The video recording is from Saturday, 17 September 2022. It is often the day of the INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY.
We are invited to participate by Kagawad Hon. Miller J. Cagartin for BANTAY DAGAT CUGMAN who will give us VIP treatment and provide two bancas with escorts so that we can see the mangrove forest and coastline from the sea and riverside.
The members of the BANTAY DAGAT CUGMAN, on 24-hour daily duty, not only help keep their barangay coastline and mangrove forest clean but also protect a fish sanctuary off the coast of barangay Cugman from illegal fishing.
Wikipedia says about BANTAY DAGAT in the Philippines:
“The bantay dagat, also known as the sea patrol, are community-based, volunteer organizations in the Philippines that work with local and national government officials and within 15 kilometres of the shore to protect the marine environment, especially patrolling against illegal fishing, and to provide assistance in rescue operations. It is under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture.
Bantay Dagat is “a participatory approach designed for coastal law enforcement which has existed in the Philippines since the 1970s.”[1] The current structure was founded in 1994 at the behest of Philippine Senator Santanina Rasul.[2] They work with the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard, among others.[2] By the year 2000, there were over 100,000 Bantay Dagat volunteers.[2] There have been several incidents of Bantay Dagat in the Philippines.
There have been several incidents of Bantay Dagat leaders being killed, such as in Batangas in 2009.[3] The volunteers may receive a small honorarium.
The volunteers may receive a small honorarium as well as other benefits, similar to Philippine tanods, land-based, community watchmen.”
The two boat crews have been waiting for us for some time, but now it’s time to go. We drive to the mouth of the Biga-an River and from there to the mangrove forest along the river. Here I want to get out and walk through the mangrove forest and film, plus talk to the people living here. Of course, we also want to see the collected rubbish, which is already waiting there in filled bags to be taken away.
To meet more people and see the living conditions, we decide to let the two bancas return to the starting point, while we want to walk through the narrow alleys of the development. There, our boatmen are already waiting for us, while our caretakers have walked with us.
We will now walk the entire barangay coast of Cugman from the Biga-an River to the Cugman River, getting to see a very clean urban landscape with the Malasag Hills as a backdrop. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case in all barangays, as you can see in previous videos on this channel.
The boatmen take us very close to a Vietnamese freighter lying in the roadstead and it is quite impressive such a size. Then we set course for the floating hut, where we have a snack. Numerous small juvenile fish have taken up residence under the floating hut and the fishermen talk shop about them.
After the snack, we board the bancas again and make our way to the base. We are already expected there.
We thank the members of the BANTAY DAGAT CUGMAN and Kagawad Hon Miller J. Cagatin for giving us this insight into their voluntary work.
WE HOPE THAT THIS VIDEO HAS GIVEN THE PEOPLE OF CAGAYAN DE ORO AND OTHER PLACES IN THE PHILIPPINES SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AND TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN AND SUPPORT THE PROTECTION OF THE SEA.
We will report on further upcoming actions of the BANTAY DAGAT CUGMAN.
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