
Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Ronaldo Puno said President
Joseph Estrada also instructed his department to provide technical assistance
to provincial governors in establishing Provincial Councils on Food
Security (PCFS) in their respective provinces.
Puno also said measures are now being undertaken by the Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG) “to carry out the President’s
instructions and come up with comprehensive and systematic forms and
procedures of monitoring the PCFS programs.”
Last January, a majority of the country’s governors led by Laguna
Governor Joey Lina Jr., who is president of the League of Provinces,
submitted a food security covenant committing their full support to
the national government’s program on agricultural modernization
and food security.
The governors vowed to fast-track their respective programs aimed a
making the country self-sufficient in rice, corn and fish before President
Estrada’s term ends in the year 2004. In response, the President
announced a P200 million incentive package for the country’s top
food-producing provinces by the yearend. PNA in Sun.Star Daily, 03.15.99.
Drive vs fine mesh nets planned
The Cebu City Bantay Dagat (Citizen’s Sea Patrol) is pushing for
the regulation of the sale of fine mesh nets through a permit system.
Bantay Dagat officials a provision to this effect to be included in
the proposed ordinance regulating the use of fine mesh nets.
Fine mesh nets with holes smaller than three centimeters in diameter
have been declared illegal by Republic Act 8550, the 1998 Fisheries
Code.
With a permit system in place, noted Bantay Dagat Program Director Elpidio
dela Victoria, “we can closely monitor the use of these fine mesh
net.”
The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 does not allow the use of nets
with a mesh size of less than 3 cm for fishing; such nets may now only
be used to gather milkfish fry, glass eels, tabios, and small
crabs.
Meanwhile the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (DA-BFAR) reported rampant use of fine mesh nets in three
villages in Toledo City, Cebu.
Protacio Sayson, officer-in-charge of the Fisheries Resource Management
Division of DA-BFAR in Region 7, said Toledo fishermen are using a net
locally known as baling (beach seine). This gear can gather various
species of small fish and fingerlings.
Samples of herring, sardines and anchovies taken from the area measured
about 2-2.5 cm. Herring and sardines can grow up to 20 cm, while anchovies
can reach 17 cm.
Toledo City Mayor Aurelio Espinosa promised to approve funding for the
acquisition of two motorized bancas to be used for law enforcement.
Sun.Star Daily, 03.15.99
Local governments want simpler ECC requirements
Local government officials and regional line agencies want the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources to simplify its requirements for
the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) system to avoid delaying major
projects. This came after the Regional Development Council, through
the Committee on Sustainable Development, reminded local government
units, regional line agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations
to comply with the EIS.
Under the EIS, a development project or program can only be implemented
when it passes an environmental impact assessment and is issued an environmental
compliance certificate. The EIS is designed to ensure that development
activities do cause serious damage to the environment or threaten public
health.
According to the committee, the EIS has been largely ignored because
of the high cost of doing an assessment and the long process of securing
an ECC.
Costs can be reduced if the assessment is done with the project feasibility
study, a DENR official suggested. Local government engineers can be
tasked to initiate the study, he said. The EIS, he stressed, does not
exempt any project, not even government projects. By M.V. Galarpe
in The Freeman, 03.14.99
Groups to help protect Celebes, Sulu Seas
Several groups, including the provincial government of Negros Oriental
and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, have pledged
to protect and conserve the Sulu and Celebes Seas.
The Sulu and Celebes Seas were declared an integrated conservation and
development zone in 1997 through Presidential Proclamation 1028. These
seas are known for their rich biodiversity. They include the Tubbataha
Reef and Turtle Islands, which are covered by separate protected area
proclamations. The Tubbataha Reef is also a World Heritage Site, while
the Turtle Islands is recognized as a major rookery for green sea turtles,
one of only 10 found worldwide.
Both local and national government agencies, promising to curb illegal
fishing in the area, signed a pledge of commitment during the launching
of the Sulu-Celebes Seas project last March 5 in Negros Oriental.
The Sulu-Celebes Seas cover parts of Negros Island, Regions 4, 9 and
11. All of these regions have pledged support to the project, which
will be headed by the Presidential Commission for the Integrated Conservation
and Development of the Sulu and Celebes Seas.
