Date post: | 07-Apr-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | edmundo-edmundo |
View: | 220 times |
Download: | 0 times |
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 1/7
Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM
and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisherfolk Organization
1. Through the Local Government Code of 1991 and Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, themunicipal/city Local Government Units (LGUs) are given the mandate and authority to manage natural
resources. For the fisheries resources, fisheries management has been done through the coastal resourcemanagement (CRM) approach that requires coordination of the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of
Fisheries & Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) and active participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and fisherfolk organizations.
2. In a news item titled “No more big fish; overfishing blamed” (PDI, 09/13/11), it is stated that
through the BFAR national stock assessment program, 10 of the 13 fishing grounds that had been mapped
are “very heavily exploited” and these areas have over 70 fishermen per square kilometer which are
indicative that fishing activities should be reduced. The heavily exploited waters are located in Lingayen
Gulf, northern Zambales, Visayan Sea, Camotes Sea, Honda Bay, Babuyan Channel, Lagonoy Gulf,
Sorsogon Bay, Hinatuan and Dinagat Bay, and Davao Gulf. BFAR is expected to formulate fishery
regulatory measures through Fishery Administrative Order to reverse the trend of overfishing in said
areas.
3. On the other hand, data on annual marine fish catch from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics
(BAS) and data on population poverty incidence from the National Statistical Coordination Board
(NSCB) may be used to arrive at certain analysis on the general status of the marine fisheries and povertylevel at the provincial level as presented below.
a. During the period 1980-2010, Bohol registered annual marine fish catch that peaked in 1994 at
more than 30,000 m.t. and significantly decreased to 15,500 m.t. in 2010 (Graph 1). Incidentally,
population poverty incidence had increased from 45.3% in 2003 to 48.3% in 2009.
Graph 1
45.3 51.9 48.3
Povertyincidence
b. For Romblon province, annual marine fish catch had significantly increased from 3,605 m.t. in
1998 to 6,673 m.t. in 2002, and thereafter it became erratic (Graph 2) which is an indication of overfished
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 2/7
status. Despite the high fishing pressure, Romblon fish catch did not show declining trend. This could
be due to the fact that there is an upwelling area between Romblon island and Sibuyan island where mass
production of phytoplankton occurs and supports the food webs of the pelagic fish such as sardine and
tuna. But the very minimal annual catch growth of only 0.7% could have contributed to the increase in
population poverty incidence from 42.4% in 2003 to 54% in 2009.
Graph 2
42.2 50.3 54.0
c. For Zamboanga del Norte, during the period 1990-2010 (Graph 3), total marine municipal fish
catch has been on the decline while commercial fish catch has leveled off or became erratic indicating
overfished status of the marine fishery. Incidentally, Zamboanga del Norte’s population poverty
incidence has not much improved being 64.2% in 2003, 59.5% in 2006 and 61.6% in 2009.
Graph 3
Total Marine Fish /Sardine (Tamban) Catch inZamboangadel Norte
C a t c h i n M e t r i c T o n s64.2% 59.5% 61.6% (population poverty
incidence)
17,683
68,572
122,735
93,256
72,468
66,620
54,946 54,190
57,525 57,479
1,8653,589
13,15013,416
19,014
18,431
20,252
22,891
26,748 26,724
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
1980 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
mun com
Marine Fish Catch inZamboangadel Norte
C a t c h i n M e t r i c t o n s
d. Based on the BAS data, the total annual sardine (tamban) catch in the Zamboanga peninsula
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 3/7
(Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga del Sur) showed
significant increase from 88,224 m.t. in 2002 to 223,255 m.t. in 2010. Graph 5 shows that for
Zamboanga del Norte alone, sardine (tamban) catch for municipal fishers showed slight increase while
that of commercial fishers showed slight decrease . This could be one of the basis why BFAR said that
there will be no catching of sardines during their spawning period from December 1 to March 1 next year in the waters of Zamboanga del Norte. (“BFAR imposes closed season on sardines,” Inquirer, 10/22/11).
It must be noted that Zamboanga del Norte’s sardine catch represents only 12.75% and 9.6% of the totalsardine catch for the whole peninsula in 2002 and 2010, respecitvely. But it is a fact that the volume of
sardine catch comes from the waters of Zamboanga del Norte. The main reasons are: big commercial
fishing boats intrude into the municipal waters and direct trading in fishing grounds that make possible
the direct shipment of the more or less 90% of the total sardine catch in the peninsula to the fish landings
and canning factories in Zamboanga City. Zamboanga del Norte’s total marine fish catch could have
been increasing if the municipal waters will not be subjected to too much intrusion by big commercial
fishing boats coming from Zamboanga city.
