Part 2 - Oneocean.org

attention of no less than the Chief Executive, a giant leaphas been taken for CRM.Yet another indication that the national governmenthas begun to pay serious heed to coastal managementissues is the inclusion in the Philippine Medium-TermDevelopment Plan (1999-2004) of this strategic objectivefor CRM: integrated coastal management adopted by 250LGUs along 6,000 km of shoreline by 2004.That we were able to achieve some success inpromoting CRM on the national agenda can be attributedto our flexibility, willingness to innovate and opportunisticattitude. Going by our experience, it does not take abudget of tremendous proportions (although a big budgetcertainly helps!) to cultivate the beginnings of a socialtransformation, if the Project is willing to enter strategicpartnerships, build alliances and adopt a flexible andopportunistic attitude.The League of Municipalities of the Philippines: An authentic voice for CRMAt first blush, Mayor Rey Roquero is an unlikely spokesperson for CRM. As mayor of Valderrama, a landlockedtown in the province of Antique in central Philippines, he is a surprising advocate for a cause that is far removedfrom his own constituency’s immediate concerns.But as secretary-general of LMP, Mayor Roquero recognizedearly on that coastal issues are a complex matter of nationalsignificance, requiring a concerted effort at both the national andlocal levels. He was among the first LMP officials who saw the needfor a national conference of coastal mayors to discuss commonconcerns and find solutions to coastal issues. He was also among thefirst mayors who took on the challenge of promoting CRM on thenational agenda.Just days before last May’s Conference of Coastal Municipalitiesof the Philippines, Mayor Roquero was in his element, speaking inbehalf of LMP, or cheering other mayors on as they made the roundsof TV and radio shows to promote the Conference. At one breakfastmeeting hosted by President Estrada in Malacanang, he was an able spokesman for the CRM cause, reporting thestate of the country’s coastal resources to an engaged group consisting of some of the President’s closest advisers.Mayor Roquero is just one of many “voices” for CRM in the LMP. Calape (Bohol) Mayor Julius CaesarHerrera, who is vice president for operations of the League, has taken the lead in pushing for the amendment of theLocal Government Code to include provisions for a supplemental internal revenue allotment computed based on thesize of the municipal waters under an LGU’s jurisdiction. Also active in the effort to promote CRM on the nationalagenda are Mayors Gaudencio Ferrer of Hermosa (Bataan), Myrna Lacanilao of Brooke’s Point (Palawan), CesarLopez of Loon (Bohol), and Marcelo Adanza of Zamboanguita (Negros Oriental), all of whom have made CRMtheir personal cause.In tapping these local chief executives as spokespersons and advocates for CRM at the national level, CRMP hasfound an authentic voice and a most effective pressure point for catalyzing national and local policy changes that canhave far-reaching positive impacts on the way we manage and utilize our coastal resources. The active involvementof the LMP in the national agenda-setting process, the participation of 90% of coastal mayors in the first Conferenceof Coastal Municipalities of the Philippines, their resolutions for improved CRM (Chapter 1), and the subsequent“legitimization” and acceptance of these resolutions by President Estrada were critical perception points that helpedpush CRM issues into the sphere of the Philippines’ national agenda setting. At the very least, this sequence ofevents is a classic demonstration of the transformational communication framework in action, where a “set ofbeliefs” is shared, affirmed, and legitimized.42