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FPE Visits Guiuan for Uplifting Post-Yolanda Events

Posted on October 7, 2015

Guiuan, Eastern Samar is bringing good news anew. On September 24, 2015 the Office of the Municipal Agricultural Services (OMAS) of the town’s local government unit staged its first ever Guiuan Fishers and Farmers Day. It was the first event of its kind, which gathered over 1,000 fisherfolk and farmers from across the coastal municipality. More importantly, it is a testament to the people’s resilience and unwavering spirit – Guiuan is well recognized as one of the areas left most devastated by the ravages of 2013’s Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Guiuan is one of the Foundation for the Philippine Environment’s (FPE) most long-standing conservation priority sites. In response to the large-scale destruction brought about by Yolanda, FPE established its Post-Yolanda Environmental Rehabilitation special project in January 2014 to address the rehabilitation of the area’s natural resources, as well as the training and empowerment of the affected local communities toward alternative livelihood options and overall resiliency amid frequent and high-impact natural disasters.

During the Fishers and Farmers Day event, FPE was represented by Expert Advisory Pool member Dr. Jonathan Anticamara and Special Project Coordinator Maylyn Pagatpatan.

Dr. Jonathan Anticamara addresses the crowd to remind them of their privilege and responsibility for being stewards of one of the country’s most resilient areas. (FPE file photo)

Dr. Anticamara shared the results of the damage assessment on corals reefs and on fisheries and the on-going efforts in Lawaan on marine protected areas (MPAs) and coral reef rehabilitation. He shared that, for Guiuan, he conducted a natural resource assessment just a few days before Typhoon Yolanda ravaged the area, causing him to come back for a rapid assessment two weeks late. He observed that most of the MPAs and corals were damaged possibly because of the strong underwater pressure during Typhoon Yolanda. He also explained that his prior assessment also shows that the destruction of corals in other areas happened long before Typhoon Yolanda came and was caused by destructive means of fishing such as the use of cyanide and dynamites. He pointed out to the fisherfolk in the audience that this condition of the coral reefs will definitely affect the volume of their fish catch. In closing, he posed the following question: “Sa inyong pagtanda, gusto ba nyong sisihin kayo ng mga anak at apo ninyo kung wala na silang mapangisdaan? (As you grow older, do ou want your children and grandchildren to blame you for their lack of fish catch?” He challenged the fishers to do their part in rehabilitating and protecting their coral reefs for the future generation.

Ms. Pagatpatan presented the different components of FPE’s Post Yolanda Environmental Rehabilitation Project and what FPE had accomplished so far, namely:

• Documenting and presenting the lessons from the survivors of the Typhoon Yolanda in the book, “Sights and Sounds of the Surge”
• Damage assessments of mangroves, coral reefs and MPAs and caves
• Policy advocacy
• Partnership building

FPE highlighted the importance of having an ecosystems perspective of rehabilitation, especially for coastal and marine areas. The Foundation also assured and reminded the audience that they will not be starting from zero because there were already initiatives on community-based coastal resource management and integrated coastal zone management of the Northern Leyte Gulf long before Typhoon Yolanda came. The fisherfolk and farmers in attendance left the event in relief, knowing that communities with a healthy environment – i.e., mangrove and coral reefs – can build back faster and with more resiliency because these natural resources can “heal” fast enough to provide them with food and other services.

Over 1,000 fisherfolk and farmers attended the first ever Guiuan Fishers and Farmers Day. (FPE file photo)

In addition to the Fishers and Farmers Day, OMAS also organized the Guiuan Livelihood Summit held last September 25, 2015, attended by barangay LGUs, municipal councilors, and various organizations that provide livelihood interventions in Guiuan. The event served as another opportunity for FPE to share its accomplishments in rehabilitating the area in collaboration with local stakeholders. In conclusion, the FPE representatives shared a quote by Fabrice G. Renaud: “Sustainable ecosystem management provides multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits. Regardless of whether a disaster occurs, it is what we regard as a NO-REGRET INVESTMENT.”