Batangas Convenes Environment Protection Council

Batangas City, Philippines — Timely and significant, the Batangas Environment Protection Council (BEPC), the multisectoral governing body for the integrated coastal management (ICM) program in Batangas Province, was convened in Hotel Pontefino, Batangas City, on 17 June 2011 to discuss the current initiatives as well as future directions of the ICM program in the Province. The Meeting was led by Provincial Governor Vilma Santos-Recto and participated by PEMSEA, other provincial leaders, municipal and city Mayors, national government agencies, local government units, private sector, civil society, nongovernmental organizations and other partners of the Province in coastal management.

 

Highlighted during the meeting were two important legislations addressing the institutional strengthening of the coordinating mechanism of the ICM program and the strengthening of the law enforcement capacity of the Province. Ordinance No. 5 (2008) establishes the Batangas Environment Protection Council (BEPC), a multisectoral forum which will oversee the province-wide implementation of the ICM program, while Ordinance No. 2 (2011) establishes the Batangas Environmental Response Team (BERT) for Coastal, Marine, and Inland Waters Environmental Protection. More than establishing the BEPC and the BERT, their operationalization will be the focus of the Province in the coming days in order to gain the presumed benefits of their creation.

 

Among the identified next steps for the ICM program in the Province are: the establishment of the bay-wide and municipal ICM boards; and capacity strengthening of local personnel in terms of enforcement, MPA implementation, climate change adaptation, data and information management, and management planning.

 

PEMSEA and Conservation International-Philippines (CI-Philippines) outlined some of their programs that can support the next areas for ICM implementation in the Province. PEMSEA laid out its capacity development programs in terms of strengthening coastal governance and addressing specific management issues, including man-made hazards, livelihoods management and pollution reduction. CI-Philippines, one of PEMSEA's Non-Country Partners, on the other hand focuses on habitats and fisheries management particularly in the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor (VIPMC), which includes Batangas, and strengthening enforcement of related habitat and fisheries laws. The VIPMC is considered as the "global center of the center of marine biodiversity."

 

The Governor, Chair of the BPEC and BERT, stressed the importance of concrete actions in curbing environmental problems caused by unmanaged human activities. The Province currently faces huge fish kills in one of its important water body, the Taal Lake, due to lower dissolved oxygen in water. Governor Vilma Santos-Recto urged the commitment of all stakeholders to work together to preserve and conserve the rich natural resources of the Province.