MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday urged local government units (LGUS) to continue protecting the coastal areas and aquatic resources as it awarded 13 outstanding LGUs for their contribution in the rehabilitation and protection of the Manila Bay watershed and compliance to the Philippine Fisheries Code.
DILG Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. said the eight LGUs receiving the prestigious MANILA BAYani Awards and Incentives (MBAI) and five others that were recognized through the Fisheries Compliance Audit (FishCA) Awards are testaments to the local governments’ efforts to protect the country’s body of water and natural resources.
“Congratulations to all the winners of MBAI and FishCA. Your contribution and outstanding efforts for the protection of our aquatic resources are truly remarkable. Kami ay natutuwa at katuwang namin kayo sa pangangalaga ng ating likas na yaman (We are happy that you are our partners in protecting our natural resources),” Abalos said during the awarding ceremony in Quezon City last Tuesday.
“But there’s more to be done, especially in the face of climate change. As we face the threat of climate change, we need more LGUs to step up and hold hands with us in this advocacy. This pandemic has really given us a silver lining. If there is one thing I would say, it is the importance of making peace with nature. While we have made strides in this development, what is important is we have this goal of balancing development with ecology,” he added.
Among the MBAI awardees for 2018 to 2020 are Baliuag (Bulacan), Kalayaan (Laguna), and Magallanes (Cavite) for the municipal category, while Balanga (Bataan), Biñan (Laguna), Imus (Cavite), Makati City and City of Navotas bagged the award for the city category.
For the year 2021, the LGUs of Biñan and Kalayaan (Laguna), Baliuag (Bulacan), and Balanga (Bataan) were recognized anew for the MBAI Awards.
Abalos reported the significant gains in improving the water quality of Manila Bay, particularly the fecal coliform level indicating its level of contamination from sewage.
He said that from 92 million most probable number per 100 millimeters (mpn/100ml) fecal coliform level in the Manila Bay waters in 2019, it has now decreased to 1.8 million mpn/100ml as of June 2022.
Likewise, he reported the 10.6 million kilograms of waste collected during the rehabilitation and cleanup operations from January to March 2022, in which 6,022 barangays and 187 cities and municipalities participated.
“This is a clear manifestation of what unity could do. If we’re all just united in our goal and our ways. Let’s rid our jurisdictions of bad practices, injustices, inequality and heedless dominion over our planet and its resources. Let’s have a dream which is to recover not just in terms of economy, but to recover better as one in the preservation of our Mother Earth for the good not only of ourselves but for our children and their children,” Abalos urged the LGUs.
The MBAI awardees received cash incentives of up to PHP1.5 million which can be used for financing programs, projects and activities (PPAs) serving to increase the compliance of the LGUs with the Manila Bay Clean-up, Rehabilitation, and Preservation Program (MBCRPP) and for service payments.
Meanwhile, Abalos said the FishCA awardees for 2020 to 2021 are Naic, Cavite; Tanza, Cavite; Pilar, Bataan; Sasmuan, Pampanga and Balanga, Bataan.
Similarly, he said, cash incentives of up to PHP1 million will be awarded to the winners which they can utilize to implement PPAs that contribute to enhancing the management of municipal waters or coastal areas.
The FishCA is a pioneering monitoring tool to supervise coastal LGUs' compliance with the Philippine Fisheries Code or Republic Act No. 8550 as amended by RA 10654.
Present during the ceremony were DILG officials and personnel and representatives from partner government agencies and non-government organizations such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Department of Public Works and Highways, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development, National Housing Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development.
Outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa also cited
Meanwhile, Abalos also hailed the 12 outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa who were declared as winners in the Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentives Awards (LTIA) 2022 for their effective mediation in the amicable settlement of disputes in their respective communities.
“Congratulations sa lahat ng mga nagsipagwagi ngayong taon sa (to all the winners this year of the) LTIA. Bilang pangunahing takbuhan ng mga mamamayan sa tuwing mayroong gulo o hindi pagkakaunawaan ang mga magkakabarangay, tunay na napakahalaga ng ginagampanang papel ng ating mga Lupon sa pagsusulong ng kaayusan at katarungan sa ating bansa (As the primary body that people go to whenever there are misunderstandings in the community, the role of the Lupon is truly vital in promoting order and justice in our country),” he said.
Abalos also lauded all “Lupons” nationwide for the peaceful resolution of a total of 480,980 disputes in barangays in 2021 which could have been indiscriminately filed in regular courts and worsened case congestion in courts.
“This is a clear manifestation that our justice system at the barangay level is working and vibrant, and that our Lupons have been very effective in carrying their time-tested mandate of amicably settling disputes at the barangay level,” he said.
Now on its 24th year of implementation, the LTIA is an annual awards program which grants economic and other incentives to outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa which demonstrates exemplary performance and commendable contributions to attain the objectives of the Katarungang Pambarangay Program, an alternative conflict resolution structure at the grassroots level.
The national winners for each category are Barangay Marketview, Lucena City in Region 4-A for highly-urbanized cities (HUC); Barangay Upper Katungal, Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat in Region 12 for component cities (CC); Barangay Poblacion, Tupi, South Cotabato in Region 12 for first to third class municipalities; and Barangay Abiera, Sebaste, Antique in Region 6 for the fourth to sixth class municipalities. Each national winner received PHP 300,000 cash prize and a trophy.
On the other hand, the 1st runners-up are Barangay Balibago, Angeles City in Region 3 for HUCs; Barangay Sainz, City of Mati, Davao Oriental for CCs; Barangay Rizal, Bansalan, Davao del Sur in Region 11 for first to third class municipalities; and Barangay Kauran, Ampatuan, Maguindanao in BARMM for fourth to sixth class municipalities. (PNA)
