The Philippine Constitution protects and advances the rights of the people to a balanced and healthy ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature and with advent of the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 the management of the municipal waters and its coastal and fisheries resources has been devolved to the municipal governments:

The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 mandates all coastal municipalities to enact ordinances that will address the sustainable management, utilization, development and conservation of the municipal waters and its coastal and fishery resources and through a Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in 1994, the following fisheries regulatory functions, not expressly devolves under the LGC, have been devolved form the DA to the local government units:

1. Issuance of permits to construct fish cages within municipal waters;

2. Issuance of permits to gather aquarium fishes within municipal waters;

3. Issuance of permits to gather kapis shells within municipal waters;

4. Issuance of permits to gather/cultural shelled mollusks within municipal waters;

5. Issuance of licenses to establish seaweed farms within municipal waters;

6. Issuance of licenses to establish/culture pearls within municipal waters;

7. Issuance of auxiliary invoice to transport fish and fishery products; and

8. Establishment of “closed season” in municipal waters.

The Coastal Resource Management Code is geared towards addressing the immediate causes of the two core coastal resource management problems that were identified in Camiguin-declining natural productivity and integrity off Camiguin’s coastal and marine ecosystem and acute poverty and widening social inequity;

The interventions identified in the CRM Code are intended t address the following immediate causes mentioned above: open access to municipal water resources, destruction and degradation of near shore and coastal habitats, presence of natural hazards, insufficiency of proactive resource enhancement and conservation strategies, conflicting development activities, population pressure, weak institutional capability for coastal resource management. Lack of community participation or inadequate social preparation to enable communities and stakeholders to participate and get involved, weak enforcement mechanism, inadequate capability to implement resource enhancement and conservation for critical areas, and limited enterprise development competencies for sustainable economic activities; hence, this Sangguniang Bayan is convinced of the need to enact a Coastal Resource Management Code.

(whole text of Ordinance No, 05, series of 2011, is hereto attached and marked as Annex “A” of Minutes No. 43-2011)

ATTESTED:

ZOSIMO B. BORRES

APPROVED:

CLAUDIA E. MAIS

VIRGILIA D. LOPEZ

NILO PATRICIO K. AMAO

VIRGILIO L. DINOROG

WILFREDO R. ABREGANA

CLEMENTE E. TORRO

GILBERT A. LOQUIAS, JR.

RONY N. SAGOCSOC

CHRISTIAN C. ABEJO

GRACE NIEVES B. VELOSO