OVER SEAS -- The Online Magazine for Sustainable Seas

Negros Oriental

CRMP’s coverage in Negros Oriental is extensive: seven coastal municipalities and two cities, including the provincial capital, Dumaguete City, and Bais City, the industrial center about 45 km north of Dumaguete. The province is recognized as a pioneer in coastal resource management, largely as a result of work done by researchers of Silliman University, which is noted for its Marine Laboratory at Silliman Farm Beach. Here, a short distance offshore, one finds the country’s first artificial (tire) reef, installed in 1977 and now sheltering diverse marine life. There are more than 20 marine sanctuaries along the coasts of Negros Oriental, including the Apo Island Marine Sanctuary, widely regarded as a model of community-based coastal resource management. Strong local government support and multi-sectoral cooperation play a crucial role in Negros Oriental’s success in sustaining the coastal management programs initiated by the World Bank-assisted Central Visayas Regional Project (1984-1992), Silliman University and other groups.

Strength in Unity
CRMP is well on its way to cementing key linkages among coastal communities in Negros Oriental. Project staff led by Learning Area Coordinator William Ablong, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, held training courses and organized Bantay Dagat (local sea watch enforcement) groups into municipal federations.

Ablong says the federation is an attempt to facilitate coordination among the Bantay Dagat groups in each municipality and thus strengthen the enforcement of laws. There are, on the average, six Bantay Dagat groups in every municipality (one for each village or barangay), he says. "Coordination among these groups is very crucial to ensure the full enforcement of laws. We encourage barangays to invest in two-way radio facilities for their Bantay Dagat. This will allow them to communicate with each other and report any illegal activities as these happen."

The next step is to unify barangay and municipal ordinances and then form a provincial federation.

Partners for CRM
CRMP has found another partner in the Ting Matiao Foundation, a non-governmental organization that has agreed to help the Project in operationalizing the CRM process in Negros Oriental. An advisory council has been formed to facilitate active coordination and implementation of project activities in the learning area. Council members include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, Silliman University, and a representative of the local government unit. Preparations for a participatory coastal resource assessment, which will start in January, are underway.

In Bais City, the City Planning Office is counting on CRMP for technical assistance for a sea zoning project in Bais Bay. The sea zoning project, according to Alfredo Maturan, Bais City’s Planning and Development Officer, is the first of its kind to be implemented in Negros Oriental. It aims to ensure the viability and sustainability of Bais Bay as a natural fish breeding ground.§