PhiLMMA Making Governance Work for Marine Conservation

7/23/2019 PhiLMMA Making Governance Work for Marine Conservation

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MAKING GOVERNANCE WORK FOR MARINE CONSERVATION

LESSONS FROM THE PHILIPPINES: ZAMBALES, BATANGAS AND ROMBLON

Researcher-Writer: Abby MercadoPhilippine Locally-Managed Marine Area (PhiLMMA) Network

Copyright 2011PhiLMMA, Inc. All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

The Locally-Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network is a group of practitioners involved in various community-based marine conservationprojects around the globe, primarily in the Indo-Pacific, who have joined together to learn how to improve our management efforts.We are interested in learning under what conditions using an LMMA strategy works, or does not work, and why. The Network'smembership consists largely of conservation and resource management projects that are using (or planning on using) an LMMA

approach, and includes: community members; land-owning groups; traditional leaders; elected decisionmakers; conservation staff;university scientists and researchers; and, donors.

The Network spans the people and cultures of Southeast Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and the Americas. In the Philippines,LMMA has a country network, PhiLMMA, with 30 locally-managed marine areas committed to sharing and learning best practices amonglocal communities and community-based coastal resource management practitioners, local government units and other key stakeholders.

Cover and Book Design: Marco Ruben T. Malto II

Published by the Philippine Locally-Managed Marine Area Network, Inc.c/o 102-E R. L. Mendoza Buidling, Kamuning Road, Quezon City, Philippines 1103Website: www.lmma.orgEmail: [email protected]



FOREWORD 1

INTRODUCTION 3

C ASE STORIES:

Z AMBALES 7

B ATANGAS 23

R OMBLON 35

K EY ISSUES IN GOVERNANCE AND MARINE CONSERVATION 49

LIST OF ACRONYMS 57

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONTENTS



The Locally-Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network’s ‘community-basedadaptive management or CBAM approach’ is most effective in benefitting

members of the community when it enables the people to participateactively in policy and decision-making forums concerning the managementand protection of its coastal and marine resources. Unfortunately,members of the communities are often excluded from making decisionsand policies affecting their marine ecosystems because they do not havethe knowledge, as well as the opportunity to participate in the policymaking

processes, often resulting in poor support services for their marineconservation efforts.

In ‘World Resources 2005: The Wealth of the Poor’, the World ResourcesInstitute highlights the role of governance in ‘managing ecosystems to fightpoverty’. In order for poor communities to optimize the rewards of their

local marine ecosystems, governance conditions must be supportive of thepeople’s interests. Otherwise, communities with rich marine resources canbe exploited for commercial or political interests, leaving the communitieswith degraded marine ecosystems and poorer people. Good governance isalso crucial in determining how the people can effectively, yet sustainably,tap their available coastal and marine resources for their livelihoods incases where marine resources are not in abundance.

The Learning Framework of the LMMA Network takes into account theimportance of governance in LMMA management; ‘governance’ refers tothe particular set of institutions, rights, and rules operating within andguiding a society. The LMMA Network focuses on the governance of marineresources or resource governance, which takes place at four related levels:

FOREWORD

1 MAKING GOVERNANCE WORK FOR MARINE CONSERVATION



local, provincial, national, and international. The Learning Frameworkidentified eight governance factors, as: 1) governance institutions;

2) resource rights; 3) resource rules; 4) compliance and enforcement;5) political system; 6) cultural values and beliefs regarding marineresources; 7) leadership; and 8) resource conflict. These are indirectthreats that can influence other indirect, as well as direct, threats to marineenvironmental health in many ways. Manifestation of these governancefactors may vary from one country to another pending on the political,

cultural, social and economic contexts of a country.

Taking these into account, the Philippine LMMA (PhiLMMA) Network hasdocumented stories from its member sites in Zambales, Batangas andRomblon, in an effort to feature the prevailing resource governancepractices, and challenges, in the country. The case stories of three

municipalities in different provinces of the Philippines offer unique lessonson how the LMMA advocates in the country are making governance workfor the protection of their marine environment, and for the benefit of theircommunities. This is the first of a series of PhiLMMA publications on goodpractices in implementing marine conservation strategies, featuring theNetwork’s member sites in the Philippines.

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In the Philippines, the LMMA Network’s approach of establishing locally-managed marine areas and using community-based adaptive management

is often viewed as part of, if not similar to the familiar community-basedcoastal resource management (CBCRM) approach, given the key principlesbehind both concepts and the history of CBCRM in the country.

The Philippines is considered one of the earliest practitioners of coastalresource management (CRM), with traces of practice of the discipline in the

country as early as the 1980s. Different sectors were prompted to come upwith projects aimed at sustainable management and use of coastal resourcesas a result of warnings from the emerging environmental problems in thecoastal areas. However, initial attempts were focused on preservation ofresources, but unmindful of the needs of the communities that depended onthem for their livelihoods. A ‘top-down’ approach was being promoted in the

establishment of protected areas, without involving the people in the com-munities. The approach did not work, but the experiences produced lessonsthat proved valuable in the development of CBCRM. Community-basedcoastal resource management quickly became popular among the NGOsand the academe, and eventually in the government sector.

An enabling environment for LMMAsIn the 2009 Annual Report of the LMMA Network, A New Age of Community-

Based Adaptive Management , one of the cited objectives of the internationalnetwork is to ‘develop the policy environment at local, regional, country,and international levels to support widespread adoption of LMMAs’. TheNetwork builds the communities’ capacity to manage resources and toengage more proactively with authorities in co-management, which theyotherwise would have few opportunities to do so.

INTRODUCTION




In the Philippines, local government units (LGUs) are actively engaged in themanagement of LMMA sites at the village (barangay) and municipal levels

by providing support services, including financial assistance, for thecommunities’ marine conservation activities. The LGU also plays a vital rolein providing avenues for members of the communities, through people’sorganizations, to participate in making decisions and policies concerningthe management of marine protected areas. Considering the devolvedresponsibility for CRM to the local governments, the LGUs’ openness and

capacity to perform their mandated duties in the LMMA initiatives ofparticipating municipalities are essential to effective community-basedadaptive management. “Our hope is that someday these marineconservation efforts of the communities will become a way of life for thepeople. And I think the communities’ participation in resource governancewill facilitate the realization of this dream.” Jovelyn ‘Jovy’ Cleofe, one of

PhiLMMA’s Country Coordinators, believes that while the local governments’involvement is important, the people’s participation in the process is equallyvital.

The succeeding pages of this publication feature case stories from selectedLMMA sites in the Philippines, based on a research to identify good practicesin governance that resulted in the much-needed policies and governmentsupport services for coastal and marine protection and management.Overall, the PhiLMMA research has been conducted to: a) identify the keyemerging issues in governance and marine conservation; b) capturelearnings and reflect on the LMMA members’ good practices andachievements, with emphasis on coastal and marine resource governance;and, c) document and promote/replicate these successful resourcegovernance practices in other LMMA areas.

4



The Coastal Management Planning Process

for the Philippine Government

The primary mandate for coastal management has been largely devolved tolocal government under the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic ActNo. 7160), and more recently defined in the Fisheries Code of 1998(Republic Act No. 8550). Coastal management may be viewed as one of theinherent functions of local government units in accordance with their general

powers for management within their territorial jurisdictions, which includemunicipal waters out to a distance of 15 km from the coastline.

Section 16, Article I. Jurisdiction of Municipal/City Governments. Themunicipality/city government shall have jurisdiction over municipal waters asdefined in this Code (…marine waters included between two lines drawn

perpendicular to the general coastline from points where the boundary linesof the municipality touch the sea at low tide and a third line parallel with thegeneral coastline including offshore islands and fifteen kilometers from suchcoastline). The municipal/city government, in consultation with the Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARMC) shall be responsiblefor the management, conservation, development, protection, utilization, anddisposition of all fish and fishery/aquatic resources within their respectivemunicipal waters.

Section 76, Article II. The integrated Fisheries and Aquatic ResourcesManagement Councils shall be created in bays, gulfs,… [bounded by two ormore municipalities/cities to assist in the preparation of plans and fisheryordinances, and in the enforcement of fishery laws, provide advice on fisherymatters, and perform other functions as required.]




Coastal management as a basic service of local government incorporates all the local government powers andresponsibilities including planning, protection, legislation, regulation, revenue generation, enforcement,inter-governmental relations, relations with people's and non-governmental organizations, and extension andtechnical assistance. The planning process being adapted for Philippine local government has been detailed fromthe perspective of local government, in particular, municipalities and cities, who are now tasked by law with the

primary responsibility for the nation's coastal resources and municipal waters. It is tailored from a more genericprocess evolving in many parts of the world for coastal management. The steps in this process are basic andessential prerequisites to successful coastal resource management. They can be facilitated and partially supportedby local governments together with their partner communities at the barangay level as well as national governmentagencies.

