Coastal and Marine Settlement

1.  The delineation of municipal waters shall be fasttracked and completed during this Plan period through the following strategies:

a)  In partnership with NGOs and fishersmen's federations at the local and national levels, deploy at least one trained community organizer in each of the remaining 873 coastal municipalities, to: facilitate the organization, education, and mobilization of the small fishers in the municipality; speed up the delineation of municipal waters; and facilitate the implementation of coastal resource management planning and the Fisheries Code;

b)  Issue a Memo Circular (from DA-BFAR and DILG) to local chief executives advocating the swift implementation of the Fisheries Code, especially the delineation of municipal waters, as a means to help 1.5 million small fishermen and increase the LGU tax base;

c)  Explore the granting of incentives to small fishers participating in the process, in the form of their immediate registration and licensing as municipal fishers, and provision of settlement sites and land tenure security; and

d)  Provide technical assistance through DILG and relevant agencies in delineating and validating municipal waters, especially among municipalities with territorial conflicts.

2.  Explore a moratorium on all approvals of Foreshore Lease Agreements, except on ensuring the settlement of small fisherfolks, and set up a task force on fisherfolk settlement, to begin providing land tenure security to small fisherfolk households;

3.  Ensure that 40 percent of women are represented in all management structures, both nationally and locally, as provided in RA 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women;

4.  Set aside sufficient funds for the implementation of the Comprehensive National Fishery Industry Development Plan (CNFIDP), which is the 25-year development plan initiated by the DA-BFAR by virtue of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998; and

5.  Conduct vulnerability risk assessments of coastal communities through DA-BFAR and DENR, in coordination with LGUs, and provide the necessary funds for the activity.