Municipality of Tingloy in Balayan Bay, Batangas

For many years Tingloy was just a remote unknown island in Balayan Bay. But the growing international recognition of neighboring Verde Island's rich biodiversity has started to lure in the tourists. With this development the people of Tingloy welcomed SCOTIA's programs to equip them with environmental management training and arrest damaging human impact on their marine resources.

The fishermen's group, Nagkakaisang Bantay Dagat ng Tingloy (NBDT), trained in leadership and organizational development to effectively patrol their Marine Protected Area by monitoring EUF compliance and coastal law enforcement activities; SCOTIA also awarded a small grant to the fishermen for this purpose. SCOTIA helped strengthen the town's solid waste management system; introduced and constructed ecological sanitation toilets; and helped establish the Tingloy Environment and Natural Resource Advocates (TENRA), a multi-sectoral government and private organization for tourism development, which will be the key player in Tingloy's long-term ecotourism plan. A people's organization from three barangays, Pangkaunlarang Kilusan tungo sa Kalinisan ng Tingloy (PKK), is in the process of applying for another SCOTIA grant to improve the town's disposal facility, composting cells, and waste collection system.

SCOTIA facilitated rigorous workshops for the Tingloy stakeholders to formulate their long-term ecotourism plan. With their readiness for sustainable environmental management, they are eager to share with tourists their town's "nature experience" and "little paradise" qualities. Tingloy's LGU, with SCOTIA's guidance, will soon present its initial drawings to Batangas' regional officials who are enthusiastic about the town's potentials as a "paradise island tourism baby."

EUF Ordinance of Puerto Galera And SWM-CP-Sanitation Accomplishments

The enactment of an EUF ordinance for Puerto Galera addresses the direly-needed rehabilitation of its ecosystems, damaged by years of unmitigated tourism activities. The ordinance comes at a favorable time with the town's environmental management efforts well-established-a highly-successful SWM program, CP management systems and sanitation interventions well in place in resort operations, and SCOTIA grants boosting related activities (see HIGHLIGHTS and SUCCESS STORIES Archives). Three aid agencies collaborated to support these efforts-SCOTIA, PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia), and WWF (World Wildlife Fund).

Sabang's inroads in SWM was one of the more successful and advanced programs in Puerto Galera . Sabang's townsfolk are more than ready to cooperate with projects that would better their living conditions and livelihood. They also expressed willingness to pay for such services. With the EUF ordinance Sabang may soon have a wastewater treatment facility to be constructed under a build-operate-transfer scheme that the aid agencies are helping facilitate. Sanitation requirements of other barangays will also be future beneficiaries of the EUF collections.

The Coastal Resource Management (CRM) Board of Puerto Galera's LGU is working out the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the ordinance, assisted by legal consultants of the aid agencies. SCOTIA's grant to the Tourism Sector Coordinating Authority (TOSCA) will go into IEC materials for public awareness on EUF and CRM.

SWM Progress in Lemery, Batangas

The third WACS procedure which SCOTIA conducted in Lemery, Batangas showed a marked over-all waste reduction of 55.20%. The 79.05% reduction in recyclables indicated that collecting recyclables from waste has become an established source of income for the stakeholders. There are now, in fact, more than 20 junkshops in Lemery with 12 actively involved in forming a junkshop operators' organization.

The outstanding WACS results were also a direct benefit of the town's strict policy on waste segregation at source. All 16 barangays in Poblacion were involved in Lemery's ongoing SWM program. SCOTIA helped facilitate the 2007 planning session of the SWM Board's technical working group composed of junkshop operators, citizens from other sectors, LGU officials, and representatives from related government offices. The plans include a mobile MRF, a new disposal facility, and additional capacity building for staffers of Lemery's environmental office (MENRO), barangay councils, junkshop operations, and school administrations.

The farmers' organization Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Organikong Magbubukid ng Barangay Nonong Casto (SANORMA) applied for a SCOTIA grant to run a composting facility.