The municipal or city government has an important facilitating role in the coastal management process because oftheir legal mandate to manage resources within municipal waters. National agencies, particularly the Departmentof Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), have keysupporting roles in the coastal management process together with LGUs, including provinces. Non-governmentalorganizations, both national and local, are often involved in the community-level implementation process througheither contracting arrangements under government agencies, or through their own projects funded externally. Academic institutions of different types have important roles in baseline assessment, information management andanalysis for planning, and monitoring and evaluation of coastal management. Overall, the coastal managementprocess is one of collaboration among various sectors and stakeholders.

(Source: OneOcean.org, http://www.oneocean.org/crm_philippines/process/national_policy.html#basis, a comprehensive web-based resource onthe Philippine experience in coastal resource management, presents historical accounts of CBCRM in the country as well as how this ever-evolvingapproach of protecting and managing coastal and marine resources has become part of the mandated responsibilities of the LGUs.)

6





The beginnings of a people’s initiative

What started as a seemingly sensible idea over a drinking spree betweenfriends turned out to be the makings of a comprehensive local ordinanceon fisheries, and inspiration for all other municipalities not only in theprovince of Zambales, but also for the rest of the coastal communities inthe Philippines.

“We could hear non-stop blasting in the background while we were chattingover drinks, and that somehow inspired the whole idea.” Ruperto ‘Raffy’ Apilado and Marcos ‘Macoy’ Villanueva have been great friends for yearsbefore they founded a people’s organization for their community in aneffort to organize more-collective actions from the members of theircommunity to stop the illegal fishing activities in their area, and ultimately,to improve the lives of the people in their community since many of themare still highly dependent on fishing for their livelihoods.

The Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association (SFA) was formed in the early 1990sout of the members’ growing irritation over the constant explosions due toillegal fishing in their area and alarming concern over the fast degradationof their marine resources. Macoy headed the SFA as the president andRaffy stood by his friend as the SFA adviser. The fisherfolk organizationstarted with 25 members, with only two women-members. Today, the21-membered SFA is more than double this figure since the partners andother family members of each official member are also actively participatingin the organization’s activities.

Candelaria, ZAMBALES 8



“Our initial attempts to minimize the illegal fishing activities in our areawere purely voluntary on our part because no one else seems to be doing

anything about the blasting even though everyone could hear it everysingle day.” Raffy, a fisher-leader and retired radio engineer, admits thatdue to their limited knowledge and understanding of coastal resourcemanagement, their efforts were simply focused on protecting theSinabacan-Malimanga Reef from fishers, who were resorting to use ofdynamite and cyanide to catch fish. “Many local fishers are tempted to

immediate, but non-sustainable, access to resources for their livelihoods,resulting in smaller and poor fish catch for many other fishers.”

“Members of our group started a rigid sea patrolling of the area,unequipped and even without a legal mandate or support from our localgovernment at the time. We were just using ‘aroma’ (a thorny bush), whichentangles the fish net and destroys it in the process, in order to discouragefishing in the protected area. ” Macoy, a retired fisheries professor, sharestheir initial, ingenious ways to stop the illegal fishers. “We were verydaring and passionate since our actions were being dictated by ourpersonal concern for our environment. Our main goal then was really justto minimize the incidents of illegal fishing.”

The Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association’s rehabilitation efforts and a clearer,broader agenda for coastal resource management started in 2000 whenSentro para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya (SIKAT)came to Candelaria, having learned of the organization’s ongoing effortsto save their marine resources. SIKAT is a non-government organizationcommitted to organizing interdependent communities and people’s




organizations, and facilitating community-based coastal resourcemanagement. It also promotes appropriate fishing technologies, advocates

for community-based natural resource management, gender fairness,sustainable livelihoods, good governance and genuine fishery policy reformsby direct lobbying or federation-building.

Cristina Reyes, SIKAT-Zambales Field Office Program Manager, shares thattheir CBCRM work with the Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association was eventually

turned over to the local government and the people’s organization afterseven years of full support from SIKAT in order to generate moregovernment counterpart. “The turnover will sustain the people’s coastalresource management initiative.”

Candelaria’s Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) Dr. Richard Reglos addsthat since the SFA’s initiative has officially become an LGU-supportedprogram in 2007, the group’s activities have the advantage of acquiringmore government financial allocation. “Agriculture is the priority when itcomes to budget allocation since it is the province’s major industry.In fact, fishing is subsumed under the ‘farming’ component of agriculture.Fishing is only the second largest industry in the province of Zambales, andyet somehow because of the SFA’s very persevering leaders and members,they are able to acquire regular, sufficient budget for their commendablework.”

Zambales is composed of 13 municipalities, of which Candelaria is the thirdlargest. Although 11 of these 13 municipalities are coastal communities,very little focus is given to the fisheries concerns of these municipalities.




That is, until the SFA found its way to getting the necessary support fromtheir local government.

Gains from local government collaborations

“It was through SIKAT’s guidance that we started coordinating with theLGUs and other government agencies for our activities.” Raffy and Macoy

explain that they did not always recognize the value of working with thelocal government and other authorities.

While working with the LGUs leads to enhanced assistance to thecommunity’s activities to protect their marine environment, participating inthe policymaking processes and being able to influence local policies resultin the institutionalization and legalization of the local government’s supportto the people’s initiatives, including the much-needed law enforcement andbudget allocation. Existing national legislations as well as well as localordinances that reinforce protection and proper management of the marineecosystems are too broad and general, but they do provide the necessarylegal basis for more-specific, local ordinances.

The Philippines’ Local Government Code of 1991 has given the localgovernment the directive to include coastal management as one of its basicservices, while the Republic Act 8550 or The Philippine Fisheries Code of1998 cites the specific ways by which the designated local governmentunits, agencies and multi-sectoral representatives can fulfill this role.These laws also led to the creation of local advisory bodies apart from the




recognized people’s organization in the area, such as the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council and Task Force Bantay Dagat

(Bantay Dagat is a volunteer group of fish wardens; some of whom havebeen ‘deputized’ to assist in law enforcement pending on fulfillment ofrequirements, including an examination), enabling more representativesfrom the communities to have a voice in local policymaking procedures.

It was also through SIKAT that it became clear to the SFA members that

the best way to protect and improve the condition of their Sinabacan-Malimanga Reef is to have it established as a marine sanctuary. Hence,in collaboration with SIKAT, a Technical Working Group (TWG) consistingof representatives from all sectors including the SFA, FARMC, Bantay Dagat,the academe, the local government, and concerned government agencies,was formed in 2001 to develop a comprehensive municipal fisheriesordinance for Candelaria that will put together all the existing localordinances concerning fisheries and the marine ecosystems, and moreimportantly, that will strengthen the role of organized fisherfolks as thesteward of their marine resources.

The first step involved consultations with the community members orbarangays; a barangay being the smallest political unit in the Philippines,composed of councilors and headed by the Barangay Chairperson. From2000-2003, the activities of the TWG involved series of public hearings withthe covered barangays of the drafted local ordinance, continuous reviewand revisions of the draft ordinance based on the public consultations, andunrelenting lobbying with the local government units with the necessarylegislative and executive powers. In the process of lobbying for the CMFO,




six fisherfolk organizations coming from the different barangays ofCandelaria, including the SFA, formed into a federation, hence strengthen-

ing the call for the fisherfolks’ advocacy. This marked the beginnings of theSamahan ng mga Mangingisda ng Candelaria or SAMACA. Macoy ended upleading the SAMACA as president, and Raffy took over the leadership forthe SFA.

In 2003, a resolution by the Office of the Sangguniang Bayan, the local

government body under the Office of the Mayor with legislative power,ordained ‘The Candelaria Fisheries Development and ManagementOrdinance of 2003’. The eventual implementation of this ordinance,through the executive mandate of the Mayor, has resulted in theidentification of two marine protected areas in Candelaria – the Sinabacan-Malimanga Reef and the Batong Lakay Reef.

Strengthening a fisherfolk organization

In 2003, when SIKAT started collaborating with the LMMA Network,through PhiLMMA, the SFA’s initiative in securing a marine protected areabecame part of SIKAT’s work to promote the LMMA approach. Theassistance from SIKAT through mentoring and capacity-building activitiesfacilitated the SFA’s more-strategic approach in managing their marineresources. Through SIKAT, the SFA, and later the SAMACA, becamePhiLMMA Network members, while the marine protected areas of theSinabacan-Malimanga Reef and the Batong Lakay Reef became LMMA sites.




“In selecting LMMA sites, we are conscious of the openness of the localgovernment to get involved in coastal resource management and partner

with an NGO since the LGU will have counterpart in the partnershipagreement.” According to Chito Dugan, SIKAT Executive Director and oneof PhiLMMA’s Country Coordinators, the PhiLMMA Network enters a partner-ship with the local government or NGO, which acts as support group to thepeople’s organization, as the latter assumes its role in the co-managementof the LMMA site. In Candelaria, full stewardship of the marine protectedareas has been awarded to the SAMACA given their capacity to do the job.

Chito recalls that while the fisherfolk leaders have existing links with theLGU officials in 2000, their agenda was not yet clear, and their actions werenot planned. The development of a resource management plan enabledthe people’s organization to push for the establishment of marine protectedareas through appropriate strategies. Meanwhile, the people’s participationin the assessment of marine resources in the covered areas exposed themto the bigger picture and raised their awareness on the deeper issuesconfronting them. This made them realize that it is not enough to protecttheir affected reefs, and that in fact, rehabilitation efforts are in order.

Members of the fisherfolk organization soon became the ‘eyes and ears’ of

the local government regarding the state of their coastal and marineenvironment given the trainings that they were receiving from PhiLMMAand SIKAT, addressing the knowledge gap in coastal resource managementin the municipal office. While SIKAT trainings involved more direction-setting for the organization and LGU lobbying strategies, the PhiLMMA




trainings appeared to be more technical in nature, according to the POleaders.

“We learned how to conduct resource assessment and manage the datathat we acquired during these activities. We were also trained onsurveillance and fish identification.” Macoy expounds on how being partof the PhiLMMA Network has enhanced their knowledge in coastal resourcemanagement through various trainings. “Before, we only use aroma towarn off illegal fishing activities to protect our marine resources, but today,we are more aware of the latest CRM technology, and we also have someequipment and uniforms for our patrolling.”

Meantime, Raffy proudly shares how he was able to travel to Fiji and meetwith high officials of the country through PhiLMMA. According to Salvacion ‘Sally’ Ruiz, the SAMACA/SFA’s secretary and chair of the Municipal FARMC,SAMACA has also played host to several study tours from other coastalmunicipalities of the Philippines, as well as other countries. She has alsotraveled to other cities and provinces in the country promoting their marineconservation efforts in Zambales. “The cross-site visits are excellentopportunities for networking and sharing best practices.”

Reaping the rewards

In 2005, the approval of ‘The Candelaria Fisheries Development andManagement Ordinance of 2003’ has mandated the local government ofCandelaria to integrate and allocate budget for the marine conservation




Candelaria Marine Protected Area

Resolution No. 61-A

Series of 2003Resolution Enacting Ordinance No. 23-A: The Candelaria Fisheries Development

and Management Ordinance of 2003

“The town of Candelaria is endowed with rich fisheries and aquatic resources. These are rich with diverse life forms, such as

fishes, invertebrates, seaweeds/ grasses and other aquatic flora and fauna. In order to prevent such degradation, a rational

sustainable and equitable program was developed to regulate fishing activities and promote utilization of fish habitat(sanctuaries) and threatened species.”

Sinabacan-Malimanga Reef

Location: Barangay Sinabacan and Barangay Malimanga, Candelaria

Area: 190 hectares

Batong Lakay ReefLocation: Barangay Dampay, Candelaria

Area: 13 hectares

Management Body:

Samahan ng mga Mangigisda ng Candelaria

Task Force Bantay Dagat LGU-Candelaria

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource -Candelaria

Philippine National Police-Candelaria

Department of Agriculture-Candelaria

Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council

Academic institutions (Candelaria School of Fisheries, Ramon Magsaysay Technology University)




projects of the SAMACA, the MFARMC, and the Bantay Dagat. It also led toother relevant initiatives, such as the Integrated Coastal Resource

Management Program. The ordinance allowed the masterlisting of fisher-folks for law enforcement purposes, as well as to raise awareness on thebenefits and responsibilities of licensing permit.

“No matter how beautiful the ordinance is if the people do not understandor support it, then it is useless.” Candelaria’s Municipal Agriculturist sharesthat some members of the communities used to be against the fisheriesordinance because it restricts their fishing activities. But now, the samepeople are involved in protecting their coastal and marine environmentbecause they can see the benefits of their efforts. “Of course, it helps whenthere is funding to provide them with alternative livelihoods. And thecomprehensive municipal fisheries ordinance has facilitated that, too.”

The SAMACA leaders noted that more and more houses in their areas areconstructed with better materials. “They also have TVs and DVD players.”These are reportedly due to better income of the fishers, as a result ofbetter catch. But the most evident of all changes is the silence in the area. “We no longer hear explosions due to dynamite fishing, and while we usedto catch two to three offenders in a week, these days, we only have to

reprimand one, in a month or two.”

Although these positive changes are more than enough to keep the fisher-folk federation passionate about their initiative, being labeled as the ‘rolemodel’ for comprehensive municipal fisheries ordinance for others to followis certainly another reason for them to stay inspired.




Resource governance at work

In the Philippines, the utmost priority is given to agriculture being themajor industry of the country. The Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources is within the bigger Department of Agriculture. Coastal andmarine protection and management efforts in the community level arepart of the job description of the Municipal Agriculture Officer, who oftenhas an agriculture or livestock background. This structure dictates thegovernment’s priority in terms of attention and budget allocation, whichaffects the implementation of programs and activities relating to marineand coastal environment down to the local government level. However,this prevailing institutional governance has not deterred the members ofSAMACA from accessing the much-needed attention, as well as budget,from their local government.

Richard explains that the local government’s support to the work ofSAMACA has a lot to do with the highly visible, strong conviction of theorganization’s leaders in their advocacy, marked by their perseverance inlobbying all the relevant local government officials for assistance to theircause. As the Municipal Agriculture Officer, Richard is one of the key focalpersons of the SAMACA leaders in the municipal office. He says that

Candelaria is the only municipality in the province where the fishing sector,which covers marine conservation efforts, gets a higher budget allocationthan agriculture or livestock. Richard also shares that it is important to beinvolved in the PO’s activities. “The presence of an LGU representativeshows the concern of the municipal office in their activities. Even if it is not




within the LGU’s power to act on the people’s requests, one must at leasttake time to listen to them to encourage them and build their motivation.”

Apart from the MAO, the other important people with whom the SAMACAmust establish good working relations in the Municipal Office of Candelarainclude the: Office of the Mayor (executive), the Sangguniang Bayan(legislative), the Municipal Planning and Development Officer, the BudgetOfficer, the Accountant, the Tourism Officer, the provincial government andthe barangay officials. The local branches of government agencies, such asthe Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, are also just a fewof the offices that the SAMACA leaders and members have to ‘visit’regularly to make things happen.

Sally shares that she appreciates being educated on the governmentregulations and procedures, which makes her understand and tolerate thetedious and long processes that she has to go through in lobbying budgetfor the Federation’s activities. As Municipal FARMC chair, Sally has theadvantage of not only taking part in policymaking procedures, but also inlobbying for budget for resource management activities in the municipallevel. Sally shares that she became an active member of the SAMACA/SFA

due to her FARMC involvements. And now her FARMC position makes iteasier for her to provide her mandated LGU support to these fisherfolkorganizations.

Social linkages with the LGU officials can also influence the kind of supportthat can be acquired from local government officials. But while political




partisan can get in the way of realizing various community initiatives,SAMACA President Macoy says that showing one’s command responsibilityover a committed task will get anyone the needed support even if one isnot in alliance with the elected official. According to the SAMACA/SFAleaders, while the LGU’s political will is crucial for gaining momentum in thefisherfolk initiative, support from all other sectors must be encouraged toincrease the social acceptability of the marine protected areas and theirmanagement plans. Provision of alternative livelihoods through governmentand other donors’ funding greatly facilitates compliance as it enables thefishers to engage in a more sustainable livelihood instead of their illegalmeans of fishing.

Other challenges in dealing with LGU officials involve law enforcement sincesome offenders seek assistance from elected officials. “Sometimes we findourselves in a compromise when a powerful LGU official vouches for theoffender. Even though we are deputized as Bantay Dagat volunteers, wehave to show our respect for authority, who still has the final say in thesematters.” Raffy and Macoy agree that flexibility and diplomacy aresometimes called for in order to maintain good relations with the localgovernment.

Sally, who regards their LGU partners as family, advises shouldering someexpenses for the activities rather than charging it all to the allocatedgovernment budget for the project, if one can afford it. She explains, “These small counterparts often lead to bigger funding allocations since thegesture shows the donors how committed you are to the cause.”