Graph 4 Graph 5
82,164 77,75089,952
122,514
93,75481,986
115,419
209,012207,323
6,080 7,69910,383
22,57418,304 16,530
10,83813,259
15,932
88,244 85,449
100,335
145,088
112,058
98,516
126,257
222,271
223,255
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
C omm er ci a m un ic ip al t ot al
Total Sardine (Tamban) Catch inZamboangaPeninsula
C a t c h i n M e t r i c T o n s
7,797 7,306 7,924
5,875
4,764 4,233
5,6505,260
5,710
3,308
3,589
5,739
11,471
8,7569,646
7,5937,692
9,784
11,105
10,895
13,663
17,346
13,52013,879
13,243 12,952
15,494
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013
comml sardine municipal sardine total
Sardine (Tamban) catch inZamboangadel Norte
C a t c h i n M e t r i c T o n s
e. The trend on annual sardine catch as presented in Graph 4 and Graph 5 jibes with the observation
as discussed in the Oceanography magazine article titled “Monsoon-driven coastal upwelling off
Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines” which stated that (1) sardine fishing seasons with the highest landed
fish catch occurred during El Niño years (2004-2005 and 2009-2010), (2) lowest fish catch occurredduring La Niña years (1999-2000 and 2007-2008) , and (3) causes for the decline are still not well
understood but may be related either to shifts in the exploitation level towards overfishing and/or
modulation of upwelling. Upwelling effected by El Niño brings the nutrient-rich deeper water column to
shallower depths which are then utilized in the massive production of phytoplankton which are the
primary producers that support the food webs of large population of pelagic fish like sardines and tuna.
f. For Surigao del Sur, total marine fish catch had dropped significantly from more than 25,000 m.t.
in 1990 to more than 16,000 m.t. in 1996 after which it has become erratic; but the commercial fish catch
showed consistent but minimal increase during the period 1996-2010 (Graph 6) . Incidentally, the
population poverty incidence has increased from 42.6% in 2006 to 44.9% in 2009.
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 4/7
Graph 6
4,207
13,678
3,3531,696
15,100
11,052 10,738
13,33313,541
14,432
10,976
12,02812,050
77 68
3,994
1,022 1,031 761926
943935
874 1,002 1,039 1,043
4,284
13,746
7,347
2,718
16,131
11,81311,664
14,276 14,47615,306
11,97813,06713,093
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
1980198519901995199619971998199920002001200220032004
mun com total
Marine Fish Catch in Surigao del Sur
C a t c h i n M e t r i c T o n s
4. The graphs presented in item no. 3 above showed that the municipal waters of the 4 provinces
showed signs of overfishing. The overfished status of a municipal water or a particular fishing ground
can be determined by getting the data on fish catch through representative sampling of fishing gears usedand their corresponding catch at regular monthly interval. Another method is to determine the relative
size of the major species being caught in the municipal water or particular fishing ground to be managed;relative size (RS) can be computed by dividing the average length at capture of a particular specie by the
known or observed maximum length of the specie. RS of more than 0.5 could mean that the specie is not
yet overfished while below 0.5 it means there is overfishing. In the case of Indian sardine, the RS at 0.5
which is equal to 14 cm total length means that the minimum size of tamban allowed for catching is 14
cm which is very close to 15 cm which is the length at first maturity.
The RS approach is almost similar to the use of the Fish Ruler as shown in the illustration below which
states: Ipinapakita sa panukat na ito ang pinakamaliit na sukat ng mga isdang nasa hustong gulang o laki
para hulihin. The RS and Fish Ruler approach is called practical science which can serve as basis for
fishing regulation through a municipal ordinance.
5. The decreasing or erratic trend in the annual marine fish catch may not be only due to
overfishing. It could be also due to a decreasing trend in the fish carrying capacity of the municipal water
or particular fishing ground. Reduction in the fish carrying capacity due to fish habitat degradation will
result to corresponding reduction in the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) which can be theoretically
explained by the formula: MSY = r (instantaneous growth) multiplied by ¼ K (carrying capacity). Thismeans that even if law enforcement in effective in regulating fish catch, succeeding fish catch may not
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 5/7
increase if the fish habitat has been degraded heavily. This means that if the fish carrying capacity has
been reduced down to 50% of its pristine or original level, then the MSY that can be attained given the
effective regulatory measures will be only 50% of the original MSY. This could be one of the reasons
why the marine fish catch in Surigao del Sur showed drastic and significant decline in the first half of
1990s due to significant decrease in the fish carrying capacity of the municipal waters effected by the useof dynamite and cyanide in fishing, sedimentation from denuded forests and aquatic pollution emanating
from mining projects in the northern municipality of the province.
