Institutional setting

Permanent governing body

The implementation of the NbS shall continue despite any change in the administration of the LGU governments.

Enabling statutes and instruments – The proposed governance body shall be based on and find authority from current laws;

The governance structure and system shall make use of and find authority under the current statutes (i.e., Local Government Code, Clean Water Act, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 [R.A 10121] and Water Code) and appropriate municipal and provincial ordinances, including the Provincial Physical Development Plans and the CL(&W)UPs and their accompanying documents.

The municipal LGUs with territorial jurisdiction over the NBS are primary implementors of the adopted solutions but through the proposed pan-LGUs governance body.

  Strengthen the current provincial and municipal level offices (PENRO, MENRO, Agriculture Offices, DTI and DRMMCs with emphasis on developing among new hires specialized knowledge and skill particular to the industries and concerns of the people in the project site;

  Align programs and activities of the national agencies to (DENR, DPWH) to support and complement NBS;

  empowering and developing the capabilities of volunteers and stakeholders associations at the barangay/village level as “force multipliers” to support programs and efforts of LGUs and national agencies, expand livelihood opportunities, including making the producers also the entrepreneurs and processors of their products;

  Organize and develop the educational centers in the region to support the projects through the design and provision of technical innovations to LGUs, training of barangay volunteers, and supply of support volunteers – all as part of the school’s curriculum and in coordination with the national agencies. This will also involve and expose the youth to the importance of this resource.

Ultimately create a separate office dealing with affairs of the project site and the made governance body in the Regional Development Council

Highlight the distinctiveness, importance, and potential as an economic powerhouse of the North Manila Bay coastal area south of the “line of defense” for Region 3 by creating an office under the Regional Development Council organizatio for better monitoring.

Increase the capabilities of the concerned agencies and LGU offices by:

  Update the mission/vision and quality objectives and taskings of the LGU offices to accommodate NBS;

  Expand the personnel, enhance training and provide technical resources of these offices to enable them to fulfill their tasks;

Create protected areas under the joint supervision (through a Memorandum of Agreement) of the DENR and the governance body.

Declare Environmental Critical Areas (ECA) in key sections of the coastline and along the riverbanks:

  establish these as permanent mangrove areas to protect against storm surges, create permanent no-build flood plains, and prevent ISFs;

  transform these into nature parks and migratory bird preserves and fish/seashell hatcheries;

  to enhance tourism and serve as a springboard for food tours in the area/

Institutionalize role of private sector stakeholders in governance body by integrating livelihood components in NBS

To the extent possible and as may be accommodated by the technical aspects of the chosen NbS for a particular area, the design of the NbS shall already include the livelihood component. These may include: 1) shellfish production and apiary in mangrove plantings; and 2) cooperative fishpond and crab culture enterprise in portions of double dikes and permanent flood plains.