Jose Pepito’s life has been shaped by the sea. For years, he steered through its gentle yet sometimes unforgiving currents, reeling abundant harvests, and relying on its generous bounty to sustain his family and community.
For Jose and other fisherfolk in Daanbantayan, Cebu’s northernmost municipality, when the land’s harvests run dry, the ocean sustains life. But in the past, this lifeline was almost threatened when something other than fish tugged their nets.
Tangled in a mesh of plastic, their nets came up heavy yet empty of life. The catch yielded plastic wrappers, as water bottles, plastic containers, and straws weave themselves into stubborn knots, slowing a day’s hard work and emptying the catch.
“It's plastic that gets caught in our nets, so we only bring home a small amount of fish,” he said. For fisherfolk whose daily income depends on each day's catch, every delay costs money.
For 25 years, farmer Clarita Aragon has turned to the sea when harvest falls short. When she is not tending to her crops, she swaps the plow with her oar and joins her fisherman husband at sea, helping him sell the day’s catch.
Like Jose, Clarita laments the costly price of catching more plastic than fish.
Untangling plastic from fishing nets is a race against the clock, because for them, lost time is already lost income.
Located in Central Visayas, Daanbantayan has access to the San Pedro River, the Visayan Sea, and the Camotes Sea, with its 55-kilometer coastline supporting key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.
Daanbantayan comprises 13 coastal barangays, two island barangays, and five inland communities, bordered to the north by the Visayan sea and the Camotes Sea on the east. While agriculture remains a main source of livelihood for many residents, farming is seasonal and has become costly. Fishing, meanwhile, has long held its ground as a steady source of food and livelihood for most residents.
For a municipality whose residents rely on the ocean’s bounty, the problems posed by plastics can mean the difference between a meal on the table and going hungry, and it was only a matter of time before plastics would threaten the municipality’s food security.
Mamerto Rodrigo, known among locals as Mitong, Daanbantayan’s Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO), is not someone who merely skims the surface of the problem. To address the municipality’s growing plastic pollution, he knew he had to look the other way. Away from the sea and towards the source.
“Five years ago, marine plastic pollution was a huge issue,” he said, nothing how waste traveled from the mountains to the sea, a problem he traced from ridge to reef.
As the local government began to address the source of plastic pollution, Mitong was faced with a difficult truth: when you address the source, you have to confront the community’s practices, because often, the problem begins at home.
“When you go down in the coastal areas, there is indiscriminate littering of plastics,” he added.
But there was no shortage of policies nor shortage of plans, as measures against plastic pollution were strictly carried out at both the municipal and barangay levels.
As early as 1997, an ordinance had protected the sandy beaches, prohibiting activities that could harm their environmental conditions, including littering.
In 2015, under Municipal Ordinance No. 06-2015, the town took a firm stand against single-use plastics as it banned the use of plastic bags and expanded polystyrene or more commonly known as Styrofoam in all establishments. Businesses that fail to comply face penalties, while repeated violations could cost them the renewal of their permits.
In 2020, Municipality Ordinance No. 18-2020 tightened its iron-vise grip on Ecological Solid Waste Management, specifying regulations and imposing a graduated system of penalties that escalated with each violation, from fines of P500 to P2,500, and repeat offenders facing the possibility of imprisonment.
“We use that ordinance as our ‘bible.’ It has become our tool for bringing our policies to different sectors, institutions, and barangays. It guides them in creating their own barangay ecological solid waste management plans,” Mitong said.
But it was the strict enforcement that swelled into more problems.
According to Mitong, some households paid children Php 20 (USD 0.35) to collect their garbage. However, the children risked being fined by authorities if disposed improperly at the mainland, so they handed the waste to their fathers, many of whom were fishermen, who then dumped the collected waste into the sea.
For a moment, it looked like their waste problems had ended as it drifted with the waves, until it found its way back to them.
For the residents, the mindset is simple: once the waste is thrown into the water, carried away by the sea, it’s no longer their problem. “We have interviews confirming that this was happening. So, the issue of marine pollution was getting worse because we were implementing the waste management program,” Mitong said.
The challenge confronted by MENRO is not just raising awareness, but finding ways to get the community to change their ways.
