Highlights of the affair are the turn-over of documents and signing of the Memorandum of Agreement that stipulates each parties’ commitment and support of coastal resource management to be led by TFF. Certificates and Plaques of Appreciation were also handed to key personalities, groups and government officials who were constantly behind CERD and the fisherfolk federation in pursuing the protection and restoration of Samar Sea.

CERD’s 12 Years in Calbayog, Samar

CERD started after the phase out in Maqueda Bay in 1996. It was chosen because it serves as the gateway to Maqueda Bay, which is a major fishing ground in the country. Protecting Samar Sea would further enhance the resource management works in Maueda Bay, and would boost the productivity of the fishing ground.

CERD’s implementation of community-based coastal resource management program in Calbayog led to the following:

a) Coastal Community Organizing and Capability Building:

• Formed 13 people’s organizations with a total membership of 471, with legal personalities (registered with the Department of Labor and Employment)
• The 13 organizations are federated at the city level and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission

b) Sustainable Fisheries Development

• Facilitated the establishment of resource management tools:
  • 2 has fish sanctuary in 1 barangay
  • Coral Reef Network in 3 barangays covering 100 has
  • Mangrove reforestation and management covering 8 has in 2 barangays
  • Designated Area for Women covering 5 has in 1 barangay
• Reduced incidences of illegal fishing from 3-5 per day to 2-3 per week

c) Socio-Economic and Livelihood Development

• Fish catch increased from 2 kilos per trip to 5-7 kilos per trip
• Provided capital amounting to PhP 800,000 for diversification of livelihood
• Facilitated access to livelihood assistance from government agencies, e.g. Polvoron, Kropek, Rice Trading, etc.
• Developed technology in bottled sardines
• Facilitated vegetable and herbal gardening (1 communal and 37 households from 7 people’s organizations)

d) Advocacy and Linkaging

• Facilitated the inclusion of organizations in different government-mandated special bodies like Barangay Development Council (BDC), Fishery Aquatic Resource Management Council (FARMC), Local Council for Women, City Development Council, National Anti-Poverty Commission
• Facilitated active participation and leadership of POs in local and national networks like Bantay-Abuso Network (BAN), BUDYONG (a national formation of women’s groups), and Visayas Fisherfolk Council
• Facilitated approval of resolutions and ordinances related to Coastal Resource Management (CRM), e.g. City Fishery Ordinance, Fish Sanctuary, Coral Reef Network
• Facilitated activation of Bantay Dagat throughjoint aprpehensions
• Invited to share resource management experiences in Coastal Zone Asia-Pacific Conference in 2005 in Australia
• CERD and Local Government Unit (LGU) became National Awardee which is a manifestation of strong partnership

e) Gender Fairness

• Recognition of women as fishers
• Active participation of women in organizations, holds key leadership positions
• Recognized capacity of women in resource management through the Designated Area for Women
• Barangay protection Order by the Barangay Council was maximized and helped build awareness of the community against violence against women (VAWC)
• Changes in family relations were noted, e.g. sharing of household responsibilities by men and women improved

In the light of CERD’s exit in Calbayog, some challenges were identified:

• How to sustain active participation of organization members in federation activities
• How to ensure continuous elimination of illegal and destructive fishing
• How to sustain participation of organizations in the local special bodies
• How to ensure continuous support of LGUs to the federation
• Climate Change which continues to threaten the coastal environment in spite of the resource management efforts

Rosalina Lodripas –Tarrayo

Program Coordinator

CERD Mondragon Program

And

Barangay Donya Lucia Fisherfolks Association (BDLFA)

[ Janito Mahinay,Pablito De Guia & Filoteo Jimenez]

Preface ( Brief History)

Way back in 2001, the governance project was implemented through the FIRMED program where the focus was the recovery and enhancement of the coastal and marine resources in the municipality of Mondragon. Part of the program strategies was the resource management, monitoring of resource status in the Municipality of Mondragon and provision of livelihood to the fisher folks in the locality (four barangays).Through BDP-PRA (Barangay Development Planning - Participatory Rural Appraisal) and REA (Resource Ecological Assessment), primary problems and concerns of the fisherfolk were identified. The organized fisherfolk also realized they need sources of income while patrolling the seas. With the help of Helvetas, a partner donor of CERD, funds were loaned to the fisherfolk for their livelihood projects. The local government of Mondragon also provided counterpart funds. The first socio-economic livelihood projects implemented was the credit system, payao (fish aggregating device), piggery, fishing gear dispersal, sari-sari stores, etc. However until the governance project ended in 2004 payment of loans by the fisherfolk was very irregular.

Mid month of 2002-2005, the SCLF (Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund) granted fund support for FIRMED program. The program focused on resource management and linkage with LGU and partner organizations. This time the focus was more on capacity building of fisherfolk organizations rather than livelihood development.In spite of this, the program continued its effort in identifying possible livelihood alternative and technology that are not risky and expensive for Mondragon. This was done so that the fisherfolk can cope with lost income during amihan period.

During the last year-cycle I of the program implementation with SCLF, the program came up with a plan to test the water salinity of  the shore in front of Barangay Dona Lucia. Based on the result, the water is high on salinity. The program team presented the result to the fisherfolk organization and it was decided that piloting and demonstration of solar salt project through co-management scheme by the organization and CERD would be undertaken.   This was the time that the Organization particularly the Barangay Donya Lucia Fisher folks Association ( BDLFA),a fisher folks organization organized by the program and registered under DOLE Registration # RO800-03-08-RWA-698,  committed to take the responsibility in piloting and co-managed demo project of solar salt in the area.

   (more…)

PHILIPPINES: ‘Women Take the Brunt of Climate Change‘
By Prime Sarmiento

MANILA, Oct 24 (IPS)

Filipina farmer Trinidad Domingo views the coming
rice harvest season with trepidation. A typhoon destroyed much of her crop
and Domingo estimates that her two-hectare plot will produce less than the
usual 200 sacks of rice. Typhoons are a part of life for most Filipino farmers but they know how to
minimise losses brought on by heavy rains. Domingo starts tilling rice as
early as June and July — the start of the wet season. By planting early,
she can avoid most rain damage.But this year, Domingo could only start planting in August as the wet
season started late.“This is really a problem for me as I invested a lot of money, about PhP
60,000 (roughly 1,250 US dollars), for this cropping season. I may not be
able to repay my loan and my family may really need to tighten belts,’’ she
said. Domingo heads an extended family that includes siblings and numerous
nephews.
(more…)

Program Development Officer

Center for Empowerment and Resource Development, Inc. (CERD)  

Paper presented to the Third Global Congress of Women in Politics and Governance, Oct. 19-22, 2008 at Dusit Thani Hotel, Manila, Philippines

I.                  The Women in Fisheries and Who Live in the Coastal Communities 

The Philippines, composed of 7,100 islands and islets, is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia. Its boundaries are formed by three large bodies of water: on the west and north by the South China Sea; on the east by the Pacific Ocean; and on the south by the Celebes Sea and coastal waters of Borneo. The total land area of the Philippines is 300 thousand square kilometers or 30 million hectares. It constitutes two percent of the total land area of the world and ranks 57th among the 146 countries of the world in terms of physical size. Being archipelagic country fishing is an important source of livelihood for people in the coastal areas. 

Studies by the Center for Empowerment and Resource Development, Inc. (CERD), a non-government organization implementing community-based coastal resource management, shows that 50-90% of fishing activities are done by women[1]. In addition, women also earn income by utilizing the coastal resources. Mangrove areas, by their nature (nearshore) are usually where women go to gather fish, shellfishes, and other marine resources (such as fry). Mangroves were also used as firewood. Particularly in 1 island 76 women out of 86 households are involved in shell gathering. 

Other zones in the coastal areas that women use for their subsistence (food, income, health) are seagrass beds, reef flat areas, and beach areas.  
(more…)

Disaster: what occurs when the impact of a hazard on a section society (causing death, injury, loss of property or economic lossess) overwhelms that society’s ability to cope. There are requirements for an event to be considered disaster. According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, at least one of the following should be present: 10 or more people killed, 100 reported affeced, there is a call for international assistance and/or a declaration of a state of emergency.

Hazard: a potentially damaging physical event, phenomenon, and/or human activity which may cause loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption and environmental degradation. It can be natural, human-induced or environmental.
(more…)

This organizational milestone will happen on June 28, 2008 from 1:00 – 6:00pm at the University Hotel, Guerrero cor. Aglipay St., University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. The theme of this event is “Celebrating CERD’s 30 Years with the Fishers… Journeying to Unchartered Horizons”.

Among the agenda of the General Assembly meeting is an input on Climate Change and Coastal Resource Management – CERD Policy Direction on Climate Change to be discussed by Dr. Loida S. Corpus.

There will also be launching of the book “Journeying towards an Enhanced Gender Relations in Coastal Resource Management”, of CERD Social Enterprise (Prawn Hatchery) and of this website.

The event is expected to be graced by all CERD staff from Quezon City, Northern and Western Samar and Surigao, as well as past and present staff and Board of Trustees, NGO networks of CERD, partner donors and other friends.

This is the poster that CERD represented by Ms. Mariter Quinonez shared in the “Community Dorf” Knowledge Fair at the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 9) in Bonn, Germany on May 15-28, 2008.

As many as 6,000 delegates attended the said conference. Aside from party delegation of UN member states, there were also civil society delegation from Indigenous Peoples (IPs), Protected Areas, Sustainable Agriculture Coastal and Marine, Women and others. CERD as a 2006 finalist is part of the Equator Initiative network delegation led by UNDP.

(more…)

Introduction
The Ladies in Unity with Men Onward to Development (LUMOT-Dev) was formed through CERD in 1996 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1998. Initially CERD’s plan was to form organizations in barangay proper only, but the women in the island of Sito Mahaba were determined to have their own separate organization in the sitio, since it is difficult for them to frequently travel to the mainland to participate in organizational activities. Hence the Ladies United Movement Onward to Development was formed.

(more…)

(Originally written in Filipino from Women Managed Area – Pamamahala ng Kababaihan ng Pangisdaan, a publication of BUDYONG-Pinagbuklod na Lakas ng Kababaihan sa Pangisdaan (PLKP) with assistance from Oxfam Great Britain). For more information email budyong.women@yahoo.com.ph.

Introduction
The largest mangrove forests in Calbayog City are located in Barangay Tomaligues, measuring 10 hectares. Most of the residents are dependent in this resource. They collect shells as well as bangus and prawn fry which are sources of income for them.

(more…)

Located in Northern Samar province, the “Kauswagan sa Panginabuhi sa Samar, Inc.-KPSI” is composed of eight member non-government organizations (NGOs) formed:

1. 1. To enable the group to effectively interface with the market through the aggregation of livelihoods and enterprise development initiatives.

2. To strengthen their practice through sharing of experiences and knowledge, most especially on joint concerns such as livelihoods and enterprise development, coastal resource management, participatory governance, and in relating to the market.

3. To enhance the group’s capability to take collective action vis-à -vis economic and political power centers.

(more…)