6. The present efforts to reverse the trend of overfishing and improve the fish carrying capacity of
the municipal water or fishing grounds are being undertaken by different major stakeholders through
CRM activities such as enforcement of fisheries and aquatic laws, MPA or fish sanctuary establishments,
protection of endangered species, mangrove reforestation and advocacy. CRM can only do so much in
improving the marine fish catch from the current levels to the desired MSY at which level income of the
municipal fishers will still be below the poverty line and the volume of fish will only satisfy a portion of
the total need of the people. In order to eradicate poverty in the coastal and fisherfolk communities, there
is a need to engage in livelihood diversification projects. Moreover, in order to ensure fish food security,
there is a need to engage in aquaculture (mariculture and aquasilviculture) projects which are
environment-friendly.
7. There are factors that could provide the answers to the questions: why the country is not in the
position to effectively manage and develop its fishery (so with agriculture) in order to ensure fish food
security and eradicate poverty in the agricultural and fishery sectors. Some of these are as follows:
a. The Philippines prioritizes the service sector while its neighboring countries like China, Indonesia
and Vietnam focus on both the agricultural and industrial sectors. In all these countries, including ours,
the majority of the population depends on agriculture as the main source of income. However, our
agricultural sector has the lowest percentage share of the total labor force at 34 as against China’s 39.5,
Indonesia’s 42.1 and Vietnam’s 51.8. In effect, the population poverty incidence in our country has
leveled off at 32.9 percent (2006), while those of our neighbors have plunged to much lower than 20
percent, our country’s target by 2010, under the Arroyo administration. (PH’s development path varies
from those of its neighbors,” Inquirer, 01/13/11).
b. It must be noted that, in the last two decades, there were programs and projects related to agriculture
and fisheries. These were undertaken by both the DA and NGOs in partnership with the sector’s
organizations as the main implementors. The projects were formulated based on political, social,
economic and environmental assessments conducted through participatory and non-participatory
research. But most of the projects that received enormous funding from the government, IMF-
World Bank, ADB and NGOs-partner funding institutions failed to significantly improve the lives of
the farmers and the fisherfolk. The below-par accomplishments of the projects were caused not by
the failure to identify the sector’s gaps and vulnerabilities but by the organizations’ deficit in key
success variables, namely: capacity to do the right activities; coherence in actions and activities based on the system-orientation principle; autonomy in decision-making; and adaptability to the
changing situation or environment. (Why agriculture projects in PH fail,” Inquirer, 05/30/11).
c. Giovanni Tapang, national chair of the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People
(Agham), stated in his letter (“PH no place for S&T workers,” Inquirer, 7/28/11) that the “emphasis on
the BPO industry only shows the current administration’s mindset as to science and technology. Instead
of locally producing tools and machinery for agriculture and other equally important aspects of our
economy, the administration toes the line of foreign big business and international lending institutions, as
its predecessors did—that is, set aside its dream of building strong domestic industries to serve foreign
monopolies with cheap English-speaking workforce.” Then he made a “call on all well-meaning
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 6/7
scientists, engineers and other S&T professionals to join Agham in its advocacies and call on the current
administration to put in place an industrial environment where we can practice our technical knowledge
and skills to help propel our country from the agrarian stage to the industrial stage.” With P-Noy’s
“Daang Matuwid,” life may be getting better for more and more Filipinos, but the country can never reach
that level of development that Agham is advocating. In fact, Prof. Randy David, Ateneo’s 2011 OzanamAwardee in the field of journalism for the depth of his reflections and constructive discourse on social and
political issues, stated in his July 28 column that P-Noy’s Sona “projects the presidency not only as a seatof political authority but also as a fountain of moral leadership.” David also pointed out that a year has
passed since P-Noy assumed the presidency, but still the Filipino people have yet to be informed of the
following: political leadership’s evaluation of the situation, its goals and priorities, overall strategy and
what it hopes to achieve at least in the coming year based on the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan
which, however, does not show (1) how it differs from the previous development plans, (2) enough
daringness in its thrusts and (3) progressiveness that will do justice to the reformist or almost
revolutionary sentiments that support the President’s mandate. (What the Philippine dev’t plan lack,”
Inquirer, 08/01/11).
