Coastal and Marine Resources Management in the Philippines: An Analysis of the Political Economy of Banate Bay

Managing common-pool resources remains to be a challenge for countries that rely heavily on harvesting natural resources to sustain its population. In the Philippines, many communities together with local authorities have engaged and embraced the idea of voluntary alliances to forge cooperation– an institutional reform–towards the common goal of efficient management of natural resources. A model for a successful alliance is the Banate Bay Resource Management Council (BBRMCI), which has succeeded in reducing the incidence of illegal fishing, reforesting large, denuded mangrove areas, thereby creating livelihood projects for its member municipalities. This study examined the path that led BBRMCI to its perceived successes and evaluated its material and welfare impact to its beneficiaries. For a nation that is still groping for the ‘correct’ model to manage common-pool resources, the lessons that can be learned from the BBRMCI experience can push the reform agenda on natural resource management forward. This study finds that despite its successes, many respondents remain critical of the council’s ability to enforce the rules fairly and unilaterally across all the stakeholders. BBRMCI also risks losing many of its members, stemming from disagreements among political factions that comprise the alliance. This raises questions on the sustainability of the organization. In light of these findings, this study presented recommendations on how the alliance can perform its functions more effectively and sustainably.