Macoy adds that when the people demonstrate what they can do evenwithout appropriate funding, then the money will come. Determinationand commitment to the advocacy are certainly key to successful people’sinitiatives. “It is also important to learn from your mistakes and do not beafraid to admit it when you’re wrong.” Openness to learning is also anessential attitude in the process.

Sally admits that one’s economic status also plays a role in theireffectiveness as PO leaders. “Macoy, Raffy and I are retired and are nolonger responsible for our children since they have all finished school. Thisallows us to spend most of our time volunteering for our various conserva-tion activities, instead of working. Our challenge is in finding the secondliners to take on our tasks, since many of our members are working as full-time fishers and still have children to support.” For Raffy, “One must sharelearnings and train other people so they, too, can participate in the

advocacy.”

The dedicated and hard-working leaders of Candelaria agree thatnetworking with LGU officials, staff and other government agencies’staff is as vital as getting the support from the communities. Publicconsultation with all stakeholders is crucial in getting an ordinance

approved, and more importantly, in implementing it. But there are morelessons to be shared.

Transparency and evidences of excellent management of the marineconservation projects are absolutely necessary to continue access tosupport from all sectors. On the one hand, the Federation’s accomplish-




ments to date, particularly the development of the first comprehensivemunicipal fisheries ordinance, have further built its credibility in lobbying formarine conservation and other fisherfolk issues through participation inpolicymaking and special advisory bodies in the local, and sometimes, evenin the national government level. The enhanced competence of theSAMACA leaders and members due to training assistance from SIKAT andthe PhiLMMA Network, on the other hand, is enabling the fisherfolkfederation achieve its objectives in protecting and managing their marineresources, and ultimately its goal of improving the lives of the people ofCandelaria.






From ridge to reef

Divers from the Philippines and abroad come to Batangas to experience therichness of its marine ecosystems. With coastlines teeming with tropicalfishes, aquatic fauna, shells, corals, virgin reefs and an underwater garden,Lobo is considered one of the most popular tourist destinations in theprovince. However, it was only in 2001 when the Municipality of Lobodecided to take a more proactive approach in protecting and managingtheir marine environment, having been introduced to the work of thePhiLMMA Network.

“We do not have the expertise in data management and analysis, and wewanted to show the people the importance of our conservation efforts.”Rosie Egea, Lobo’s Municipal Agriculturist, shares how being part ofPhiLMMA has broadened her knowledge in the field.

Soil erosion and siltation due to flooding, lack of a proper solid wastemanagement system in the area, fry catching, use of compressor and otherunsustainable ways of fishing were some of the major threats that wereslowly, yet directly affecting the municipality’s marine ecosystems. The localgovernment’s attempts to protect its priceless marine possessions were,

admittedly, ad hoc in nature and lacking in technical expertise until theentry of PhiLMMA in the area.

PhiLMMA’s approach to protecting and managing marine resources waspresented to the Lobo Municipal Office through the Earth Restoration Trust,an NGO and PhiLMMA member, which has been working in Biga, one of the

Lobo, BATANGAS 24



barangays of Lobo. The LGU’s Coastal Resource Management Program had also just been launched at the time due to recent findings on the decline offish production as a result of marine life degradation. These marked thestart of collaborations between the local government of Lobo and PhiLMMA,and more-focused marine protection interventions, which eventuallyresulted in the identification of two full-reserve LMMA sites in Lobo,Batangas— Biga (full-member) and Malabrigo (provisional).

Lobo is composed of 26 barangays, 10 of which are coastal communitieswhose main source of livelihood is fishing. The communities of Biga andMalabrigo are among the major fish centers of Lobo. But apart from theseLMMA areas, the remainder of the 26 communities of Lobo are alsorequiring the guidance and support of the municipal agriculturist and hertwo staff – an aquaculturist and an agriculture technologist- when it comesto agriculture, fishing, livestock and their other sources of livelihoods.

“Even though I am an agriculturist by profession, I believe in the holisticapproach, as they say ‘from ridge to reef’, so I treat the environment issuesof the communities as being interconnected.” This is Rosie’s simpleexplanation of her commitment to promoting the LMMA approach in hermunicipality. However, Rosie shares that given the number of communities

they have to assist in their various environmental and livelihood concerns,it is vital to mobilize the members of the communities, particularly in themanagement of the LMMA sites.




The LGU as LMMA support group

In the Philippines, the chief executive in the municipal level is theMunicipal Mayor, and the legislative arm of the municipal government is theSangguniang Bayan (town/municipal council), composed of electedmembers under the leadership of the Vice Mayor. The municipality isdivided into barangays, and each barangay is headed by a BarangayChairman (also called ‘barangay captain’) assisted by the SangguniangBarangay (village council); both the Sangguniang Bayan and SangguniangBarangay are composed of several councilors.

In the case of Lobo, the municipality’s marine conservation activities weremostly being implemented through the officials of the SangguniangBarangay due to lack of active fisherfolk or any people’s organizations inthe selected areas. Since the LMMA initiative in Lobo is LGU-led, lobbying

for municipal- and barangay-level ordinances concerning the marineprotected areas did not pose too many challenges as it normally does wheninitiated by a people’s organization. Hence, there are already existingbarangay and municipal ordinances aimed at protecting the identifiedmarine sanctuaries even before they became LMMA sites. However,a people’s organization, a sector that is separate from the LGU (since the

Sangguniang Barangay is a component of the LGU), is necessary not onlyfor ‘check-and-balance’ purposes, but more importantly to encouragea multi-stakeholder participation for the effective implementation of theproject. This led the municipal agriculturist and her staff to put on adifferent hat and start organizing the people.

Lobo, BATANGAS 26



Rafael Romulus ‘Moli’ Catada, the municipal agriculture technologist, sharessome of his challenges in the field given their lack of community organizingskills, for which most NGOs are applauded.

“First, I had to establish rapport with the members of the communitiesbefore I can make them understand and take part in the advocacy. It didnot help that some people had negative perceptions about being membersof a people’s organization due to their previous experience, which I had tostraighten out. Conflict of interests among the fishers who want to continuewith their fishing practices, however wrong, was also a problem.”

Awareness-raising activities and close collaborations with the barangayofficials facilitated the formation and formalization of the people’sorganizations in each of the Lobo LMMA areas in 2009. Moli explains thathe also had to make people feel more accountable for their environment,

and realize that they have a role to play in protecting it.

“Today, the management of the LMMA sites is shared by the localgovernment through the municipal office of Lobo and the SangguniangBarangay, the people’s organizations, the Bantay Dagat and the ResortOwners Association.” Rosie shares that the newly-formed POs are still

requiring capacity-building assistance, but being a member of the PhiLMMANetwork has its advantages particularly in terms of trainings and otheropportunities for learning, in which the LGU staff, such as herself, andsome of the PO members are able to participate.




“We have a very democratic governance system and our process ofpassing ordinances or legislations for municipal fisheries is different fromFiji.” Based on a cross-site visit in Fiji, Rosie realized how different thegovernance system is in the Philippines. She shares that national, as well asinternational, networking is very helpful as it allows sharing of experiencesand lessons within the Network, and helps the members acquire a betterunderstanding of the different factors that are influencing the progress oftheir LMMA initiatives.

A fisherfolk association at last

The Spanish Lighthouse in Barangay Malabrigo captures the interest ofmany scholars of the culture and arts, who make it a point to photographthe artistry that went into the construction of the long-standing guide for

many fishing and other sea vessels for more than a hundred years now.But the attempts of the barangay officials and volunteers in Malabrigo toprotect their marine sanctuary are proving themselves deserving ofattention as well, and further assistance to be more effective in theiradvocacy.

“The municipal office was host to a US Peace Corps volunteer back in early2000 and his assignment is to assist the LGU in implementing its CRMprogram. I was a member of the Barangay FARMC then, so he took me toRomblon to see how they are protecting their marine resources. I got soenvious of what the people of Romblon are able to do when I saw thebeauty of their corals. Hence, as soon as I got back in Batangas, I started

Lobo, BATANGAS 28



floating the idea of a barangay ordinance with members of the communityand with the concerned local government officials in order to identify amarine protected area in Malabrigo.” Billosane ‘Sonny’ Badal, Jr, recalls hisinitial involvement in the LMMA initiative of the municipality.

The passing of the Barangay Ordinance of 2002 established the Malabrigoprotected area, measuring more than 25 hectares, which became an LMMAsite in 2006. And Sonny became the president of the Malabrigo Fisherfolks Association (MFA), one of the people’s organizations co-managing the

LMMA sites in Lobo. He is now also a village councilor, which instantlyenables him to include fishing and marine-related issues in the policyagenda of the Sangguniang Barangay.

