For two days, JVOFI gathered approximately 50 fisherfolk and government agency representatives at Hotel Ariana Bauang, La Union, for a Fisherfolk's Forum. The forum served as a platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange as representatives from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO), Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Institute of Social Order (ISO) shared their programs and services with the fisherfolk.
Mr. Julius Guirjen, INSPIRE Project Technical Monitoring Officer, from the Gerry Roxas Foundation, facilitated the workshop on the MPA Management Effectiveness Assessment Tool (MPA MEAT). MPA MEAT is developed by experts in marine conservation and aims to evaluate MPAs. Introducing MPA MEAT adds a new dimension to the INSPIRE project implementation and the collective efforts of the La Union province toward MPA management. It underscores the imperative of evidence and science-based decision-making in the realm of marine and coastal conservation and the vital role of empowered fisherfolk.
As the Fisherfolk Forum concluded, the fisherfolk recognized that collaboration among stakeholders is essential to achieving meaningful progress in marine biodiversity conservation, protection, and food security.
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The Fisherfolk's Forum is one of the activities of the "Strengthening Good Governance and Multi-stakeholder Collaboration in FMA 6, Coastal and Marine Areas of the West Philippine Sea” implemented by the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation under the INSPIRE Project.