d. CRM, which addresses not only overfishing but also fish habitat degradation, is the main
responsibility of the local government units (LGUs). It includes such activities as fishery law
enforcement; fish sanctuary establishment and protection of endangered species; mangrove reforestation;and advocacy. But it is the partnership of the the LGU-NGO-community organization in CRM
implementation that ensures better results. As a result of CRM, there has been a gradual increase in the
volume of fish catch from municipal waters, which could lead to the maximum sustainable yield as
measured vis-à-vis the fish-carrying capacity of the managed water area. But it has been estimated thateven at its maximum sustainable yield, fisherfolk income from municipal fishing will still be considered
below the poverty line. It is for this reason that livelihood diversification has been incorporated in the
CRM projects that have been launched by the government (e.g., the community-based resource
management project or CBRMP under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the
Fisheries Resource Management Project or FRMP under the Department of Agriculture-BFAR and by the
NGOs (e.g., the community-based coastal resource management or CBCRM project). However, the key
to the successful management of livelihood projects is the presence of good volunteer leaders who take
the lead in CRM work and at the same time assume management roles in livelihood development. (Key toeffectively stop overfishing,” Inquirer, 09/16/11).
8. Given the above-mentioned factors, there is little that the government can do to insure fish food
security and significantly reduce poverty. Nevertheless, the fact that NGOs are mandated to provide
adequate assistance to fisherfolk organizations, the latter should be able to maximize the presence of
NGOs and undertake advocacy work to pressure the government from the national to the barangay level
of governance to put more emphasis on the subject matter. Those who will remain in the fishery sector to
continue as municipal fishers should be able to institutionalize fisherfolk organizations that will continue
doing CRM work and sustainably engaging in livelihood diversification projects. But experience shows
that institutionalization and sustainability of fisherfolk organizations and making the livelihood projectsfinancially viable will depend on the availability of good volunteer leaders. It is therefore the task of
partner NGOs during the inception stage and exit stage to give priority in identifying, capacitating, andmobilizing good volunteer leaders to take the lead in CRM work and assume management roles in
livelihood diversification projects. If this can not be materialized once the partner NGOs make its exit
from the community, then all the gains might just be jeopardized, a situation which actually happened to a
significant number of fisherfolk organizations in the country.
9. Good volunteer leaders are the backbone of strong fisherfolk organizations doing CRM and
8/3/2019 Good Volunteer Leaders for Sustainability of CRM and Livelihood Diversification Project of Fisher Folk Organization
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/good-volunteer-leaders-for-sustainability-of-crm-and-livelihood-diversification 7/7
livelihood diversification projects, particularly at a time when partner NGOs have already exited from the
community. One of the living examples of good volunteer leaders is Juanito Obispo, the President of
Songculan Guso Farmers Association (SOGUFA) in Dauis, Bohol. PROCESS-Bohol had provided
SOGUFA with the necessary assistance within a period of 3 years and upon its exit, by 2008, Obispo took
over the responsibility to lead and manage the organization to move forward along the path of CRM andlivelihood diversification (Milkfish floating cage culture project) for almost 4 years. Certain weaknesses
in managing the organization and livelihood project have been overcome quite well through his arrays of varying strength that encompass 25 different subjects describing the level of leadership and
management which are enumerated below.
Leadership vs. Management (ChangingMinds.org)
Coastal Zone/Municipal water(15kilometers)
Coastal resourceManagement (CRM)-communitybased-integrated
MaximumSustainableyield(MSY)
FishcarryingCapacity/
FishBiomass /Sizes
Specie diversity
-Enforcement of fisheries/aquaticlaws-Fishsanctuaryestablishment-Protectionof endangeredspecies-Mangrove reforestation-Advocacy
GovernmentLGUs/LGAs/BFAR/DENR Fisherfolk Organizations
BusinessGroups
Environmental
FisheriesLivelihood
LivelihoodDiversification
Economic
Political
Social
CRMleader
Livelihood Manager
Civil SocietyOrganizations
(Goodvolunteer leaders)
Participatory governance
Subject Leader Manager
Prepared on November 3, 2011
by: Edmundo Enderez