FASPS Updates The official newsletter of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Services Release no. 10 April-June 2017 PHILIPPINE FORESTRY SECTOR ADVANCES REDD+ AS CLIMATE PROTECTION STRATEGY Ceremonial handover and acceptance of the accomplishments of the National REDD+ System Philippines project by representatives of the Philippine government. (from left to right) DENR Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service Director Edwin Domingo; Mr. Ednar Dayanghirang, representative of Congresswoman Corazon Nuñez-Malanyaon of the 1st District of Davao Oriental; FMB Director Nonito Tamayo; Department of the Interior and Local Government representative Ms. Angela Mamuyac; National REDD+ System Philippines Principal Advisor Dr. Klaus Schmitt; GIZ Philippines and Pacific Resident Director Dr. Andreas Kalk; Atty. Geroncio Aguio representing the Chairperson of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; and German Federal Ministry for the Environment representative Mr. Marc Spiekermann. INCORPORATING ANCIENT ETHNIC LANUZA MARINE PARK SANCTUARY: EMPOWERING PEOPLe’S CUSTOMS IN paRK MANAGEMENT | page 4 ORGANIZATION IN MANAGING MARINE PROTECTED AREA | page 5 FASPS Updates Release no. 10 April - June 2017 DENR aND DOE Table of Contents PaRtNER with thE EuROPEaN Waging An Unfamiliar Battle 3 uNiON fOR Philippine forestry sector advances REDD+ as climate protection strategy 4 SuStaiNablE DEvElOPmENt Incorporating ancient tribal customs by Charis Antalan in park management 4 For years, the European Union Lanuza Marine Park Sanctuary: Student and teacher representatives with DOE Director IV Utilization (EU) has been an active partner of Empowering People’s Organization in and Management Bureau Atty. Patrick Aquino (in green polo shirt), the Philippines in strengthening its Managing Marine Protected Area 5 EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen (in coat and policy framework for sustainable maroon tie), and ASec. Abesamis (in coat and blue tie) development. Towards a Healthier Environment: The MMC Vehicles Donation Project 6 On June 6, 2017, the EU, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Energy (DOE) converged at the Crowne Plaza Manila. The partnership event provided an Rediscovered butterfly boosts drive to opportunity to introduce various knowledge products tailored to the learning needs of schools to inculcate declare forest reserve a national park 7 into students good stewardship of our environment and natural resources, and to encourage them to participate in building environment-friendly communities. German Embassy emphasizes importance of ecotourism to 7 Among the products launched were posters, leaflets, comic books, policy briefs, and other presentation conserve biodiversity materials. Biodiversity conservation leaders and Mr. Rommel Abesamis, the Assistant Secretary for Foreign Assisted and Special Projects of the DENR, practitioners celebrate IDB, showcase 8 recognized the power of education in sustainable development. best practices and lessons in First National Biodiversity Congress “Education is an important means of implementation that cuts across all the SDGs, and supports the over- all achievement of the post-2015 development agenda. We all know that education is recognized as one of Philippine ICCA Project partners 9 the goals that, when fully implemented, provides the highest long-term return to all levels of society in the with INREMP world,” he said. FMP conducts workshop to update The theme of the launch “Luntiang Puso” underscores the innate Filipino value of love for our home planet its operations manual 10 Earth and our local heritage by reinforcing the Filipinos’ high regard for bayanihan (cooperation), pagtitipid (prudence), and malasakit (empathy). The design of the green heart was inspired by a 14-year-old student Empowering Bohol’s FBS facilitators who participated in the “Colors of Sustainability”, a poster-making contest that encouraged participating through cross-farm visits in Leyte 10 students to depict their interpretation of how the Philippines could contribute to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). and Samar Celebrating Progress and Accomplishments in Fishing Communities by Ma. Andrea Palma Putting Naujan Lake National Park in nurturing and capable hands: women 11 June 20, 2017 – RARE, an international organization steered an event called “Fish Forever: A Celebration of Community- and the sustainable management of Managed Fisheries” at the Hive Hotel and Convention Place, Quezon City which served as a venue for knowledge and nature at the local level experience-sharing of success stories and best practices in coastal resources and fisheries management from different coastal communities