When penalties are not driving change, perhaps its opposite will, and for the MENRO, the plan was simple yet complex: incentivize waste collection. The real test came when it was time to turn plans into concrete actions. The question was, who will lead the change?
While the men head to sea to catch fish, their wives tend and nurture crops, raising livestock and reaping the season’s yield, such was the shared duty common among households in Daanbantayan.
Most of the farmers in Daanbantayan are agrarian reform beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, who are intended recipients of land redistribution and other services.
In 1995, a group of farmers from Brgy. Bitoon, one of the municipality’s largest villages where livelihoods rely on agri-fisheries, came together to form the Bitoon Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (BARBA), which aims to collectively access agricultural benefits and support from the government.
Through BARBA, farmers began offering tractor rental services and launching livelihood projects, drawing support from government agencies which provided them with machinery, fertilizers, seedlings, and other essential resources. What was once a group of 30 farmers, their membership has now reached nearly a hundred, as neighboring communities joined throughout the years.
For many farmers, their work shifts with the seasons, tending crops when the land is generous, and casting nets when the sea offers more, making many BARBA members both farmers and fishers.
It is this understanding of challenges from land to sea that led the MENRO to place its trust in BARBA, confident in their ability to influence change in their communities from the coasts to the fields.
“At that time, BARBA’s president was also the president of the Municipal Agri-Fisheries Council. He already knew the issues in both the agricultural and coastal areas. He knew all the issues,” said Mitong.
When Mitong presented the municipality's solid waste management program to the council, complete with incentives, rewards, and livelihood training, BARBA stood out, “We saw that BARBA was the most organized and compliant among all the farmers & and fisheries associations,” he explained.
With their livelihoods closely tied to the environment, members of BARBA are no strangers to the threats posed by plastic pollution, this is why the MENRO were able to mobilize them in coastal clean-ups and incentive programs such as the, “Ecobricks Mo, Bigas Ko,” (Trade Your Ecobricks for Rice) project which provided incentives for community members to turn plastic waste and turning them into building materials.
Ecobricking turns plastic waste into compact, durable building blocks by tightly packing it into plastic bottles, creating what are known as ecobricks.
While clean-ups may clear the coasts for a day or two, and incentives may nudge habits for a while, the problem remains in reshaping how people think about waste - and the solution begins here. Right to the source, straight to their minds.
In her community, BARBA member Jelly Tahanlangit still witnessed rampant littering, small wrappers scattered about, often by children, despite the policies enforced and projects launched by the local government. But as she put it, you can’t really blame a child.
In her community, BARBA member Jelly Tahanlangit still witnessed rampant littering, small wrappers scattered about, often by children, despite the policies enforced and projects launched by the local government. But as she put it, you can’t really blame a child.
“We can’t avoid it because of the children,” she said. “Even if we have sacks placed on the side, when they eat something, they just throw it because that’s what they do.”
Recognizing this persistent challenge and the need for support, BARBA has partnered with the Marine Environment Protectors (MEP) Program under the six-year Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region Project, a joint initiative between the Republic of Korea through the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and PEMSEA.
“With the help of MENRO, they were the ones who really guided us in implementing IECs. They were the ones who guided us, and they were the ones who gave us instructions on how to make it easier, on how to identify the waste we collect,” Jelly said.
Aligned with the project’s Component 4, BARBA focuses on enhancing community knowledge about marine plastics while strengthening communication and engagement among local stakeholders.
Since 2023, BARBA has collaborated closely with the MENRO to engage schools and youth through Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns.
Students learn to create eco-bricks, transforming non-biodegradable plastics into reusable building blocks for garden benches, school furniture, and small structures. Lessons also cover waste segregation, sanitation practices, and the ecological consequences of marine litter.
Once just a handful of agrarian reform beneficiaries, BARBA is now leading Daanbantayan’s fight against marine plastic pollution under the MEP Program, their first order of business was simple yet urgent: shape young minds.
Tucked deep within Daanbantayan’s vast farmlands, accessible by a long narrow road, the students of Somimbang Elementary School, knows no difference between biodegradable and non biodegradable waste, nor the danger plastic leaves behind, science teacher Jessa Mae Olaver observed.
