Global funding agencies Help from Germany and the International Labor Organization (ILO) recently partnered with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for a one-year intervention that focuses on the sustainable rehabilitation of northern Cebu.
With more than P16.8 million poured into the partnership, this assistance will benefit more than 800 households in the towns of Daanbantayan, Bantayan, Sta. Fe and Madridejos, which were severely hit by typhoon Yolanda.
The project aims to revive the towns’ coastal environments and restore their local economies through the provision of various livelihood activities.
One of the major livelihood components of the project focuses on the restoration of the fishing industry in Bantayan Island through the establishment of four fish drying facilities in Madridejos. This subproject can support 60 households of marginal fishermen, dried fish processors and traders.
The facilities feature a multi-commodity solar tunnel drying technology that efficiently preserves the quality of dried products due to lower microbial contamination and allows ready supply of dried products even during lean months.
With the new facility, fishermen may expect an average volume of 25 kilos of dried fish a day, which can generate a monthly income of at least P33,000 compared to traditional sun-drying methods.
A fisherman would only earn as much as P9,000 a month from sun drying fish, a process that takes at least two days.
Additional two multi-commodity solar tunnel dryer facilities will also be provided to jobless women as a livelihood opportunity. Beneficiaries of the facility will be provided with training on entrepreneurial skills and proper management of the facilities.
The PBSP will work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for the project.
Aside from the fish-drying facilities, the PBSP will also establish 7.5 hectares of seaweed production farms in two barangays of Daanbantayan to help ease fishing pressure from the sea. The seaweed project, which will benefit 30 fishing households, will be complemented with two seaweed dryers for better production of their dried seaweed products.
For their food security, over 500 households in Madridejos and Daanbantayan will receive training on bio-intensive gardening on basic food commodities. The training also includes the provision ofstarter kits containing vegetable seeds, organic fertilizer and basic farm tools to help families start their own backyard plots.
In improving the towns’ coastal environments damaged by the typhoon, the PBSP will work with local communities in establishing 68 hectares of mangrove forests.
The reforestation project will be implemented in six barangays in Daanbantayan, Sta. Fe and Madridejos.
To help improve the growth of corals in the area and boost the population of marine life, over 300 artificial reefs will also be installed in the four towns’ municipal waters.
The artificial reefs will take the form of domes made of cement, steel bars and limestone.
Before the deployment of artificial reefs, the project will organize several stakeholder meetings and mapping sessions to identify appropriate underwater areas that urgently need rehabilitation.
The partnership is anchored on PBSP’s Project New Dawn, which takes a more collective approach in achieving sustainable development in Yolanda-hit areas.