The continuing recovery of fishing communities in the towns of Bantayan in northern Cebu is a cause for rejoicing and a source of inspiration for everyone hit hard by supertyphoon Yolanda.
It was always of utmost importance for the affected to be able to return to the livelihood of fishing and harvesting the bounty of the sea even though they have seen its wild, monstrous side.
The fisherfolk’s return to normalcy is a sign of their courage. Had they been made of weaker stuff, they would have left their towns in a desperate search for new sources of income in the metropolis.
Thanks to the prime movers of the Back to Sea Project and their supporters including Damgo sa Kaugmaon, Inc, Bantayan Association of Hotels, Resorts, Bars and Restaurants and GMA’s Kapuso Foundation, the fisherfolk are making some headway, having received more than 600 fishing boats.
Demand dwarfs that number. Yolanda wrecked at least 2,500 fishing boats. Still, with helpers and beneficiaries working together, total recovery is no vain dream.
Good that the project is incorporating the concepts of communal rebuilding and financial literacy.
We hope that by practicing the principles of sound financial management in the business of catching and selling fish, seaweed and other marine products, the fisherfolk will one day look back content that devastation did not have the final word after the storm.
Project coordinator Michelle Lim said Back to Sea also aims to instill in the fishing communities the values of ecological stewardship so that they can eventually engage in ecotourism.
This is a crucial alternative considering that the Visayan Sea where the fishers source their produce has long been overfished and inclement weather is expected to come by more often while the tide has not yet turned in the fight against climate change.
Indeed, running an inventory of the ecological treasures of Bantayan in preparation for ecotourism will not only help fishers rise from the rubble back into a state of poverty they are used to, it will make the fishers part of the long process of letting the land and sea heal while they strive after prosperity.
Then it will not be difficult for them to interact more respectfully with the natural environment, settling farther inland, for instance, not only to avoid polluting the waters, but also to steer clear of rising sea levels and storm surges.
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