“We formed the MFA in order to recruit more members of our communityfor marine protection activities.” Sonny explains that many people in their

village of more than 350 families share an apathetic attitude when it comesto addressing community issues. “They think all of the problems in our areaare the responsibility of their barangay officials.”

Many members of the fisherfolk organization are either barangay officials,including the barangay chairperson, or Bantay Dagat volunteers. Godofredo

‘Fredie’ Evangelista and Meriam Canatuan, two active sea patrollingvolunteers share what made them want to become MFA members.

“I had to stop from my schooling, so I thought it would be better to makemyself useful while I am not doing anything with my time at the moment.”Meriam says that her volunteering in the patrolling activities of Bantay




Dagat has allowed her to gain new knowledge on the various issuessurrounding their coastal and marine environment, as well as new friends.Proud to be one of the few women-members of the MFA, Meriam hopes tomobilize more women in her barangay to join the MFA and Bantay Dagat.

Fredie, on the other hand, explains why it is not easy to mobilize others tovolunteer. “Patrolling can be risky at times, especially in our case since wedo not yet have all the necessary logistical support.” Fredie recalls the timewhen Sonny risked his life reprimanding a group of fishers from a nearby

community. “They asked Sonny to come with them in their boat so they candiscuss the matter somewhere, but at some point during the ride, Sonnysaw one of the fishers grab a suspicious gadget and this prompted Sonnyto quickly jump out of the boat and swim for his life.”

Sonny explains that it is not easy to stop other fishers from their wrong

practices because they need to be provided with alternative means to earnsufficient income in supporting their families. He adds that they cannot alsoblame others for not participating in their advocacy since they need to workfor their families. Being a family man himself, he admits that his communityobligations, as a barangay official and now as president of the MalabrigoFisherfolks Association, are taking most of his time. He says that the all-out

support they are getting from the municipal office, through Rosie and Moli,and the PhiLMMA Network are exactly what they need.

Lobo, BATANGAS 30



A more-concerned community

“I lost my village council post in one election, and many thought that it hadto do with my patrolling involvement. They said I was too strict with theregulations for our marine protected area.”

In the last election, Sonny was on board again as a barangay councilorand he attributes this to the increased awareness and better understandingof the members of his community about their efforts to protect their

environment.

Fredie shares that some members of their community now report to themwhen they witness fishers who are still engaging in illegal fishing practices,which shows that they are more concerned now. More tourists to their areaare also interested in their ecotourism activities. The municipality’s recent

exercise in data collection and analysis for the LMMA Learning Frameworkhas also yielded indicators of progress when it comes to the health statusof their marine environment. The data gathering aspect of the LMMALearning Framework, in particular, has provided the municipality with theessential information on the state of their marine ecosystems, along withthe different factors that are taken into account in monitoring the LMMA

initiative.

Both the LGU staff and MFA members admit that there is a lot more to do.But their experiences to date have taught them lessons that they wish toshare with their fellow LMMA practitioners, particularly how differentgovernance factors can influence their work.




Changes in the political leadership and the elected LGU officials’ varyinginterests, which dictate their budget priorities, greatly affect the momentumof the members of the LMMA site management unit in their activities. Loboas a third-class municipality with relatively small revenue, allocates verylittle budget for the fishing industry, in which activities for the marineprotected areas are subsumed.

“While the RA 8550 or The Fisheries Code mandates the formation of theFARMC, it does not always come with the necessary government budget

that would allow us to activate the advisory body.” Rosie offers thisexplanation to some of the MFA members and barangay officials who feltthat having an active FARMC would help them lobby for more financialsupport from the local government as in the case of the Zambales fisherfolkfederation. “It really has a lot to do with the budget priorities of the electedleaders, and being part of the LGU structure does not always equate to

easier access to financial support. However, I think that if the MalabrigoFisherfolks Association is able to present a clear advocacy message thatcomes with a concrete plan of action, then I will be in the position to ‘market’ their initiative to other possible sources of funding, including theprovincial government.” Rosie shares that through the Batangas MarineProtected Area Network, of which Lobo is a member, they were able to

tap the provincial government, the Rotary Club of Dasmariñas and theConservation International for health and insurance benefits, as well astechnical and logistical support for the Bantay Dagat volunteers.

Other governance challenges, according to Rosie, include identifying moreable leaders for the people’s organizations in the communities covered by

Lobo, BATANGAS 32



their LMMA work. Organizing and strengthening POs also take a lot of theiralready-limited staff time, but Rosie reiterates the importance of getting theparticipation of the community in sustaining their LMMA initiative.

For the MFA members, law enforcement presents some difficulties for themgiven the political tradition of ‘padrino’ system, where politicians use theirinfluence to free some of the offenders of their penalties.

According to Malabrigo Barangay Chairman Nicasio Dueñas, also an active

member of the MFA, “The enforcement of the ordinances can be moreeffective if they are also promoted in the nearby areas. Otherwise, theoffenders, who are usually from other villages, will always reason that theregulations of our ordinance do not apply to them for lack of information.It would be much better if our fishing ordinances are also replicated in thenearby barangays.”

The attitude of people in the communities due to competing interestsof fisherfolks and resort owners is also an area that they are activelyaddressing through Information-Education-Communication (IEC) activities. Apart from individually approaching other members of their community,the MFA also holds regular talks on how to protect their marine sanctuary in

the barangay hall. Apart from their IEC and patrolling activities, the MFA’simmediate priority is to strengthen their organization in order to accomplishmore.

Sonny ends with the hope of being able to recruit more MFA members nowthat their organization is officially registered. As a participant in an LMMA




cross-site visit in Zambales, Sonny says he learned a lot from the leaders ofthe fisherfolk federation in Candelaria and felt that he was also able toshare some of his knowledge that is unknown to the other fishers there.

But Sonny admits that he really needs to learn more on how the Candelariapeople’s organization was able to generate so much support, includingfunding, for their LMMA activities.

“I really admire our PhiLMMA colleagues in Zambales, and I want to learnmore from them so I can make the Malabrigo Fisherfolks Association as

successful in marine conservation efforts. I also wish that PhiLMMA willcontinue its much-needed support to us, so we can also succeed.”

Lobo, BATANGAS 34





Shifting from ‘marble’ to ‘marine’

The municipality of Romblon, in the province of Romblon, has

approximately 4,000 fishers distributed in 25 coastal barangays. It lieswithin the Sulu-Sulawesi Eco-region and Coral Triangle, endowing Romblonits rich marine biodiversity. Most of the communities are dependent on thenatural resources of the area for their income and family consumption.Marble and fishing are the two major industries of the municipality. But thedecline in the market demand for marble has forced the people of Romblon

to turn to their marine resources for livelihood, more than they used to.

The shift from marble to fishing as key industry for the municipality hasresulted in increased fishing pressure in the municipal waters of Romblon.This led to proliferation of illegal fishing activities, including the intrusion ofcommercial fishing vessels and use of destructive fishing gears and

operations. Small-scale fishers who only use traditional fishing gear, suchas the ‘hook and line’, suddenly found themselves in a no-win competitionwith the big fishing vessels in their municipal waters. Other threats to thecoastal and marine ecosystems of Romblon involved the conversion ofmangrove areas into fishponds, settlement areas and beach resorts. Thesiltation from marble and stone quarries has also affected the fish habitats.

Therefore, the reduction of fish production at an alarming rate due todegradation of coastal and marine resources has also become a majorproblem that the fishers of Romblon have had to face.

Despite this discouraging scenario, the case of Romblon demonstrates howactive collaborations between the people’s organizations, the local

Romblon, ROMBLON 36



government and SIKAT have managed to transform these environment andlivelihood issues into excellent examples of effective coastal and marineresource protection and management.

A family of people’s organizations

KAPAMILYA is an acronym for ‘Karagatan Alagaan ng Pederasyon at Alyansa ng Mangingisda na Itataguyod and Likas Yaman at Agrkultura’

ng Romblon (meaning ‘federation of fisherfolks for the protection of naturalresources and agriculture’), but the term also means ‘to be part of thefamily’ in the Filipino language. In 2006, the newly-organized KAPAMILYAng Romblon, Inc., took the lead in advocating for the ‘RomblonComprehensive Municipal Fisheries Ordinance’, which was passed intolegislation, also in the same year.

