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==[[Sultan Kudarat News]]==
==[[Sultan Kudarat News]]==
'''Mangrove conservation gaining roots in Kalamasig town'''
'''IHL expert met BIAF-MILF General Staff in Maguindanao'''
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/?m=7&r=r12&id=59172
*Source: http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2377:ihl-expert-met-biaf-milf-general-staff-in-maguindanao&catid=81:news&Itemid=457
*Friday, October 14, 2011
*October 22, 2011
:by Sherwin B. Manual
:by Arnold Monsod




SULTAN KUDARAT, Oct. 14 (PIA) -- Two years after planting, close to a hundred thousand mangrove seedlings at about four feet high are now teeming with greens covering the erstwhile nude and muddy 20-hectare shoreline.
 
The community considered it a major make-over after the place was hit by a tidal wave, converted to fishpond and was abandoned.
October 22, 2011 - Ms. Cynthia Petrigh, an International Humanitarian Law (IHL) expert met the administrative official of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF-MILF) in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao last October 19, 2011. Ms. Petrigh, who is French by nationality, is the head of the Civilian Protection Component of International Monitoring Team (IMT) serving as monitoring in the Humanitarian, Rehabilitation and Development.
“This is the result of the concerted efforts of our alliance,” said Romeo Ebanada, president of Alliance Mangrove People’s organization.
Toks Ebrahim from the office of the General Staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces presented the updates to the IHL expert the eventuality in Basilan in particular the violation of the government troops that they entered the perimeter defense of the BIAF without any coordination. This resulted in 22 members of the Army’s Special Forces (as of press time, the number rose 31) were killed during an 8-hour long firefight with MILF mujahideen in sitio Bakisung, village of Cambug, Albarka municipality in Basilan early morning last October 18. Ten soldiers were also wounded in the encounter. The MILF suffered six martyred and one wounded. .
The “Alliance” is a cluster of four peoples’ organization (PO) formed to manage the 42-hectare mangrove rehabilitation comprising the PO from barangays Lapyahan, Buenaflores, Bantogon and Labak.
The objective of the meeting between Ms. Petrigh and Mr. Ebrahim was about commitment of the MILF/BIAF to the IHL/HR for the prevention of the violation of the BIAF troops in the ground.
The other 22 hectares in close canopy only underwent enrichment planting to recover the original density since it has rehabilitated through natural process in the past years.
Petrigh recommended to the MILF leadership to strengthen their capability to a common understanding of human rights laws in times of war the protection of the Prisoners of War (POW).
Most of the species planted in the sandy and muddy loam include Bakauan (Rhizophora spp.), Bungalon (Avicennia marina), and Pagatpat (Sonneratia alba).
She also asked about the BIAF handling of prisoners of wars.
Mangrove forests as life support system is a powerhouse resources critical for natural breeding and nursery area for many economically known important marine animals like fish, crab, shrimp and other crustaceans. It also protects the shoreline from big waves wind and flood.
The said meeting arranged and facilitated by Nasrullah Muhammad the point man of the MILF peace panel to the Humanitarian, Rehabilitation and development of the civilian protection component of International Monitoring Team (IMT).
The project was implemented under the Natural Resources Management (NRM) component of the Department of Agriculture - Mindanao Rural Development (DA-MRDP) in partnership with local government unit (LGU) of Kalamansig.
“As NRM targets upland to coastal conservation, the mangrove rehabilitation is one of the four major interventions implemented in our town as it needs attention,” said municipal NRM focal Dexter Posadas.
“The mangrove rehabilitation site covered a relatively large area, so to instill ownership of the project from the community we decided to form them into one organization, the alliance,” he said.
The project was earmarked over P2 million which is part of the total P7 million NRM project of the town. The LGU put in 10 percent counterpart, another 10 percent from the national government, and 80 percent from the loan portfolio of the World Bank.
"On our latest count we have at least 97,559 live seedlings from the 133,340 hills we planted which is about 73% survival rate. The PO are due to plant in the coming days when they gather enough propagules," said Posadas.
“Before, my family plants mangrove behind our house near the seacoast because we know those trees protect us from strong winds,” said the Pagadian-born Ebanada.
Ebanada said that when he arrived to the place in 1972 as employee of the Sta. Clara Lumber Corp. there was a thick mangrove forest and fish population was very abundant.
“Fish was very abundant and the mangrove forest was really thick but when the lumber company closed many of us were unemployed and resorted to farming, fishing and other livelihood activities,” he said.
He also recalled in 1976, gigantic waves hit the Moro gulf and devastated many areas including a sizable area in Kalamasig.
“Some of the residents died during that tragic even but the biggest damage we saw was the coastal area left bare. Mangrove trees were uprooted and washed out,” said Ebanada.
For a long time, there were no serious rehabilitation activities done.
“When the area was made into fishponds, some mangrove trees were also cut. Plus many residents also made use of mangrove as firewood,” he said adding: “this contributed to the steady decline of the mangrove trees.”
“With the MRDP project came, many were skeptic, saying it would just be ‘another government project that would just die down,” he said.
“But this was different,” he added.
MRDP designed the project to be implemented by POs in close coordination with the LGU.
The PO members were paid for the seedling or mangrove propagules they produce and were hired as workhand for the planting and other activities.
“We earned extra income from the project. So, we understood that as we are the beneficiaries of the project, the activity also augments our income,” Ebanada said, adding:
“This manner made it easy for us to accept and make the project our own.”
The alliance underwent at least five technical trainings on mangrove rehabilitation management which Ebanada said made them more capable in handling the project.
“Another thing I appreciate about the project is that there is close mentoring and monitoring. We were capacitated, technical personnel like Mr. Jhonny Pangud of DENR Region 12 and from other agencies assisted us,” Ebanada said.
To secure the area, the four presidents of the alliance were identified to be “wardens.”
The wardens monitor the project on a regular basis and put bamboo markers beside each plant to identify the spot has been planted. This made the monitoring of mortality relatively easy and the replacement the propagules quick.
“We also fenced the area with old nets and bamboo to prevent stray animals especially goats from eating on the leaves of the seedlings,” Ebanada said.
They also sought the support of barangay council which in response issued an ordinance penalizing owners of stray animal that disturbs the rehabilitation site.
“But the most difficult problem we had was barnacles infestation,” Ebanada said.
The barnacle (marine organism of the class Cirripedia that tend to live in shallow and tidal waters) are deposited in the stems of the mangrove. Once there it will hamper the proper distribution of distribution on the growing seedling which will eventually cause the plant to wither.
“We scraped the barnacles from the each seedling but we have to be extra careful not to scratch the body of the seedling as it also caused for the seedling to die,” he said.
Ebanada said he is glad to be part of the project as this could be a legacy he can live to his grandchildren.
“I know my grandchildren will be proud of me being the leader of this successful project. And I want to instill in them the love and care for our environment,” said the 60-year old community leader. (DEDoguiles/PIA 12/MRDP)


==Photo Gallery of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines==
==Photo Gallery of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines==
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