Women’s Perception
of National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) and Protected Areas
Management Board (PAMB).
Selinog
women initially expressed their apprehension over their island being declared
a NIPAS area. The uncertainty stems from the impression that membership in
the PAMB will mean “pagsulod sa mga taga-gawas” or participation of non-government
organizations and government agencies that do not have direct knowledge and
appreciation of the needs and interests of the locality. Another reason for
their reservation with PAMB is that revenues from community-initiated resource
protection will be under the control of the municipality, not the island-based
association which is charged to take care of the reserve on a 24-hour daily
basis.
To these doubts, the women agreed that the possible solution
is for the local associations to be registered and accredited to qualify having
seats in the PAMB.
Accomplishments
of Community Work on Selinog and Aliguay Islands, Dapitan City for the Period
October 1999 & September 2000
Merlinda
Cepeda, M.S.
Assistant Professor of Social Work,
Silliman University
The aim of community organization
work in Barangays Selinog and Aliguay is to develop the capabilities of the
people in the participatory process of planning, implementing, and monitoring
community development projects to sustain coastal resources and their quality
of life through collective action and decision making. This is done through
the process of: (1) program preparation; (2) development of participatory
database and profile; (3) community needs and resource assessment; (4) formation
and development of the people’s organization (PO); (5) formulation of the
PO’s development plan; (6) implementation of plan; and (7) monitoring/evaluation
of the actions taken.
|
Merlinda Cepeda interacts with the community during the inauguration
of Selinog Marine Sanctuary (above); lectures on marine sanctuary
management at Selinog Barangay Hal l(inset). |
The program
preparation included the definition and establishment of the working relationship
with local government units (LGU) and other government agencies involved.
This proved to be very useful in the mobilization of support systems in relation
to the community action plans. The support from the local government of Dapitan
City facilitated the enactment of the ordinance establishing the marine sanctuary
on Selinog Island before it was rendered moot and academic as the island was
proclaimed a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas
System (NIPAS) Act. The LGU also provided support services in the survey of
the sanctuary, supplied markers for the sanctuary and assisted in the conduct
of seminars.
Participation in data base generation and community needs
and resource assessment included a focus group discussion on the community’s
social and economic conditions, and on issues related to the marine reserve
development. This resulted to the awareness of the underdeveloped status of
the people and the need for formulating development plans to: (1) mobilize
services in health and education; (2) provide for livelihood opportunities
in the areas of food processing, mat weaving, salt making, and livestock dispersal;
(3) construct infrastructure like barangay road pavement and toilets; (4)
improve nutrition and engage in family planning; and (5) manage solid waste.
The issue on marine reserve development was dealt with through the informal
house-to-house information/education campaign and the general community discussion.
This resulted to a better community understanding and a resolution to formally
organize themselves for community management of coastal resources. This led
to the election of officers, the leadership training and capability-building
activities, and the registration of the people’s organization named Selinog
Island Dapitan Fishermen Association (SIDFA) for Selinog and Barangay Aliguay
Fishermen Association (BAFA) for Aliguay. This umbrella PO has formally organized
sectoral groupings like the youth and women groups and are in the process
of registration. Hopefully these three organizations represent three NGOs
in the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), as provided by the NIPAS Act.
The formulation and development of the community development
plan was based on the needs and assessed resources. The social and economic
plan of action is implemented through linking and networking with different
government agencies such as: Department of Social Work and Development, which
provided the food processing skills training; Department of Agriculture, which
provided the seminar on integrated agricultural and livestock development;
Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the NIPAS and Bantay-Dagat
orientations; Department of Labor and Employment for the organization orientation;
and the Department of Health, which provided medical assessment. The plan
for implementation includes project proposal writing for their cooperative
livelihood project in food processing, mat designing and weaving, and salt
making to be submitted to funding agencies.
View of
Selinog Marine Reserve
|
The marine reserve development plan has been implemented
by the People’s Organizations simultaneously with their socio-economic projects.
The activities included the community decision on the site of the sanctuary,
assessment of the marine resource, survey to establish the boundaries, installation
of the marker buoys before the formal launching of the marine sanctuary on
June 6, 2000. The PO in Aliguay is also in the process of deciding on the
site and doing the same related activities.
The SIDFA
has conducted community planning on the management of the marine sanctuary
and the necessary training to develop their capability for marine sanctuary
management in particular, and organizational/project management in general.
The plan is being finalized. With this management plan, the marine sanctuary
in Barangay Selinog has become operational after one year of community organizing.
The Selinog Island Women’s Association (SIDWA) is in the process of registering
with the Department of Labor and Employment.
There
are insights derived from the community organizing approach in Selinog and
Aliguay. It pays to put emphasis on the felt needs of the people and to
focus on the issues identified by them. These considerations and the use
of strategies like community education and training, community planning,
mobilization, monitoring and evaluation enhance the participatory processes.
The integrated approach of coastal resource management and provision/mobilization
of community development/social services sustained the participatory process.
All this has been facilitated by the integration of the community organizers
in the barangays, that is, their staying in the island barangays for extended
periods of time.