“We decided to form into a federation to have a stronger voice, andtherefore strengthen the impact of our advocacy.” Charles Ramal, thefounding chairman of KAPAMILYA and former PO president, shares themain reason behind the merging of 14 people’s organizations from thedifferent barangays of Romblon. Furthermore, the barangay captains of the

covered barangays also formed themselves into a ‘council of elders’ to offertheir support to the Federation in terms of direction-setting. “We realizedthat there is strength in numbers because our local government leaderscannot easily ignore the voice of the people, representing thousands ofmen and women fishers wanting to protect their coastal and marineresources for a more secure livelihood.” Charles explains that the convening




of the PO leaders of different villages as a federation hastened theprocesses involved in their advocacy concerning all the 25 coastal villagesof Romblon; this explains the very short, although very difficult, time it took

them to get the CMFO approved.

Through the lobbying efforts of the Federation, the CMFO was approved bythe municipal council, resulting in the recognition of the rights of marginalfishers in managing their coastal and marine resources. The KAPAMILYAwas also accredited by the LGU as a registered group of municipal fishers,

which provided the Federation a seat in the Municipal Development Council(MDC), and later in the Provincial Development Council, enabling the fisher-folks’ representative to take part in the decisions of the municipality, as wellas of the province, concerning development plans and their budgetappropriations. The Federation’s strategic membership in the MDC alsoaddresses the usual concern of POs regarding the changing of political

leadership and their development inclinations.

Charles recounts that their initial activities to push for the CMFO startedin 2005, when many of them were still acting as individual people’sorganizations, representing their own villages. “Even before the formationof the Federation, the PO leaders and members have already been

empowered through capacity-building activities provided by SIKAT, andour preliminary efforts involved consultations with fisherfolks and othermembers of the communities in drafting and reviewing the ordinance toensure its appropriateness to the Romblon context. This is why we feel asense of ownership for the CMFO given our participation in developing itfrom the beginning.” In the absence of a comprehensive municipal

Romblon, ROMBLON 38



ordinance, the POs can only rely on their respective barangay-levelordinances, which are often lacking in jurisdiction given the magnitude oftheir coastal and marine problems.

Awareness-raising became the order of the day, particularly for their localgovernment officials and staff. “Through orientations, we made themunderstand the issues that we are fighting for, and the urgency of ourefforts to save our marine environment.” Charles adds that having an activeand united federation, whose members were always in attendance during

the public hearings on the municipal fisheries ordinance, certainly provedthe people’s commitment to their advocacy. The KAPAMILYA was also ableto project how having a CMFO can generate additional revenues for themunicipality, which, understandably, captured the immediate interest oftheir municipal leaders.

From being a PO leader, Charles has been elected as the MunicipalFisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Committee Chair,representing the 25 barangays of the Romblon municipality, and morerecently as the Regional Fisherfolk Representative under the Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Resources. According to him, while his FARMC roleenables him to recommend the Federation’s call for policies, his involve-

ment with the KAPAMILYA gives him a good grasp of the issues on theground, to ensure that the local policies will indeed address the issues ofthe people.

The members of the KAPAMILYA are also united in sharing that ‘personalsacrifice’ has played a significant contribution to their advocacy.


P d M h i f h KAPAMILYA PO id d Ch l ’



Pedro Mesana, current chair of the KAPAMILYA, a PO president and Charles’active buddy throughout their lobbying efforts, shares that he and Charleshad to sacrifice some family time for their work in managing their marine

sanctuaries. Since his wife works overseas, he sends her pictures of theirmarine conservation work to make her understand why he his spending somuch time volunteering for sea patrolling among their other communityawareness activities, instead of making a living.

“We used to have misunderstandings because I am so busy with the

KAPAMILYA activities, but when she came home one day and saw forherself what we are doing for the small-scale fishers, I did not have toexplain to her anymore.” Pedro adds that it helps to have a small familybecause it reduces the pressure on him to earn more for a living, in orderto support them. “We have to remember that we have an obligation notonly to our families, but also to others who benefit from our work.”

His recent trip to Mexico to represent PhiLMMA in an international gatheringmade him realize how different, as well as similar, their situation is incomparison with other coastal communities in many parts of the world. “I thought they were getting more support from their local governmentsthan we are, but the collaborative way of making things happen is the

same everywhere.” Pedro says that he also realized that some LMMA sitesoperate on a ‘close and open season’, which allows the fishers to catch fishon certain times of the year, while the local government provides them withalternative livelihoods during the ‘no fishing’ season. Now that he is back,Pedro plans to share with the other members of the KAPAMILYA thelessons that he has brought back with him from his recent engagement

representing the people’s federation.Romblon, ROMBLON 40

W f l f th i



Women form a league of their own

Not to be outdone by the men, the women community members also

formed an organization that is more focused on women’s issues, such asreproductive health, women’s rights/gender equality, livelihood andsettlement. These women are also members of the KAPAMILYA and henceinvolved in the coastal and resource management activities of theFederation.

“Apart from participating in patrolling the fish sanctuaries, we also mobilizeother women whose husbands are not yet members of the Federation.”Lina Rotoni, President of the village chapter of the women’s organization,explains the importance of women’s participation in the male-dominatedfederation. Also a barangay councilor, Lina believes that she is moreeffective as an elected official because of her exposure to community issues

as an active member of KAPAMILYA and the women’s organization.

The women’s leader also proudly shares that their campaign on ‘violenceagainst women’ has yielded positive outcomes, including a women’s desk intheir police station and ‘reports’ of better marital relations. “More men inour communities have become aware that violence is not just physical,

but also involves emotional abuse.”

Edelyn Morada, also a village councilor and active leader of the women asformer Vice Chair of the KAPAMILYA, recalls how she got involved in thepeople’s organization before being elected as a barangay official.


“SIKAT came to Romblon in 2004 and called for assembly meetings



“SIKAT came to Romblon in 2004 and called for assembly meetings,where they began to orient us about the dangers of the current fishingpractices in our municipal waters and how these issues can be addressed

by establishing marine protected areas.” Edelyn admits that she joined themeeting purely out of curiosity. But after attending more orientations aswell as trainings organized by SIKAT, she was hooked to her communityactivities which eventually landed her a political seat in her village.

“I do not see much difference in what I used to do as a KAPAMILYA

member and now as a barangay councilor. Also, the people of Romblonhave high regard for people’s organizations, not just for elected officials,so they are supportive to the work of the POs, as well as that of thebarangay officials.”

Political will works

Municipal Mayor Atty. Gerard ‘Gard’ Montojo shares that the CMFO was already in place when he took his oath of office in 2007, but his challengewas to ensure that it is implemented effectively.

“I feared that one day the marine species that we see in our waters todaycan only be found in the books.” Mayor Gard discloses what got him tocommit to the approved municipal fisheries ordinance and adds, “The significance of the CMFO is not only for our Coastal ResourceManagement Program, but more importantly for the future generations.”

Romblon, ROMBLON 42

The municipal mayor of Romblon says that for as long as he sees the merit



The municipal mayor of Romblon says that for as long as he sees the meritof existing projects, he does not see any reason why he should not offer hisown support even if such projects were initiated by his political opponents.

When asked about the work of the KAPAMILYA and SIKAT on marineconservation, he shares that had he lost the recent election, he would have joined them in their work because he believes in their advocacy. He admitsthat among his challenges concerning the work, however, is having to dealwith a candidate of his opponent’s party, but Mayor Gard says he soonrealized that his personal sentiments must not get in the way of remarkable

efforts for the welfare of the coastal people and the marine ecosystems.

Municipal Councilor Jerry Mallorca traces his commitment to saving theirmunicipal waters from illegal fishing to his grandfather who was a fisher-man. Known as an active sea patroller and a brave law enforcer, Jerry firstmade his mark in the municipality’s marine conservation efforts when he

was still a Barangay Chairman.

“I organized a diving activity with members of my barangay so they can seefor themselves the poor state of our marine resources.” This initiative led toa barangay ordinance, a fish sanctuary and other villages following suit,gaining him the support of other barangay leaders, who also established

their own fish sanctuaries. “I worked closely with the other village leaders,the KAPAMILYA and SIKAT in lobbying for the municipal-wide fisheriesordinance.” He says that the ‘padrino or arbor system’, wherein politiciansor authorities intervene to free the offenders of their penalties, is theirbiggest challenge in law enforcement. But SIKAT plays a huge role byproviding the necessary patrol boats for monitoring, as well as the paralegal


trainings for the volunteer patrollers so they are properly guided on the



trainings for the volunteer patrollers so they are properly guided on thebest way to approach and apprehend the offenders. Today, as Jerry holds ahigher office, he continues his barangay advocacy in the municipal level by

organizing the ‘Task Force Illegal Fishing’ within the municipal council.

Romblon’s Municipal Agriculture Officer Arturo Gutierrez shares that beforehe was approached by SIKAT, the municipality’s efforts in coastal resourcemanagement were purely concerning the provision of alternative livelihoodsfor the coastal people, and nothing more. As MAO, Arturo is the first point

of contact of the POs and NGOs in the municipal office, but he admits thatgiven his agriculture background, coastal resource management is not afamiliar territory for him. He was also apprehensive about SIKAT in thebeginning, since he has not heard of their organization until their firstmeeting in 2004.

“We had bad experiences with previous organizations offering to work withus, but SIKAT gave us a very good impression about their work, so whenI met with them I became more aware and interested in CRM and theissues surrounding it.” Arturo adds that given SIKAT’s approach of linkingthe different sectors, the municipal office now works more closely with thepeople in their communities, through the KAPAMILYA.

Promoting LMMA practices in Romblon

SIKAT came to Romblon in 2004 and approached the representatives ofdifferent sectors—the POs, the LGUs, the women, and the academe.

Romblon, ROMBLON 44

SIKAT’s work involving the LMMA sites in Romblon is part of the Resource



SIKAT s work involving the LMMA sites in Romblon is part of the ResourceManagement component of the organization’s holistic program approach inthe municipality, which goes beyond coastal resource management.

“The LMMA sites were formally-established as soon as the CMFO has beenapproved, because without the ordinance, the effective management of theMPAs is not viable.” Miguel ‘Mike’ Cortez, SIKAT’s Senior CommunityOrganizer in Romblon shares how LMMA came to be in the area.

“Before we were introduced to the LMMA approach and tools, the SIKATstaff were using technology to assess and monitor the marine resourcesthat is less suitable for non-marine experts or others members of thecommunities. LMMA offered new ways to allow direct communityparticipation in conducting fish sanctuary assessments, making them moreaware and involved.” According to Mike, the LMMA trainings that the SIKAT

staff have attended can also be easily shared with the communities,allowing transfer of skills with more LMMA advocates in Romblon.

Apart from the pro-community resource management practices, Mike alsohighlights the significance of data gathering and management, which theyalso learned through PhiLMMA.

“Without any data to show evidences of degradation, it was very difficult tomake the people understand the condition of the marine resources. Now,the members of the communities are able to do data gathering themselvesand can even answer LGU officials who ask them about their conservationwork, as well as where the money goes. Given their LMMA trainings, they

are now able to educate their own LGU officials.”45 MAKING GOVERNANCE WORK FOR MARINE CONSERVATION

Because of the effectiveness of the LMMA approach in the town of



Because of the effectiveness of the LMMA approach in the town ofRomblon, its case is now being replicated in three other municipalities ofthe Romblon province, including the use of practices and tools which the

SIKAT staff credit to LMMA.

Mike shares that sustainability is now in the mindset of the PO leaders. “Their focus is not only NOW, but that they must consider the future, too.”Hence, Mike says that the people of Romblon are actively pushing forcommunity-managed ecotourism as opposed to mainstream or commercial

tourism, which would be detrimental to the people and their preciousmarine sanctuaries.

14 Marine protected areas and more

To date, 14 marine protected areas have been established in Romblon—nine of which are member sites of PhiLMMA; three mangrove areas havebeen reforested and more than 125 giant clams are being protected in fourdifferent sites.

The management of these marine protected areas is led by the communi-

ties through the people’s organizations. Aside from community organizing,livelihood development and local advocacy, law enforcement is a keymanagement component in which the communities are actively involved toensure the sustainable management of their LMMA sites and other MPAs forthe benefit of the small-scale fishers.

Romblon, ROMBLON 46

With SIKAT assistance, members of the communities have been



,empowered to take the lead in the implementation of the CMFO, includingthe apprehension of violators. Some PO members, municipal fishers and

Bantay Dagat volunteers have been deputized by the Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources in recognition of their commitment to protect thecoastal and marine environment. The volunteer sea patrollers now alsoreceive a small monthly honorarium from the local government as a resultof their active monitoring of the sanctuaries. In order to equip thevolunteers for their law enforcement function, SIKAT provided trainings on

topics covering paralegal, conflict resolution, apprehension and case filing. Villages have also been clustered for joint law enforcement activities tostrengthen their enforcement capabilities and support system. Meantime,government agencies committed to provide the much-needed logistical andfinancial support to the volunteer law enforcers, including the participationof the police force and coastguard during the patrolling activities.

Before, fishers in the communities used to rally against the establishment offish sanctuaries because it limits their fishing activities. Today, they urgetheir leaders to identify more marine sanctuaries having enjoyed thebenefits, which include less waiting time between fishing activity (fromeight hours, to two-hour fishing intervals only), and availability of

commercially viable species in their traditional fishing grounds, assuringthe fishers of Romblon of a good catch every time they go to the sea.

With the Romblon CMFO in place, marine resource users are now also morecompliant of the laws governing their municipal waters, with the 75 percentreduction in illegal fishing activities in the area. During the first year of the


CMFO implementation in 2007, the projected revenue of the Federation has



p , p jbeen achieved. The establishment of municipal fisherfolk registry, whichrequires registration of fishers, licensing of fishing gears and promotes

other fishing regulations, has earned the municipality additional income,with the assistance of the Bantay Dagat’s 24/7 patrolling and effectiveimplementation of the law. The total revenue from the fees for the wateractivities in the marine sanctuaries is divided among the barangay(30 percent), the municipal office (30 percent) and the people’s organiza-tion of the barangay (40 percent). Due to the CMFO, the KAPAMILYA’s

remarkable achievements, and the continuous support of the LGU, theappropriation of budget for the municipality’s coastal resource managementactivities is not only ensured, but has significantly increased through theyears

Partnerships between the KAPAMILYA, the communities, the local

government of Romblon and SIKAT show that working together can indeedachieve long-lasting results.

“I remember the day when we marched the streets of Romblon to lobbyfor the approval of the CMFO…it was during the Independence Day in2006… We were clear about what we want for our marine resources and

we wrote our demands in big placards…” Charles recalls one of theirmemorable challenges in the early days of their advocacy as he watchesthe dolphins, parrot fish and wild ducks across a marine sanctuary—a fewof the many thriving marine species and other living proofs of a job welldone.

Romblon, ROMBLON 48



Key issues in governance and marine conservation


The case stories from Zambales, Batangas and Romblon have illustrated



how different governance factors have influenced the communities’initiatives to protect and manage their coastal and marine resources.

Each has presented how good governance results in more effectiveimplementation of the LMMA’s community-based adaptive managementapproach. This research has also identified key governance issues thatcontinue to challenge the coastal and marine conservation efforts of thefeatured PhiLMMA Network members, along with the governance factorsthat can help address these issues.

1. National priorities and budgetary support. The fishing industryoften comes next to agriculture and other major industries in thePhilippines, and this translates to the amount of attention and fundingthat the national government allocates to the fishing sector. The municipalfisheries sector, in particular, has often been marginalized in terms of

budget allocation. The community-based coastal resource managementinitiatives are confined within the fishing component of a municipality’sdevelopment plans; fishing is further subsumed in the agriculture programof the LGUs. Since coastal resource management programs from themunicipal level down to the communities have been delegated to localgovernments, the political system, which dictates the national government

funding, influences the LGUs’ capacity to provide the appropriate support tocommunity-based marine conservation efforts.

The case stories have shown how the commitment and perseverance ofthe people’s organizations have successfully addressed this prevailinggovernance condition. By projecting how legislation (e.g. comprehensive

Key issues in governance and marine conservation 50

municipal fisheries ordinance) can help generate additional revenue for thel ll d ff l f h



municipality, given active sea patrolling and effective law enforcement, thefederations of fisherfolk initiatives were able to access the needed funding,

along with other logistical support services from their local governments.Clarity of advocacy messages, which comes with concrete and realistic planof actions, also works in getting the necessary interest of, and supportfrom, the LGUs, and other stakeholders.

2. Attitude. Having each sector represented and involved is essential for

any CBCRM program to succeed. However, these stakeholders may havediverging positions regarding the implementation of coastal and marineconservation initiatives, resulting to resource conflicts. The openness ofeach stakeholder is crucial in coming up with a consensus and a collabora-tive way of working. The political will of the people in power is also vital tothe process of acquiring the highly-desired government support, particularly

budget allocation.

Awareness-raising activities involving representatives of different sectorscan greatly contribute to making the stakeholders understand the ‘real’conditions of the marine ecosystems, as well as the urgency of addressingthe CRM issues, which are causing livelihood and other poverty issues in

the communities. Mobilizing and educating people from different sectors,including the LGU, to be more accountable for their coastal and marineenvironment have proven to be effective in the cases of the featured LMMAmembers in the Philippines.


