W. Samar steps up coastal management with PBSP

To sustain the Western Samar’s efforts on the protection and conservation of its coastal waters, various stakeholders of the province joined hands in formulating an integrated plan on coastal resource management (CRM).

The provincial agriculturist office teamed up with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Samar State University-College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Gugma Han Maqueda Bay Iguin Ondong han Organisasyon Samarnon, Regional Fisheries Training Center, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Provincial Police Office and the municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils (FARMCs) for the planning.

The plan, which includes comprehensive and integrated programs, will be piloted in the towns of Motiong, Jiabong, Daram and Tarangnan and the city of Catbalogan.

The agreement took place during the recent fisheries forum at the New Maqueda Bay Hotel in Catbalogan City, where the different CRM plans of the five local government units were presented for adoption.

“It is high time for Samar to adopt an integrated plan,” Catbalogan City Tourism officer Raulito Reyes said.

Fishing remains to be the main livelihood of Samar but illegal fishing practices, which destroyed coral reefs and other fish breeding areas, continue to deplete marine resources.

“Let’s formulate the plan and let our provincial government endorse this to the Regional Development Council for adoption,” Provincial Agriculturist Anita Taran said.

Aside from the creation of an integrated CRM plan, the team will also provide support to the municipal and barangay FARMCs on the implementation of fishery laws and look for funding for the implementation of the plan.

FARMCs are mandated by the government to oversee coastal resource regeneration as well as look into the improvement of the fisheries sector in the local level.

“Ang nakanindot, atong municipalities capacitated na (Good thing, our municipalities are already capacitated),” said Samar Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dominador Cabanganan.

The fisheries forum capped the two-year program on collaborative coastal resource management (CRM) implemented by PBSP and funded by the European Union.

Called the Linking Initiatives for Collaborative Coastal Resource Management and Governance (LINC-CRMG), the project assisted the province in achieving effective and sustainable coastal resource management and contributing to poverty reduction through the rehabilitation of the Visayas coastal zones, enhancement of alternative livelihood to further prevent use of coastal resources, and enforcement of fishery laws.

One of its major strategies is building the capacities of local government units, especially the FARMCs, on the implementation of measures towards the conservation of coastal resources.

LINC-CRMG also provided support towards the province’s food security and livelihood generation for coastal communities by funding more than P1.2 million on livelihood projects in Samar to ease up the pressure on the coastal zones for two years.

These projects include milkfish and grouper production in sea cages and seaweed and green mussell farming, among others.