Davao del Sur
The focus of CRMP’s
efforts in Davao del Sur are six municipalities -- Padada, Hagonoy,
Sulop, Malalag, Sta. Maria and Digos -- covering an area of 85,948 hectares
with a population of 56,514 persons and a coastline stretching to 66
km. Five expansion sites have been identified -- Sta. Cruz, Malita,
Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos and Sarangani Island -- covering an
area of 190,499 hectares and a coastline of 191 kms. Majority of the
residents in these coastal areas are engaged in fishing and derive their
income mainly from fishing the nearby 65-sq km Malalag Bay. Intense
exploitation of marine resources has caused the degradation of the coastal
environment. Malalag Bay’s live corals once covered 1,020 hectares --
this area has been reduced to a mere 113.4 hectares, primarily because
of the prevalence of illegal fishing practices but also partly because
of chemical wastes from agriculture and fishponds. To reverse the trend,
the government has imposed, since 1992, a gradual banning of compressors.
A 50-hectare fish sanctuary has been established in the area, and public
awareness of coastal issues is growing.
Pace picks up
CRMP welcomes two new staff in Malalag, Oscar Francisco and Johnette
Delejero, who were recently recruited to assist Learning Area Coordinator
Melchor Maceda as CRMP steps up its work in the area. Other key developments:
·
- Cluster municipal
training courses on participatory coastal resource assessment have
been completed and barangay level resource assessment is underway.
- To address coastal
resource management issues on law enforcement, fishery regulation
and municipal water boundaries, a workshop was held to discuss the
possibility of a unified fishery ordinance for Davao del Sur; an offshoot
of this activity was the formation of a Technical Working Group tasked
to draft the ordinance. Through its linkage with the Legal Environmental
Advocacy Program of Silliman University, CRMP is providing the province
legal support. If things go well, Davao del Sur could be the first
CRMP learning area to have a unified fishery ordinance.
Coordinator
Maceda says Sarangani Governor Rogelio Llanos has requested that
the effort to unify ordinances also include non-coastal municipalities
because "what they do also affects the coasts." Two versions of
the unified fishery ordinance are being considered. Maceda says
he expects "a long process" but is optimistic about its outcome.
"Majority of the 11 municipalities involved in the process are for
unification," he observes. "Furthermore, 100% of the Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources Management Councils (FARMCs) in the CRMP learning
area and 75% of FARMCs in the entire province are already organized.
We expect them to provide the impetus to move the process forward."
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