of the Philippines. RARE’s partners from various local government units (LGUs), as well as other national government agencies, development network, academe, and communities shared and discussed their strategies in Snapshot News managing their near-shore fisheries and in addressing issues on fishing communities. PENRO Guimaras conducts 12 The event held a plenary session to highlightFish Forever’s national and global impact through behavior change and orientation on the establishment of community support, which led to an effective management plan, as well as financial resilience and social protection among IPAF for TINMR fisherfolks. Currently, RARE boasts 37 municipalities in the Philippines which areFish Forever program sites. Afterwards, parallel sessions were conducted to have a more intimate and detailed discussion on topics relative to sustainable Capability Building for Project 12 management of coastal resources and fisheries. The participants were allowed to choose among the following sessions to Proposal Preparation participate in: 1) Rights, Responsibilities and Rewards: Implementing Managed Access Areas and Sanctuaries (MAA+S), to learn about the specifics of establishing MAA+S and how it is a recognized strategy for sustainable municipal fisheries; 2) Behavior Change through Pride Campaign, to understand the critical role of behavior change in sustainable fisheries Philippines: National Conference on 12 and how the use of social marketing enables it; 3) Improving Incomes through Market Links and Savings Clubs, to learn Natural Capital Accounting about establishing savings clubs and how they contribute to the building of financial assets for both productive and social protection of fisher communities; and 4) Climate Resilience in Fishing Communities, to understand the experiences of DENR and European Union Launches two municipalities in building the resilience of their sites to the risks of climate change. Real-Time Air Quality Monitoring System 12 RARE is an organization that has been championing efforts and pushing for innovative solutions to empower communities and develop influencers in various countries, including the Philippines, towards environment conservation and sustainable resource management. Recognizing the importance of marine protected areas (MPAs) and sanctuaries, RARE launched Fish Forever in the Philippines in 2014, and focused its efforts and initiatives towards 2 protection and conservation of municipal fisheries and municipal waters. Release no. 10 April - June 2017 FASPS Updates WAGING AN UNFAMILIAR BATTLE by Sheela Legaspi --------------------------------------------- May 10, 2017 marked the beginning of former AFP Chief of Staff Roy Cimatu’s tenure as head of the DENR. President Duterte’s decision might have been quite unexpected even to Cimatu himself, but the President’s trust gave the latter a heart to take the opportunity of serving the country Secretary Roy Cimatu, giving his first speech at the DENR once more. Social Hall during the Turnover Ceremony During the turnover ceremony at the DENR Social Hall, retired General Force Mercury to probe into the mercury poisoning case near a mining Roy Cimatu assumed the responsibility and accepted the challenge site previously operated by Palawan Quicksilver Mines, Inc. (PQMI) in of becoming the new steward of the environment. He was warmly Puerto Princesa City. welcomed by DENR officials and staff as he urged solidarity in achieving the “green goals.” At the diplomatic front, he has promoted solidarity and effective communication among ASEAN countries toward sustainable Acknowledging the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, he also development. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of scientific asked for some time for him to familiarize with the pulse of the job. research and development (R&D) when formulating management solutions. “I do not need to reinvent the wheel, or discontinue the progress made across our first 30 years. I will, however, endeavor to make the system “WTE technologies and projects are starting to gain momentum in the work better, more efficiently and with greater effectiveness. That will be Philippines. There are now quite a number of projects that make use achievement enough, given the magnitude of the job,” he declared. of WTE technologies,” he shared, reporting on DENR’s waste-to-energy (WTE) strategy for waste management. True to his words, he is straightforward in setting his priorities to achieve sustainable management and development of environment and natural One such project is the *PCB-WEE Project, which uses WTE process resources. in managing wastes. It is a project supported by Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization