by Josephine Alyssa Bibal

On the 15th of October 2022, the McKeough Marine Center was invited by Kong Hua School to give a short talk on Panginabuhian Ko, Ampingan Ko. Dr. Astrid L. Sinco, Director of McKeough Marine Center, imparted her knowledge on the importance of the sea and the marine life found in the community. Around a hundred participants from the Light House Community, a coastal community in Taytay, El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental and other guests listened to the talk. This dialogue also stressed on how the vulnerable sectors are most at risk to climate change. Thus, climate change mitigation is a continuous and collective effort on the care for our common home. This effort is rooted in the 2nd encyclical letter of Pope Francis, Laudato Si, which highlights the Earth's natural biodiversity and ecological resources, acknowledging the pressures made by humankind, and how climate change affects the shape of our future.

The activity started with a brief overview on the ocean’s ecological services that benefit many communities such as food sources from a diverse marine community, livelihood, tourism, and recreation. The ocean’s effects on global temperatures and the climate were also discussed as well as the link between the ocean and its resources and the human population’s health and wellbeing. With this, the talk laid out El Salvador City’s 2008 ecological and fisheries profile to give the community a look of the very diverse marine species found in their municipal waters. These include: the seagrass and seaweed community, reef fishes, marine plankton and macroinvertebrates, and hard corals. The mapped areas in El Salvador City of existing mangrove stands and other potential areas for rehabilitation were also presented. These maps were developed earlier during the M3 Project in 2018-2019. And finally, the City's trash audit and composition, based on a technical report of the Macajalar Bay Coastal Cleanup conducted in 2018, was shown as a visual example of the threats and pressures to marine biodiversity.

(Photo 1) Participants from the  Light House Community during the talk in “Panginabuhian Ko, Ampingan Ko” last Oct.15, 2022, in Taytay El Salvador CIty.

The residents from The Light House Community, a partner community of Kong Hua School, are composed mainly of fisherfolks and depend on fish catch for personal consumption and for their daily income. One of the community members shared a snippet of her life as a fisherfolk: what fishing gear is used and gave few examples of the fish species commonly found in a day's catch. Aside from rising global temperatures, overexploitation, and unsustainable fishing practices, marine waste and pollution is one of the biggest threats of marine biodiversity in the Philippines. Several participants shared their personal observations in seeing that a lot of marine debris such as single use plastic bottles, laminated plastics, and other types of packaging materials have increased in their coasts.

The short talk hopes to make the Filipino communities especially those residing near the coastlines value more the natural resources from the marine environment. Through this initiative, community members are given the opportunity to see conservation with a new perspective that they too can become stewards for the environment.

(Photo 2-3) Several participants show their enthusiasm and competitiveness in between “icebreaker” segments and other interactive games.

(Photo 4) MMC Director Dr. Astrid L. Sinco receives a plaque of recognition from Fr. Emmanuel S. Regalado LRMS, School Director of Kong Hua School.

(Photo 5) From L-R: Fr. Aidan V. Zabellero, LRMS (Center for Christian Formation Head, Kong Hua School), Mr. Friday G. Atilano (MMC/Bio Dept). Fr. Emmanuel S. Regalado LRMS (School Director, Kong Hua School), Dr. Astrid L. Sinco (Director, MMC), and Ms. Marichu D. Fiel, MAEM (Principal, Kong Hua School).

(Photo 6) MMC Director Dr Astrid Sinco, representatives from Kong Hua School, and participants from the The Light House Community during the “Pangunabuhian Ko. Ampingan Ko” in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental.