OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS: Bantay Puerto

Bantay Puerto Puerto Princesa City, Palawan	1994 - Outstanding Marine Resources Conservation and Management
Puerto Princesa City in the province of Palawan is home to rich land and marine resources, which have been spared from the ravages of calamities. However, these resources continue to be in danger of denudation caused by rampant illegal activities in the city. Moreover, existing government laws and regulations to protect the natural resources of Puerto Princesa have not been successfully implemented due to the absence of coordination and indifference of the people and agencies involved. In its desire to rid of these problems, the local government created the Bantay Puerto Program. The goal of this program is to effectively and honestly implement the existing laws and regulations to protect, conserve, and rehabilitate the natural resources of the city. It is basically divided into two-parts, namely: Bantay Gubat, which addresses the problems of illegal logging and destructive farming practices, and Bantay Dagat, which is concerned with the protection of the sea from illegal fishing activities. To successfully execute these programs, the city Mayor began by creating a multi and intra agency body. The following are the specific agencies and their functions: (1) Special Monitoring Group - concerned with data gathering of all relevant information on illegal activities undertaken within city jurisdiction; (2) Civilian Task Force - the action team involved in actual law enforcement assisting the local police and the military; (3) Cyanide Detection Test Group - involved with the detection of cyanide and other chemicals used in fishing along city jurisdiction. Additionally, the city Mayor placed these agencies under his direct supervision to address coordination and non-cooperation problems. Clearly, civilian and military’s smooth coordination was manifested in the use of air force helicopters in the pursuit / apprehension of illegal fishermen and loggers. The creation of the Bantay Puerto Program has since brought about tangible and intangible benefits to the city. The number of illegal fishing and logging activities has decreased tremendously and with this comes the preservation of the city’s marine products and endangered bird species. More importantly, the strong political will exemplified by the local government allowed them to gain the respect and support of their constituents. Consequently, save for some fortuitous events and calamities, peace and order has dominated the city of Puerto Princesa.

List of Awardees

1994 Galing Pook Awardees

OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS Bantay Puerto Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Build, Operate and Transfer: The Market Place Mandaluyong City Community Primary Hospital/Community-Based Resource Management Negros Oriental Province Kabalikat Rubber Development Cotabato Province Kaunlaran sa Pagkakaisa Bulacan Province Metro Naga Development Council Naga City Nutrition, Food, Environment and Medicare Binmaley, Pangasinan Solid Waste Management Olongapo City, Zambales Tax Computerization Cebu City Tulunan Peace Zone Tulunan, Cotabato TRAILBLAZING PROGRAMS Cebu City Task Force on Streetchildren Cebu City Emergency Rescue Naga City Family Income Augmentation Hindang, Leyte Hillyland Resource Management and Development Commission Cebu City LGU-NGO Partnership Calumpit, Bulacan Naga Kaantabay sa Kauswagan Naga City Pilar Integrated Educational Support Pilar, Sorsogon Propagation and Distribution of Ilang-ilang / Sampaguita Seedlings Guagua, Pampanga Provincial Environment Protection and Management Zamboanga del Norte Province Partnership for Community Health Development Sulat, Eastern Samar