Search Draws 17 Entries

MANILA, May 7 -- A total of 17 municipalities involved in coastal resource management (CRM) are participating in the Search for the Best Coastal Management Programs in Philippine Municipalities Awards. Launched as part of the Philippine celebration of the International Year of the Ocean during the convention of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) on October 9, 1997, the Search aims to 1) recognize local governments’ achievements in CRM; 2) document CRM practices so that these may be replicated in other areas as appropriate; 3) define CRM standards to be used by local governments; 4) encourage local governments to undertake and find ways to improve their own CRM programs; and 5) promote the development of intermunicipal linkages in support of integrated management initiatives..

          The 17 municipalities (see box) who submitted nominations show that local communities, encouraged and supported by their governments and working with the private sector, non-governmental organizations and the academe, are developing long-term solutions to the problems of resource depletion and environmental degradation in their areas. In these communities, CRM has become, or is on its way of becoming, a way of life for all. Mangrove reforestation, fish sanctuary establishment, community organizing, infrastructure development and law enforcement strengthening are some of the CRM projects that these municipalities and cities are undertaking. At least three of the nominees used their own local government funds for the implementation of CRM programs; the other nominees received funding assistance from external sources.

          The search is a collaborative effort of LMP and the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), a technical assistance project supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). A National Search Committee has been formed by CRMP to review the nominations. The Committee is composed of representatives from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Fisheries Resource Management Project (FRMP), DENR’s Coastal Environment Program (CEP), University of the Philippines Marine Science Insitute (UP-MSI), Philippine Council for Aquatic Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Silliman University Center of Excellence for Coastal Resource Management (SU-COE-CRM), and LMP.

          Nominations ended on March 31. The awards will be given out at special ceremonies to be held in July 1998.

          Related Story: The Search For Best Coastal Resource Management Programs

Nominees to the Search for Best Coastal Management Programs: