OROQUIETA CITY, Philippines – SEARCA, in partnership with WorldFish, conducted a one-day monitoring and evaluation validation workshop and harvesting of stories on 30 September 2014 in Rhovics Hotel and Conference Facilities in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental. The activity is part of the European Union (EU)-funded project titled Implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in Small-scale Tropical Marine Fisheries Project. Representatives of the Iligan Bay Alliance of Misamis Occidental (IBAMO) participated and actively produced the different challenges and success stories experienced in the formation and mobilization of IBAMO within three years.
IBAMO is composed of eight local government units (LGUs) from the province of Misamis Occidental, namely: Aloran, Jimenez, Lopez Jaena, Panaon, Plaridel, Sinacaban, Tudela, and Oroquieta City.
Other institutional partners of the alliance also reaffirmed their enduring support to IBAMO. Dr. Visa Tan-Dimerin, Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Region 10, called the activity as a time for IBAMO’s celebration due to an effective implementation of the project in the province and in the coastal management of Iligan Bay. Representatives from the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental and the local chief executives have consistently supported the vision and mission of the alliance towards sustainability through scaling-up and scaling-out activities.
Through the workshop, different challenges encountered by the alliance were identified, as follows: Policy–Program Implementation, Engaging Stakeholders (All Actors), Sustaining Institutional Commitments, and Keeping IBAMO Apolitical.
Generated success factors, on the other hand, were through building consensus, formalizing and institutionalization, as well as through sustaining and strengthening activities. Results of the workshop were intended to highlight the need to sustain IBAMO’s vision and mission among the participating LGUs and partner institutions. The harvested stories of IBAMO will be presented in the first Coastal Alliance Summit that will be held in October 2014 in Cagayan de Oro City. (Alvin G. Tallada)