“The youth would just throw trash everywhere without any care. There was no segregation at all, whether it was biodegradable or non-biodegradable,” Teacher Jessa said.
The small village of Somimbang sits in isolation, “The biggest challenge is that this school is ‘bukid-bukid,’ which means it's far from the center. Because of this, the children are not aware of proper segregation,” she added.
But this is about to change. Under the MEP Program, distance did not hinder BARBA from reaching schools in far-flung areas like Somimbang. Greeted by warm smiles and excited students, the program rolled out a three-day IEC campaign, with sessions divided by grade level. Each group sat through lessons on plastic pollution and waste management, capped with tumblers as keepsakes.
Through videos and classroom activities, students learned the 4Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover and were introduced to eco-bricks. The children tried their hand at stuffing plastic wrappers into bottles, then exchanged their finished eco-bricks for school supplies and reusable water bottles.
It did not take long for changes to be seen. “Now, children even bring plastic bottles home to make eco-bricks,” Teacher Jessa said.
The initiative grew beyond the classroom. Aside from school supplies, the municipality also began providing plates and reusable containers in exchange for eco-bricks. With the school, BARBA, and local government working hand in hand, the impact rippled outward.
“The parents, the community, and the students all gained knowledge and information that improper plastic use and disposal are truly harmful to the environment,” she added.
In one instance, a student piped up, “Teacher, my mother no longer burns plastic.”
For the students, the lessons stuck long after the rewards.
At home, Lordgena Florensos has watched her daughter, Andrea, carefully sort plastics she brings in. A sixth grader at Somimbang Elementary, Andrea is not even shying away from careless adults, boldly calling them out when they fail to segregate plastics properly.
“She learns a lot from it,” Lordgena said, watching her daughter learn from BARBA’s IEC campaigns, and carrying these lessons home. “She's very happy. For me, it's a great help that she's learning,” she added.
Somimbang is just one of many communities where BARBA has carried out its campaigns, but the lessons there ripple far beyond the four corners of the school. The group continues to mobilize youth, turning them into active stewards of the environment, while the MENRO plans to guide these efforts across the municipality through the MEP Program.
According to Mitong, BARBA is positioned to serve as a role model for the municipality. Through their IEC campaigns in schools, BARBA is guiding the next generation, but the dream does not stop there.
“It’s not just BARBA. The youth sector is cooperating, and our goal is to expand networks, bring education to the grassroots level faster, and replicate these practices across the municipality. Eventually, BARBA could inspire 10, 20, or more associations throughout Daanbantayan,” he said.
Back at shore, young bloods steer the direction toward a cleaner ocean. For residents like Clarita, they see a promising future for the town’s next generation.
“Before, kids didn't pick up plastic, but now they do, especially in school. They collect the plastic,” she said.
“When they go out to sea, they also bring back the plastic they find,” she added.
For people like Clarita whose vital lifeline is nature’s generous bounty, her dream is simple, “I want to see clean surroundings. No more plastic, I think that would be beautiful.”
In Daanbantayan, the old ways have given way for change. Gone are the times when plastics coiled through fisherfolk’s nets, when it was less about the catch and more about wrestling with entangled plastics that ate into family income.
It is no longer a time where the people carelessly dumped plastics into the sea. Not even driven by incentives nor fear of fines. Now, fisherfolk, farmers, youth, and groups like BARBA who now stand as the town’s guardians against plastic pollution are motivated by a simple, hard-earned truth: what is thrown to the sea, will always find its way back.
Words by Klyra V. Orbien
Photos by John Christian Castillo
The “Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region” or the Marine Plastics Project is a six-year initiative between PEMSEA and the Republic of Korea through the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
It aims to reduce marine plastics in 10 local sites, six in the Philippines and four sites in Timor-Leste through improved governance and management, demonstration of best practices and innovative solutions, marine litter monitoring, and increasing capacity and awareness of the partner communities.
The Project targets ocean bound plastics: within 50 kilometer from the shoreline, river inflow, and fishing - related plastics. In the Philippines, the Marine Plastic Project is being implemented in collaboration with the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Environmental Management Bureau and the Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Services, while in Timor-Leste, it is being implemented with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, Ministry of Tourism and Environment, and Ministry of State Administration.
For more information about the project, visit the Marine Plastics Project site.
