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ROMBLON

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The Spanish arrived in Romblon in 1569 led by conquistador Martin de Goiti who was dispatched by Miguel López de Legazpi to explore the western and northern portion of the Visayas region including Romblon and Mindoro.

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Population: 292,781 persons

Male to Female Ratio: 50.6 percent males and 49.4 percent females

Number of household: 68,362

Average household size: 4.3

SOURCE: 2015 Census of Population (POPCEN 2015)

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Romblon province is located in MIMAROPA Region.

It is situated in the Sibuyan Sea and forms the link between the Tagalog-speaking Region IV and Visayan-speaking Region V.

GROUP'S MAIN ISLAND: (largest and populated areas)
Tablas
Romblon
Sibuyan

Islands are surrounded by Sibuyan Sea (north, east, south)

Tablas Strait separates islands from Mindoro

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Romblon does not experience a pronounced a marked seasonal shift, but is relatively dry from November to April.

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ECONOMY: The Marble Capital of the Philippines

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ECONOMY: The Marble Capital of the Philippines

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Romblon is the center of trade routes linking Luzon and Visayas

Perfect for sea freight distribution

A market of Western Visayas and Southeren Tagalog

Famous for marble, kaolin clay, nickel, magnetism, quartz, silica, and zinc, copper, silver, limestone, and sulfide ores

Water resources: tuna, grouper and fish species

Forest: timber and forest products such as rattan, buri, and nito.

Local food: Rice, coconuts, abaca and bananas

Investment: infrastructure support

telecommunications, power generation, better sea and air transport facilities

Huge potential in seaweed farming, open sea fish culture and tree farming.

Tourism: natural attractions such as the formidable Mt. Guiting-Guiting, Tinagong Dagat in Calatrava and the hotsprings of Corcuera and Banton

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According to Engr. Raymund G. Inocencio, an Environmental Management Specialist II, the problems found in Romblon are:

1. the lack of sustainable/alternative livelihood;

2. the lack of health services;

3. inadequate solid waste management systems;

4. the lack of potable water system;

5. low compliance in fishery and other related environmental laws/policies;

6. resource-use conflicts in fishing, reclamation, tourism, and settlement;

7. lack of social and environmental awareness;

8. limited government and other institutional support systems.

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1. the lack of sustainable/alternative livelihood

2. Resource-use conflicts in fishing, reclamation, tourism, and settlement

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Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable United Nations

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Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable United Nations

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The lack of sustainable/alternative livelihood

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?

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It is important to focus on the Romblon's main source of food and livelihood, which is both the land and the sea.

The main source of their income is in the coastal communities such as fishing and fish trading.

Mangroves are one of their important resource that provides nursery grounds, shelter and food

for fish and other sea creatures. This also protect the coastal communities from storm surges and reduces erosion.

Mangroves are Romblon's source of many different resources such as charcoal, timber, honey, traditional medicines, and housing materials.

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1. Mangrove Restoration through Food for Work/ Cash for Work

2. Provincial Mangrove Nursery

3. Coastal Resources Management Program – Mangrove Rehabilitation

4. National Greening Program – Mangrove Rehabilitation

5. Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project

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Degradation of Mangrove Forest: Emerging threats from anthropogenic and natural causes

These threats are:

1. global warming and sea level rise;

2. cutting of mangrove forests and grazing of goats;

3. illegal construction of fishponds;

4. human settlements/reclamation;

5. unregulated tourism development;

6. presence of plastic trashes and other wastes;

7. illegal beach quarrying;

8. weak institutional support systems;

9. the absence of well-organized coastal law enforcement team

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Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources United Nations 

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Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources United Nations 

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Resource-use conflicts in fishing, reclamation, tourism, and settlement

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE?

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The province’s large coastal area and municipal waters abound in marine resources.

The main source of their income is in the coastal communities such as fishing and fish trading.

The fishing grounds of Romblon include migratory paths of fishes from the Sulu
and the Visayan Seas via the Tablas Strait, the Sibuyan Sea, and the Romblon Pass.

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The Overfishing in Romblon led to the local extinction of the Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), a highly valued fish in the Philippines.

Compressor fishing became a common practice, which is illegal

There were a lot of boats and sedimentations

There were no waste management observed by the operators of small-scale quarry

During 2005 to 2006, Acanthaster Planci, a starfish species, overpopulated the waters surrounding Romblon Island and destroyed Romblon's healthy coral reefs.

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SIKAT conducted an underwater resource assessment of the benthic environment using a line-intersect sampling method, wherein large populations of Crown-of-Thorns sea stars were observed
Community resource management plan that incorporated the collection of A. planci.

Lan-Ag Challenge
Advantage: this method was helpful in observing Crown-of-Thorns sea stars
Disadvantage: the survey documented the coral cover, however, so a rigorous quantification of the A. planci population did not emerge.

Community Resource Management Plan
Advantage: the communities were able to identify the problems itself; thus, they were able to participate in solving the problem.
It provided funds to enable the mass collection of the species in 2/3 of Romblon's coastal villages.

Lan-Ag Challenge

Paying of Two Pesos per COTS to encourage people in collecting the species
Helped fund the solution for the ongoing problem
This taught people about the ecology and natural history of COTS