The municipality’s mandate to conserve and regenerate
the blessings of nature, promote its responsible utilization
and undertake a program to regenerate the environment is
the underlying thread that weaves the three-pronged Integrated
Resource Management program which is anchored on the municipality’s
10 year Comprehensive Development Plan. The program is an
integrated and holistic response to the problem of the destruction
of life support systems involving the people in the communities,
the NGOs and the local government units. It includes marine/coastal
resource management, lowland resource management and upland
resource management with the direct participation of 18
people’s organization and cooperatives involving around
1,500 members.
The marine/coastal resource management component
established a 50-hectare fish sanctuary and protected the
Malalag Bay against illegal fishers. It had also provided
loans to small fishermen through their cooperatives to set
up fish cages as livelihood projects, already in their third
cropping season. This project had benefited 112 fishing
households or 25% of the fishing families. Planting mangrove
trees and developing artificial reefs were also undertaken
as part of the program activities.
Upland resource management focused on the municipality’s
to protect and rehabilitate the watershed. Community-based
forest management and agro-forestry which included the planting
of permanent and high-value fruit trees were employed and
had the all-out support of the communities involved since
inception. The program was responsible for mango growing
in 1,200 hectares benefiting 678 farmers or 25% of the total
farming population.
The lowland resource management took charge of urban
environment protection like tree planting at the municipal
park, planting gemelina and ipil-ipil along the road, planting
bamboos along the river and stream banks, and regulating
the solid waste disposal.
The Malalag Development Council represented by all
sectors of the municipality was the unifying force in this
program, which had become a regular venue for all stakeholders
to discuss environmental issues, concerns and solutions.
