Fisherfolk in four coastal barangays of Bacolod City have now become coastal warriors after undergoing a fishery law enforcement training conducted by a renowned academic institution in Negros Occidental in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG OIC-Secretary Eduardo M. Año says that through the DILG Technical Assistance program for Local Resource Institutes (LRIs), a total of 20 fisherfolk from barangays Punta Taytay, Sum-ang, Tangub, and Singcang-Airport were trained on Fishery Law Enforcement by the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNOR).
Topics discussed during the training include Philippine Fishery Laws, Coastal and Waste Management, and Basic Self-Defense using Khali or Arnis.
“Protecting and managing coastal resources is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders from the national government down to the community living in the area to ensure that these resources are sustainable and available for the next generations,” Año says.
“I am pleased that through the DILG’s engagement with UNOR, we have taught these fisherfolk the importance of coastal marine conservation and their significant role in ensuring that their source of livelihood are protected, preserved and nurtured,” he adds.
Implemented by the Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS), the DILG-TA program for LRIs granted P200,000 to UNOR and nine other LRIs that have submitted relevant project proposals based on the results of the Citizen Satisfaction Index System (CSIS).
The CSIS generated relevant citizens’ feedback on the delivery of basic services by local government units (LGUs) particularly in the areas of health, support to education, social welfare, governance and response, public works and infrastructure, environmental management, and economic and investment promotion.
Also part of the DILG-TA program is the sea scout training for 19 elementary pupils and high school students from public and private schools in Bacolod City. Most of them are children of the fisherfolk who underwent the fishery law enforcement training.
The sea scouts underwent a series of trainings on various topics like “a glimpse of the world under’, coastal habitats, coastal disasters, and managing the coasts. They also had actual interactive activities right at the mangrove and marine sanctuary in Sipalay, Bacolod.
Dr. Mona Freda Secondes, UNOR Research Director says that with the DILG partnership, it has become her way of life to advocate for coastal resource management.
“I am very blessed and privileged to be part of the project. It was not easy but it turned out to be fully loaded with blessings. Now, CRM has become my life, not just a hobby and we are now planning to do similar endeavors in other areas not just in Bacolod City,” Secondes says.
