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DENR- 6 boasts success of CLASPS Project

DENR –6 Regional Executive Director (RED) Celso V. Loriega, Jr. is happy to announce that during a recent assessment made by the Ecosystems Resource Development Service (ERDS)-DENR  of the  Community Livelihood Assistance Special Program  (CLASP) project in Brgys Tambaliza and Botlog, Concepcion, Iloilo had been found to be successful. Analysis of the fish catch and fishing trends showed that there is a sustainable figure and that the fishermen’s way of life had greatly improved.

The project entitled “Sustainable Blue-crab Harvesting Project, Sustainable Hook-and-Line Fishing, and Coastal Reforestation Project” at a total cost of Php500,000.00 started in 2004  under the Foreign Assisted Special Project Office  (FASPO).  The program extended technical assistance in the form of trainings like record keeping, conduct of information campaign on coastal protection, conservation and management and monitoring and supervision of the project through a collaboration between the local government and the DENR. The People’s Organizations namely:  the Botlog Sustainable Fishermen Association (BOSFA) and the Tambaliza Sustainable Fishermen Association (TASFA) implement the project.  All funds are being handled by both organizations depending on the extent of the activities implemented in their area.
  
Since 2002, there had been a series of information dissemination and trainings/orientation conducted by the DENR and the LGU. The DENR even hired a Site Coordinator to handle the coordination whose wages is charged to the total funding and is being paid by the People’s organization.

Both associations, BOSFA and TASFA, will not accept the project if it will be a grant especially on the hook-and-line fishing where bancas and kerosene lamps are issued, so they decided among themselves that issuances of equipment or tools to the members shall be on a roll-over basis. Under this scheme, if the fisherman cooperator will receive a banca, he will be returning the total cost of the unit divided on equal installment for a one-year period. The amount remitted by the members will again be used to construct the banca or used for the purchase of a kerosene lamp. With this scheme, the members will be assured of the sustainability of the livelihood project.

Meanwhile, after 2004, the BOSFA had already issued 18 bancas and were able to issue four (4) rolled-over bancas while the TASFA had issued 42 bancas covering all their members. The roll-over remittances are being deposited in the TASFA funds which is being saved for future use.
 
Concepcion Mayor Raul Banias, M.D. was very happy with the result of the CLASP Projects because he said that this is one project that the DENR had implemented wherein the needs of the beneficiaries were really addressed specifically.

Meanwhile, RED Loriega recognized the efforts of Regional Technical Director Alice Lustica reason which made the project successful.

The project is now gaining its sustainability with the cooperation of the people’s organization and the support of the local government. Mayor Banias is very appreciative of the assistance made by the DENR and welcomes any project in the future that may be given to  the coastal towns of Concepcion. (rac/RPAO)