A trust fund of P20 million has been set aside by the Office of the
President for the project, and countries in the Sulu-Celebes area and
international conservation groups will be tapped to provide additional
support. At least three international groups have committed to or are
involved in projects in the area. These are the Asean Senior Officers
on the Environment, who in 1997 signed an agreement to conserve the
two seas, Conservation International, and World Wildlife Fund. LAP
in Sun.Star Daily, 03.09.99
Calamity loan for seaweed farmers
The Land Bank of the Philippines has approved in principle the proposal
of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) for the
setting up of a P20-million calamity loan fund for seaweed farmers.
Alicia Bautista, a manager of the Land Bank’s program management
department, said the Bank recognizes that the seaweed industry offers
vast possibilities despite problems of supply that currently beset the
industry.
The SIAP reported some 60% of seaweed farms in the country were damaged
by last year’s El Nino, and about 50% were also affected by the
La Nina. Due to funding constraints, it could take about four or five
months for seaweed farmers to fully replant their farms. If funds are
made available to these farmers, replanting and rehabilitation of damaged
farms could be completed in two months.
The calamity loan fund will be administered through the Integrated Seaweed
Industry Development and Financing Program. I.R. Sino Cruz, Cebu
Daily News, 03.06.99
Mangrove shortage hurting tuba drinkers
The Ilonggos are said to be connoisseurs of tuba, a wine made
from coconut sap. But lately, they’ve been having upset stomachs
from drinking their favorite liquor. The reason: producers have been
using a new dye to give tuba its characteristic light-golden
color.
The recipe for tuba calls for the addition of an extract from
the bark of tangal, a kind of mangrove. This extract gives
tuba its color, retards fermentation, and is also the secret of
its special flavor.
Years of excessive harvesting has depleted the supply of tangal,
which usually dies if skinned of its bark. A study by two scientists
in Iloilo has revealed how the shortage of tangal is threatening
not only the precious supply of tuba, but also other products dependent
on tangal.
Senior scientist Jurgenne Primavera and researcher Lillian de la Pena,
both of the aquaculture department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries
Development Center (Seafdec), said that the tangal bark is used
as dye not only for tuba, but also for leather, cotton, nylon and even
rice.
The tangal flower is a source of honey, while the leaf is used
to treat ulcers and as a quinine substitute. The wood has a fine texture
ideal for furniture. It is also used for firewood and charcoal, as poles
for fish corrals, and a favorite material for Christmas tree.
The bark is also used to produce tuba variants such as the mellower
bahalina, or mixed with thick chocolate and used as a muscle
relaxant.
One hectare of tangal can produce almost 18,000 kg of the dried
bark. Some tropical countries import the bark, but in the Philippines,
it is commercially used only in tuba production.
According to the two scientists, the harvesting of the valuable tangal
bark, known as baluk, was a major livelihood activity in the
1930s and 1950s. People in eastern Visayas once imported hundreds of
tons of baluk from Zamboanga and, through the Philippine southern
back door, Sabah in North Borneo.
Former baluk gatherers recall occasions when some 100 sailboats
based at Panganan Island, Bohol, braved the seas in search of the bark.
They sailed in March during the northwest monsoon and returned in July
before the rainy season. Coastal villages in Mindoro, Palawan, Zamboanga,
Surigao, Cotabato, Jolo, the Camotes group of islands, as well as Kudat
and Banggi in North Borneo used to teem with tangal.
As in a fishing operation, the bark gatherers had a maestro who directed
the trip and an assistant who supervised the crew. Each month, a financier
took 5-10% of the earnings, and the remainder was divided among the
financier, the boat owner and the crew.
The sailors bribed their way to North Borneo via Palawan. In Balabac,
Palawan, they paid two sacks of rice and, in North Borneo, 14 bundles
of the dried bark were given to a certain Datu Mustafa, said to be the
governor of Kudat, North Borneo, as protection money.
The dried bark was sold to Waray-speaking coastal villages in Tacloban,
Ormoc, Calbayog, Carigara and Maasin, as well as to Chinese buyers in
Cebu. The tangal expeditions from Bohol stopped in the 1960s
only when the mangrove supply was exhausted.
Tangal has become more appreciated recently for its reforestation
value in coastal areas, Primavera and Dela Pena said. Some coastal communities
in Panay have started replanting for both tuba and lumber. Some
of the reforestation areas are at least several years old.
According to an old Visayan belief, every man should plant as many mangrove
trees as the number of his children multiplied by four to represent
the post of the children’s houses when they settle down. The tuba
drinker has a more immediate concern: the tangal must survive,
if only to save his beloved tuba. By D. Labiste, Philippine News
and Features in The Freeman, 03.18.99
