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BY LEONARD G. REYES

Camiguin's municipal fishermen-the main actors and stakeholders in coastal resource management.

Known for its beautiful beaches and world-class diving sites, the island province of Camiguin’s local government and civil society have over the years become aware of the need to protect its coastal and marine resources and have taken steps to address this. Camiguin’s ecological importance is even recognized by foreign aid agencies such as NZAid which has been supporting an LGU-led coastal and marine resource conservation program beginning 2007. This program has led to the establishment of numerous marine protected areas (MPAs) in the province. And for these conservation sites to be sustainably managed, community participation must be strengthened.

PRRM Chairperson Emeritus Helena Z. Benitez and President Isagani R. Serrano sign a MOA with Ms. Katlyn Deckmyn (seated, center), DISOP Philippines Coordinator, during the 59th Anniversary Program at the PRRM-NTI in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija.

It is thus timely that PRRM has recently formalized a a partnership with Belgian aid organization Dienst voor Internationale Samenwerking aan Ontwikkelings Projecten (DISOP or Organization for International Cooperation on Development Projects) for a 3-year program in the Province of Camiguin. The Project dubbed, “Building Capacities of Coastal Communities to Strengthen Institutionalization of Coastal Resource Management System in the Island Province of Camiguin”, seeks to increase communities’ capacities to manage their source of livelihood and work with local government units and other stakeholders. The project hopes to achieve this through capacity-building in organizational management, resource-based enterprise development and coastal resource conservation initiatives. It will also be guided by “the cross-cutting themes of environment protection, equality between men and women, empowerment of women, respect of the rights of children and decent employment”.

PRRM has been in Camiguin since 1992 and has implemented and assisted community-based coastal resource management (CBCRM) in the island province. In recent years, PRRM Camiguin has focused on micro-finance and enterprise development. The project supported by the PRRM-DISOP partnership will build on these earlier initiatives.

“The project will allow us to work closely with small fishers in an island province on enterprise development and develop and test new micro finance products  for small fishers. It will also be an opportunity to innovate micro-insurance schemes for the same partners”, shares Joey Gloria, PRRM AVP and Director for Movement Building and Field Operations.

The MOA signing was one of the highlights of PRRM’s 59th anniversary celebration held at the National Training Institute (NTI) in Nieves, San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija held last July 14.

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