TropicalCoast 4th new indd

53

Tropical Coasts

was the attempt to have the group 

recognized through an Executive 

Order at the provincial level. This way, 

overall coordination and provision 

of logistic support for the operations 

of the Bantay Dagat groups can be 

provided by the Provincial Government. 

Some network members voiced some 

reservations on this approach due 

to lack of certainty of continued and 

committed support from the provincial 

government. However, the change in 

leadership during the 2007 elections 

infl uenced the shift in viewpoint with 

regards to the institutionalization 

process. 

In line with the then-ongoing move 

of formalizing the three-tiered 

integrated coastal management (ICM) 

Councils (Figure 1) to implement the 

Batangas Strategic Environmental 

Management Plan, the majority of the 

network members decided to pursue 

the incorporation of the enforcement 

groups into the ICM councils at the 

municipal, bay-wide and provincial 

levels. Being recognized and holding 

membership in the councils was seen 

as a good alternative, providing access 

to policy makers as well as potential 

funding support from municipal and 

provincial government agencies, 

including the Provincial Government-

Environment and Natural Resources 

Offi

  ce (PG-ENRO), which acts as the 

Secretariat to the ICM Councils. 

Future plans

Future plans for the corridor include 

the formal organization of the Batangas 

network through an MOA creating 

a provincial enforcement network, 

to be signed by the participating 

municipalities and cities together with 

the Provincial Governor. The provincial 

government of Oriental Mindoro is also 

in the process of forming a provincial 

enforcement network. 

Bay-wide or inter-LGU social networks 

can also help address common 

issues and problems shared between 

neighboring towns. An apparent 

increase in awareness among Bantay 

Dagat groups, LGU offi

  cials and the 

general community concerning the 

importance of a united and concerted 

eff ort to protect and conserve coastal 

and marine resources bodes well for the 

long-term success of conserving the 

Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor.  

b. Cagayan Ridge

Cagayan Ridge includes the Tubbataha 

Reef National Park where all extractive 

activities are prohibited.  

Figure 1. Three-tiered organizational structure of the Batangas Environmental Protection Council.

1 

Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Offi

  ce (MENRO)

2 

Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC)

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54

July 2008

frequency from the 

mandated 96 patrols/

year to 138 patrols 

in the 14-month 

project period.  As 

a result, 27 fishing 

boats with 148 illegal 

fishers were arrested 

and 48 cases were 

filed representing 

considerable increases 

over previous years. 

Table 2 presents 

patrols conducted, 

violators arrested 

and cases filed from  

September 2000 to 

June 2007. 

Park enforcement improved with 

the Global Environment Facility 

(GEF) project implemented through 

WWF in 2000.  CI-Philippines assisted 

in the formulation of Presidential 

Proclamation 1126 which expanded 

the Tubbataha Reef National 

Park from 33,200 ha to 96,828 ha, 

including Jessie Beazley (Figure 

2) and  provided the basis for an 

increase in the valuation of ship 

grounding damage from PhP4,000/

m

2

 to PhP12,000/m

2 

(US$89/m

2 

to 

US$267/m

2

). 

A new 100-hp outboard engine and 

assistance from the Seascape project 

enabled the Tubbataha Management 

Office to increase patrolling 

Table 2. Patrols conducted, violators arrested and cases 

fi led for violations in Tubbataha Park (September 

2000 to June 2007).

 

September 2000 - 

March 2006

April 2006 - 

June 2007

Patrols/year

~65

110

Fishing boats 

arrested/year

3

22

Fishers arrested/year

18

118

Cases fi led/year

7

38

Figure 2.  Old and new boundaries of the Tubbataha Reef National Park. 

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55

Tropical Coasts

c. Balabac Strait

Balabac Strait has been reported as a 

transhipment point for the live marine 

turtle trade. Apprehension of fi shing 

boats in the Balabac Strait increased 

from 1 in 2005 to 27 in 2006, and 24 

in 2007 (Figure 3).  Of these reported 

cases, violations of turtle capture by 

foreign fi shing vessels and fi shing 

using pressurized air to drive out fi shes 

were fi led in court. All compressors 

used in the illegal fi shing activities 

were confi scated in compliance with a 

provincial ordinance.  

The Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape project 

supported a planning workshop 

and two trainings on coastal law 

enforcement in 2006. These have 

contributed to the abovementioned 

increase in apprehensions in 2006. 

   

Training participants included local 

community enforcers, representatives 

of community organizations and 

barangay (village) fi sheries and aquatic 

resource management councils 

(BFARMCs), elected village leaders, 

municipal and provincial government 

personnel (i.e., Palawan Council for 

Sustainable Development staff  ) and 

personnel of the Philippine National 

Police, Philippine Navy, Philippine 

Marines and BFAR.

The re-assignment to other areas of 

some recently-trained police and navy 

personnel, a change in government 

offi

  cials and associated law enforcers 

after the 2007 elections, and the lack of 

budget and boats, indicate a need for 

further communication and capacity 

development at the local levels.   

d. Tri-National Sea Turtle 

Corridor

The Sugud Islands Marine 

Conservation Area (SIMCA) is a model 

for public-private engagement in MPA 

management in the Sulu-Sulawesi 

Seascape. SIMCA is a group of three 

Box 1.  Estimating Appropriate Fines for Ship Grounding in 

Tubbataha.

Rosales (2006) provides an example of designating values on environmental goods 

and services, specifi cally estimating the cost of the damages to coral reefs caused 

by ship grounding in Tubbataha.  

Two methods were used in estimating the total economic value (TEV) of the 

damages to coral reefs.

One method, called the “production approach,” puts an estimated value on the 

goods and services produced by coral reefs. The estimate was based on the 

allowed activities in  the Tubbataha reefs: recreational diving and research, and 

contribution to fi sh productivity beyond the park. An annual economic value 

of PhP208 to PhP211 per m

2

/year was estimated. However,  ship grounding 

extensively harms coral reefs and the entire ecosystem and will need more than a 

year to recover.

When left by itself, it would take decades for coral reefs to regenerate. The 

fastest recorded natural regeneration took 20 years in the Great Barrier Reef in 

Australia. Experts say that some coral reefs would take 70 years (Quibilan, personal 

communication). 

Due to the wide discrepancy of estimates, this particular study used 45 years as the 

average number of years it would take for a coral reef to regenerate.  The proposed 

recommended minimum fi ne for ship grounding using the production approach is 

thus estimated at PhP9,500/m

2

 (PhP211/m

2

/year for 45 years). 

Human intervention speeds up the regeneration of coral reefs which are then 

factored in computing costs such as capital, operational and labor expenses.  

The second method, called the “restoration cost approach” used estimates of the 

costs involved in substate stabilization, structural restoration, coral transplantation 

and enhanced biological restoration.  Capital costs include pre-construction and 

construction costs; operational costs include materials, equipment, staff  wages and 

administration costs; and labor costs involve supervision, training and labor for 

actual activities  for restoration.  Restoration cost was estimated at  PhP44 million 

or PhP15,000/m

2

.

The study proposes that the fi ne for ship grounding of PhP4,000/m

  

 be increased 

to between PhP9,500 and PhP15,000 per m

2

.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2005

2006

2007

Boats apprehended

fishing using

pressurised air to

drive out fishes

fishing without a

mayor's permit

foreign fishing

vessel with caught

sea turtles

fishing using

compressor

fishing with

explosives

Figure 3. Boats engaged in illegal fi shing apprehended in Balabac. 

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