UPV holds national dialogue for coastal protection draft legislation

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The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), through its Capacity Building, Policy Review, and Innovative Legislation Toward Coastline Protection and Development for a Sustainable Future or the Coastal Protection and Development (CPD) Program, held a national stakeholders’ dialogue to present and discuss the draft legislation on the Philippine Coastal Protection Act.

The dialogue, dubbed “Articulating our Resolve to Secure the Philippine Coasts: A Dialogue for National Policy,” was attended by stakeholders from the government, private sector, academe, civil society organizations, and non-government organizations, at the Smallville21 Hotel, Iloilo City, Aug. 27, 2024.

The CPD Program is funded by Sen. Pia Cayetano through the FY 2023 General Appropriations Act, with Chancellor Clement Camposano as the main program proponent.

According to Dr. Ramer Bautista, Program Leader, the draft legislation is based on the inputs gathered by the program during the four regional dialogues held this year – one each for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and an additional dialogue with the private sector primarily based in Western Visayas.

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, the keynote speaker of the national dialogue, shared Tacloban City’s experience with the devastating effects of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), one of the most powerful typhoons in history to hit land, in November 2013.

“My mentality [was] – and still is – always the mindset of people. We have to create that need; we have to create that desire. Nationalism is already a general term – [do] you want the coastal areas to be protected? Let’s create value, let’s teach our people,” the Mayor said.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Camposano, during the presentation of the draft legislation, gave his thoughts on Mayor Romualdez’s message.

“I think what we’re trying to do here is really provide precisely mechanisms that will articulate both citizenship and good governance,” he said.

“If we propose legislation or if we propose the creation of a mechanism, what we’re trying to do is, in fact, change the way people think about the environment, create conditions where people can develop a personal stake in something as abstract as a coastline, and of course, at the same time, we are also tweaking with governance,” Camposano added.

A breakout session, feedback among stakeholders, and an open forum were part of the daylong program to solidify the draft legislation. Written by Mr. Carlson Alelis, IPO; with sources from UPV-CPD Program)