The Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, Inc. (CCEF), together with the Municipal Agricultural Office of Argao, conducted a Management Effectiveness Assessment Tools (MEAT) orientation and Marine Protected Area (MPA) Plan Review at the Department of Agriculture – Southern Cebu Farming System and Research and Development Station (SCFSRDSS) in Argao, Cebu last July 18-19, 2022 to gauge the management effectiveness of the 9 MPAs in Argao.
The representatives of the 9 People’s Organizations (POs) of the various marine sanctuaries in Argao, namely the Guiwanon Fisherman Association, Naghiusa Mangalam sa Talo-ot, Bulasa Fisherman Farmers Association, Binlod Scientists Farmers and Fisherman Association, Langtad Argao Fisherman Association, Incorporated, Poblacion Argao Fisherman, Incorporated, Kapunungan sa mga Mananagat sa Tulic, Bogo Fishermans Association, and Talaga Fisherman Association, participated in the MEAT orientation and the MPA Plan Review.
Meanwhile, the 5 representatives of CCEF, namely Lloyd Yosoya, Justine Baisac, Danilo Delizo, Jr., Ranie Ibañez, and Sharmaine Diez, led the symposiums and the MEAT orientation and provided the technical assistance during the said event.
The MPA MEAT orientation occurred to assess how the level 1 MPAs could scale up to level 3 through the utilization of the 2019 MEAT data.
The two-day event also held sessions and workshops that tackled the MPAs in Argao and the role of the POs in coastal resource management.
On the first day, July 18, Ranie Ibañez, CCEF’s Coastal Resource Management Officer, presented the importance of MPAs in Argao. The day continued with the review of the documents of the MEAT and the MPA MEAT orientation proper.
The participants were able to produce an Integrated MPA Plan which consists of the budgeting assistance that they can review for the Municipality of Argao.
On the second day, July 19, Lloyd Yosoya, CCEF’s Marketing and Resource Generation Officer, conducted a workshop for the POs with regards to the Vision, Mission, Goals, and Objectives that they had to make in line with the coastal resource management initiatives in Argao.
The day continued with Ibañez’s presentation on the different roles of stakeholders in coastal resource management, particularly on the MPA Managers and the linkages and partners involved – Mayor, Sangguniang Bayan, Municipal Agriculture Office, and Barangay LGUs.
After the sessions, the participants proposed the establishment of a Technical Working Group, namely the “Argao MPAs Bolster Monitoring Team”, which aims to assist the MPA Management bodies for 9 MPAs to scale-up at the end of the year.
