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Participants discuss areas for improvement in managing protected areas at a meeting in Santa Monica, Siargao
Photo by Horace Cimafranca
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Despite a supertyphoon brewing on the Pacific just east of Siargao, representatives from all of the island’s nine municipalities gathered in the coastal town of Santa Monica for a consultation on the drafting of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) concerning the management of the towns’ respective Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The MOA will establish a networking system covering all the MPAs in Siargao Island. The networking will centralize the management of the MPAs to a single body, which will be responsible for the funding, policy review and monitoring, among other things, of all of the island’s marine protected areas.
The drafting of the MOA was initiated by PhilCCAP, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), to ensure the sustenance of its subprojects. These subprojects, which include alternative livelihood for fisherfolks and mangrove rehabilitation, were formulated to secure the MPAs from degradation. PhilCCAP stressed that strengthening the MPAs and providing a more environment-friendly alternate source of income for the fisherfolks would help the local communities adapt to the effects of climate change.
The December 3 to 4 meeting at Denaville Resort provided an opportunity for Siargao’s nine towns to report on the current status of each town’s MPA. The reports included future plans set by the local government units and also identified the problems that need to be addressed.
Notably, most of the MPAs did not have an existing management plan and have mostly relied on non-government organizations, and initiatives such as PhilCCAP, to provide capacity-building services to the LGUs and the local people’s organizations.
After the reporting, the participants underwent a workshop where common issues were identified and solutions were discussed in a plenary session. They agreed to pass resolutions requesting national government agencies such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the DENR to provide financial and technical support for the MPAs, free education and training for the local fisherfolks and capacity-building programs for the communities and the local government.
The assessment from the workshop became the basis for the comments on the draft of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on MPA networking.
A revised draft of the MOA was prepared on the second day of consultation, taking into account the issues raised by different representatives, such as those concerning funding and rule enforcement. The revision bestowed the function of allocating funds, reviewing MPA policies, formulating management plans and linking with law enforcement agencies upon the MPA network. It was then agreed that the MOA signing would take place early in 2015.
The representatives present, mostly municipal environment and natural resources officers, were joined by members of the Coast Guard and the local police.
The second day of the consultation was also attended by three municipal mayors: Mayor Lucio Gonzales of Pilar, Mayor Emmanuel Arcenas of Burgos and Mayor Alfredo Coro of Del Carmen.
In 1996, Siargao Island was declared a protected landscape and seascape through Proclamation No. 602 signed by then President Fidel Ramos. SIPLAS (Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape), as the protected area is collectively called, includes mangrove forests and marine areas, and spans about 280,000 hectares.
