CBCRM Review and Strategic Re-visioning Research: CBCRM community looks at results of Honda Bay pilot study

Around 32 participants from NGOs and POs implementing CBCRM in the Philippines attended the national workshop last 24-25 October 2006 at the University of the Philippines Hotel for the CBCRM research being conducted by the CBCRM Resource Center/ CBNRM Learning Center. The workshop was held to discuss the results of the pilot study at Honda Bay in Palawan that is slated to start off a series of field-based researches in various parts of the Philippines. The researches are part of the CBCRM Review and Strategic Visioning Initiative that aims to analyze current CBCRM theory and practice in the country in light of changing national and global conditions.

The national workshop comes at the heels of a national consultation last May 2006 that sought to get initial ideas and feedback on the research design from among the CBCRM Fellows and partner organizations. From the discussions and initial recommendations during the workshop, the researchers proceeded with the pilot study in Honda Bay in coordination with the Haribon Foundation and the Environmental Legal Action Center (ELAC) field offices in Palawan. The national workshop aimed to provide the participating organizations and CBCRM practitioners with a venue to critically re-examine their own ideas and practice based on the findings from the Honda Bay experiences. From such a review, the Center wishes to further assess and refine the research design for the next phase of the study.

"The participants in the national workshop have registered their interests in carrying forward with the CBCRM review and visioning research being conducted by the CBCRM Resource Center as they have noted both the theoretical and practical impacts of the study," observed Jun Manalo, CBCRM Fellow. "Among other things, they wish to clarify further the meaning of community in light of recent changes and in order to ensure that CBCRM retains its bias for the most marginalized fisherfolks and sectors," added Manalo. The workshop participants also put forward initial ideas for applying the research results in their respective work, particularly in the areas of local advocacy, knowledge building, and local governance.

Representatives of the participating organizations shared their respective commitments for the next stage of the research during the second day of the workshop. Apart from volunteering their project sites for the field research, some of the organizations also expressed their interests in supporting particular aspects of the research and in echoing the results in their own planning processes. Organizations present at the workshop included CERD, Oxfam GB, SIKAT, Hayuma, PUMALU-MV, PARASAMAZA, SAMMAPP, HOBBAI, Developers Foundation, DBREMO, CASCO, FPE, PAMANAKA, Tambuyog, ELAC Palawan, and LAFCCOD. go back to CBNRM LC homepage