Pilar seeks text votes to win NatGeo contest

The municipality of Pilar in Camotes Island needs your help in winning an environment-themed contest that will showcase their ecology projects to the world.

During yesterday’s Weekly Kapihan forum, Pilar Mayor Jesus Fernandez Jr. asked Cebuanos to vote for Pilar town in the Global Solution Search, a contest spearheaded by Rare.org and National Geographic’s Solution Search.

The winner of the search will receive a $20,000 cash prize.

“We joined the contest not only so we can share our projects to marine conservation practitioners but also to encourage more people to do more for our environment,” he said.

Pilar town is a 3.5-hectare island on the eastern part of Camotes. It was chosen one of the top 10 finalists by Rare.org an organization that searches for replicable and sustainable environmental practices.

Rare.og and National Geographic’s Solution Search, a nonprofit scientific and educational organization, launched Solution Search, which is an online platform that looks for successful community based solutions for environmental issues.

Fernandez also asked for support from Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and the Provincial Board (PB) in encouraging the Cebuanos to vote for Pilar town in the contest.

Pilar’s Municipal Marine Park (PMMP) was the product of the town’s successful six-year partnership with fisherfolk, ecology and civil society groups.

The park was built after residents saw the decline of their marine life due to illegal fishing.

“The sea is the source of our food. If it would not recover, what will happen to us?” Fernandez said.

He said the PMMP was initiated through the EcoGov-2 Project of the US Aid for International Development (USAID).

The project is a multi-stakeholder co-management scheme that involves information dissemination and alternative livelihood to fisherfolk.

“Only communal participation will be sustainable and effective, so we gave our focus on that,” he said.

The PMMP was established as a foundation and provided with a P300,000 annual budget by the Pilar municipal government.

They also raise funds from the community for their additional expenses.

Their program is anchored in conserving marine biodiversity through eco-tourism.

They currently have 10 guards who check the area and they also have a monthly evaluation of the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of the project.

Fernandez said they were also provided technical assistance by the University of the Philippines Marine Institute.

Two years ago, Fernandez said the UP Marine Institute declared that their coastal resources have already recovered.

He said fluted clams, large barrel sponges, manta rays and schools of barracuda frequented on their 179.2-hectare area.