UPLB INREM conducts courtesy calls and household surveys in Occidental Mindoro
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Towards the end of the field work, project researchers express their gratitude with a simple token to Hon. Walter B. Marquez (center), Mayor of the municipality of Sablayan, for the municipal government’s assistance extended to facilitate the project activities.

The project team of the Natural Capital Accounting of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea project, led by Dr. Canesio D. Predo and Dr. Asa Jose U. Sajise, launched a series of activities in the municipalities of Mamburao and Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro to introduce the project to stakeholders and gather primary and secondary data.

The team held courtesy visits to the municipal governments of Mamburao and Sablayan, under the leadership of Mayor Angelina F. Tria and Mayor Walter B. Marquez, respectively. After the courtesy call, the team briefly discussed to stakeholders the background of the project and its primary objectives, which are to estimate the value of ecosystem assets and services and assess the biophysical impacts of damages in the West Philippine Sea. This was followed by focus group discussions among fishery, government, and tourism sector representatives designed to extract relevant context to enrich research findings.

A central component of the project involves conducting a household survey among coastal communities in Brgys. Poblacion 2, Tayamaan, and Talabaan in Mamburao and Brgys. Buenavista, Claudio Salgado, Ligaya, Poblacion, and Sto. Nino in Sablayan. To facilitate the smooth conduct of the survey, the project team conducted preparatory activities that included pre-test surveys, enumerators’ training, and mock surveys. The actual survey is currently being implemented with assistance from trained local enumerators from both municipalities.

The project, funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and spearheaded by the UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-IdSC-INREM), forms the second component of the program titled “Resource Inventory, Valuation, and Policy in Ecosystem Services under Threat (Re-INVEST): The Case of the West Philippine Sea” jointly implemented with the UP Marine Science Institute and the UP Law Center (Christian Ray Buendia, University Research Associate II – UPLB INREM)