3. Capacity. The openness of the stakeholders to any developmenti iti ti i ft di t t d b th i iti t t it t k ti



initiative is often dictated by their capacities to support it or take action.The management of an LMMA site involves different representatives from

the local government, people’s organization, and other sectors, withcorresponding roles.

The leadership of the featured fisherfolk federations has contributedsignificantly to the success of their lobbying efforts for the drafting,enactment and implementation of comprehensive municipal fisheries

ordinances. The commitment and competence of the PO leaders have ledto their active participation in making policies and decisions concerningtheir coastal and marine resources in the local government level. Theirstories have shown that governance starts in the individuals who are theinstitutional assets, well-deserving of investment through capacity-building.

The LGU offices’ capability to take on LMMA initiatives, given their otherlivelihood priorities, lack of CRM background and very limited staff capacity,is often resolved by the determination of key people in the municipaloffices. However, trainings and other learning opportunities arerecommended to address the knowledge gap, and strengthen theinterest of these vital partners from the local government.

Capacity-building support to the LMMA initiatives through the PhiLMMANetwork has certainly provided the necessary boost to direct the dedicatedfisherfolk leaders, members of the communities and LGU staff in the rightdirection.


4. Political leadership. Changes in the LGU leadership or of electedofficials who have different development interests and hence priorities



officials, who have different development interests, and hence priorities,impact on the momentum of the people’s initiatives, including their coastal

and marine conservation or LMMA activities.

Getting the people organized, registered and accredited by the municipalityor higher government offices, results in the institutionalization andmembership of a people’s organization in the local government’s policy-making bodies. This enables the communities’ representatives to

participate in decision and policymaking forums, and ensures that thepeople’s interests are heard and promoted, regardless of the incumbentpolitical leaders.

5. Political affiliations. Differences in political ideologies and partiesduring elections tend to affect future dealings between ‘the winners’ and

‘the losers’. But in cases where such differences can affect the success ofthe people’s initiatives, including marine conservation projects, giving in forthe welfare of the people, rather than to personal sentiments, can go a longway.

6. Multi-sector collaboration. Partnerships between the people’s

organizations, the communities, the local governments and NGOs show thatworking together can indeed achieve long-lasting results.

Good relations with the LGUs can lead to better law enforcement andcompliance, due to the local government’s provision of alternativelivelihoods for the potential offenders, as well as equipment and other


logistical support for volunteer patrolling activities. The presence of anNGO in an LMMA site often serves as the catalyst in establishing marine



NGO in an LMMA site often serves as the catalyst in establishing marineprotected areas and proposing the necessary local ordinances to manage

these MPAs effectively; this is possible when the NGO guides the fisherfolkleaders in developing a more-strategic course of action and builds theircapacity to take on the job. In all cases, local fisheries ordnance, no matterhow comprehensive and perfectly-drafted, can only be effective if theconcerned communities are on-board in pushing for the LMMA initiative.The people’s participation, particularly as an organized group, is extremely

important in making community-based adaptive management possible.

7. Compliance and enforcement. The tradition of ‘padrino or arbor’,which refers to the intervention of people in power in order to free theapprehended offenders from any penalties or punishments, is found to bethe most hindering factor to effective law enforcement for the marine

sanctuaries.

LGU leaders are caught between getting the support of wealthy businesspeople engaging in commercial/illegal fishing in the MPAs, and that of theirvoting constituents. Politicians who do decide to uphold the interests of thecommunities are often threatened and made to suffer the consequences of

their actions. Even the PO leaders confess that recognition of resource rulesis the most challenging aspect of their MPAs or LMMA site managementrole. A diplomatic approach to the issue and meetings aimed at awareness-raising can gain the commercial sector’s interest in marine conservationefforts.


8. Levels of risk and personal sacrifices. The PO leaders and fish war-dens cited the importance of trainings in proper approaches to apprehend



dens cited the importance of trainings in proper approaches to apprehendviolators of their fisheries ordinances. Otherwise, these patrolling volunteers

may find themselves risking their lives as they run after offenders, withoutthe necessary information to guide them in their law enforcement function.Legal assistance is also required where prosecutions are held. Since thesevolunteers are unarmed, the support of the LGU is also essential in gettingmembers of the police force, or coastguard, to accompany them every timethey go out to the sea for patrolling. All these and other measures to

secure the safety of Bantay Dagat volunteers (e.g. accident insurance,medical benefits,…) must be institutionalized within the LGUs.

It takes time, effort, as well as money, to be involved in marine conserva-tion activities. The PO leaders and Bantay Dagat volunteers admit to takingpersonal sacrifices in order to continue their active participation in their

community activities. Hence, it is important to make one’s family know andunderstand the urgency of the community’s advocacy, not only to makethem aware, but also to get them involved.

9. Gender. Women are becoming more empowered and involved in actingon various social issues in their communities. This remarkable progress

must also be harnessed in the efforts to protect and manage the coastaland marine ecosystems. The case stories have featured the role of womenin the LMMA initiatives, as well as how women in their communities arebecoming more active in addressing development issues, particularly thoseconcerning them. Therefore, more efforts should be done to ensure thatwomen fishers also benefit from the LMMA initiatives, including ways that


would address their issues as women in the fishing sector, and othergender issues that hinder their involvement and participation in resource



gender issues that hinder their involvement and participation in resourcegovernance.

10. Tangible impacts. Whether it be a more-concerned community,better fish catch leading to increased income, passing of legislations onfisheries including law enforcement for marine protected areas, generationof additional internal revenue for LGUs allowing allocation of budget forCRM activities, preservation of marine resources, or other evidences of

successful marine conservation efforts, the featured stories of Zambales,Batangas and Romblon proved that good governance can produce concretebenefits to the communities, and to the coastal and marine ecosystems.These positive evidences of change in the LMMA sites, resulting fromeffective resource governance, help sustain the LMMA efforts in these areasand the people’s commitment to marine conservation.


LIST OF ACRONYMS



BFAR Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

BFARMC Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management CouncilCBAM Community-Based Adaptive Management

CBCRM Community-Based Coastal Resource Management

CRM Coastal Resource Management

DA Department of Agriculture

DENR Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesFARMC Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council

IEC Information-Education-Communication

KAPAMILYA Karagatan Alagaan ng Pederasyon at Alyansa ng Mangigisda na Itataguyod

ang Likas Yaman at Agrikultura ng Romblon

MAO Municipal Agriculture OfficerMDC Municipal Development Council

MFARMC Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council

LMMA Locally-Managed Marine Area

MFA Malabrigo Fisherfolks Association

PhiLMMA Philippine Locally-Managed Marine Area (Network)PO People’s Organization

SAMACA Samahan ng mga Mangingisda ng Candelaria

SIKAT Sentro para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya

SFA Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association

TWG Technical Working Group57

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS



My sincerest thanks for the time, support and inspiration in completing this publication to all the interviewees:(Zambales) Raffy Apilado, Dr. Richard Reglos, Cristina Reyes, MFARMC Chair Sally Ruiz, Macoy Villanueva,(Batangas) Barangay Councilor Sonny Badal, Jr., Meriam Canatuan, Moli Catada,Barangay Chairman Nicasio Dueńas, Rosie Egea, Fredie Evangelista, (Romblon) Mike Cortez,Barangay Councilor Charlie Delavega, Arturo Gutierrez, Municipal Councilor Jerry Mallorca, Pedro Mesana,Municipal Mayor Gard Montojo, Barangay Councilor Edelyn Morada, MFARMC Chair Charles Ramal,

and Barangay Councilor Lina Rotoni.

Special thanks are also due to the SIKAT staff: Ver Almandres, Edgar Orencio and Jhem Samaniego,for facilitating the logistics for the field research.

Finally, my deepest gratitude to the Philippine Locally-Managed Marine Area Network Country Coordinators,

Jovy Cleofe (Center for Empowerment and Resource Development) and Chito Dugan (SIKAT) for their valuablesupport in this research.

Abby Mercado

Researcher-Writer

Front Cover: © SIKAT/Marco Ruben T. Malto II;Page 1/4/12/13/14/19/28/36/37/39/43/45/46/47/48/50/51/52/53/54/55/56: © SIKAT;Page 23/24/25/26/27/29/30/32/33/34: © SIKAT/Rafael Romulus Catada;Page 2/7/8/9/11/17/20/31/35/38/40/41/42/44/49/53: © SIKAT/Marco Ruben T. Malto II;

Page 10/15/18/21/22: © SIKAT/Gerry Merriman



PhiLMMA Making Governance Work for Marine Conservation

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