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Siargao’s focal point for visitors is General Luna (GL), while the island’s main town, Dapa Town, has grocery shops, a pharmacy, restaurants and cafés.

Outside these, the island remains largely untouched by tourism. Perfect for those that love kayaking, paddle boarding, cliff jumping, cave swimming, island hopping and plenty more besides with lots of eco-friendly accommodation.

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On the island, roughly 150,000 individuals reside. The majority of the population speaks up to four languages, and they are all incredibly welcoming to travelers. English, Filipino (Tagalog), Visayan, and their island dialect, Siargao-non, are among these languages.

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On the Philippines' east coast is the island of Siargao (pronounced Shar-Gaw). It is a part of the Province of Surigao del Norte and is shaped like a pear or teardrop. Its land area is around 437 square kilometers.

Siargao is located at 9°52′N 126°03′E on the compass. Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, San Benito, Pilar, San Isidro, Santa Monica, and Socorro are among its constituent municipalities.

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Despite Siargao’s tourism development gradually increasing over the years, its economy is still fragile. Most families of Siargao live off fishing and coconut farming and have an average of 7,000 PHP per month, which barely provides for the needs of a household.

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CHOSEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL #6 : Clean Water and Sanitation

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CHOSEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL #6 : Clean Water and Sanitation

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DEPRIVATIONS IN SIARGAO IN LINE WITH SDG #6

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DEPRIVATIONS IN SIARGAO IN LINE WITH SDG #6

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Data from selected LGUs show that the average annual waste generation per municipality ranges from 300 to 2,000 tons, with middle capita waste generation of 0.30-0.65 kilograms/day.

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According to ADDRESSING MARINE LITTER THROUGH SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: THE CASE OF THE SIARGAO ISLANDS IN THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES, Siargao’s water consists primarily of biodegradable (47%), recyclable (36%), residual (11%), and particular waste (8%).

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Marine litter isn’t only the problem they are struggling to solve in Siargao and the limited supply of fresh water in the area. Local springs dry up during the summer season, affecting residents and the agriculture, tourism, fisheries sectors, and the biodiversity and marine ecosystems in Siargao Islands.

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The island’s quick rise to fame attracted a lot of tourists to come to the area. However, it also increased the production of waste disposal issues, and unfortunately, the effects negatively impacted the island.
Clean Water and Sanitation should be Siargao’s SDG priority for the betterment of their islands.

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The local government should plan our projects and relocate their budget to ensure there will be enough clean water for their tourism, the local residents, and their everyday living.

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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT IMPACT THE ISSUE 

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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT IMPACT THE ISSUE 

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The Eco-Friendly Septic Tank System or Eco-Sep was introduced to the Siargao Islands. It was launched in September 2017, and it is a septic water management system that addresses the problem of untreated wastewater in resorts, public establishments, and households.

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The Eco-Sep’s Vigormin Organo Mineral (ViOM) is an odorless, white powder composed of various organo-minerals that can neutralize the poignant odor and the muddy color in wastewater or septic water.

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CHOSEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL #13 : Responsible Consumption and Production

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CHOSEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL #13 : Responsible Consumption and Production

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DEPRIVATIONS IN SIARGAO IN LINE WITH SDG #12

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DEPRIVATIONS IN SIARGAO IN LINE WITH SDG #12

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The islands' increasing population is inflicting significant strain on the natural environment. The gathering of forest commodities, such as timber, and mangrove destruction are concerns. On the islands, birds are hunted, and illegal fishing occurs.

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According to the management plan done by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the protected area establishment in the Philippines was institutionalized when the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act or Republic Act (RA) 7586 was passed in 1992 by the Philippines Congress.

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Siargao Islands, then classified as a wildlife sanctuary, was included as an initial component of the protected area (PA) system. Its selection as one of the ten priority PA sites for conservation eventually led to its declaration on October 10, 1996 through Presidential Proclamation No. 902 as Siargao Islands Protected Landscapes and Seascapes.

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The vulnerability assessment done on SIPLAS looked at the vulnerability of its ecosystems and communities to increases in temperature, flooding and rain-induced landslides, sea level rise, storm surge and tsunami. The latter hazard is due to the proximity of the islands to the Philippine Trench.

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PAGASA projections show temperature rise by 1.0o C in 2020 to 1.5o C in 2050. Not only will dry months become drier and wet months wetter but the rainfall pattern will also be erratic through time. Temperature increase will have serious implications on the biodiversity resources of SIPLAS.

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Being an island ecosystem with relatively low elevation, affected species are inhibited from shifting or moving to elevated zones that approximate their former habitat conditions thus local extinction of plants and non-volant animals can be expected to be faster.

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Majority of the areas in SIPLAS are vulnerable to floods due to their relatively low elevation.

The type of flooding in SIPLAS is mostly due to swells and surge in estuaries and coastal areas, with floods usually extending upstream to the swamp areas, agricultural lands and built-up areas.

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Settlements in coastal areas and low-lying communities are also highly prone to storm surges caused by more intense typhoons.

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Should a storm surge reaching 4 meters occur, close to 20% of the built up areas in SIPLAS will be at high risk particularly those facing the Pacific Ocean.

Mangrove forests and other natural forests, and agricultural areas near these areas will also be at high risk of being destroyed, including their biodiversity resources.

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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT IMPACT THE ISSUE 

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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT IMPACT THE ISSUE 

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Increase awareness of LGUs on benefits gained from SIPLAS and secure their continuing commitment to support SIPLAS through regular budget allocation for SIPLAS, harmonized zoning , policy and enforcement support, among others;

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This provided assistance to qualified PA occupants in securing land tenure; and develop and implement community-based protected area management trainings and activities, e.g., conservation farming, Information, Education and Communication (IEC), enforcement, and biodiversity monitoring, among others.

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Guided by the results of the vulnerability assessments, climate change adaptation (CCA) measures were formulated to increase resilience of ecosystems and communities. Collaborative management will be extensively pursued.

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This is achieved through stakeholder partnerships, inter-LGU alliances and networks, co-management of areas with willing stakeholders, and improved coordination and feedback mechanisms.

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SIARGAO

ISLAND

Siargao is an island located 800 km southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. Its surface area is about 437 km². The island of Siargao faces the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Trench.

There are about one hundred and sixteen thousand inhabitants on the island. The beneficiaries of the association live in different villages of the island: mainly at General Luna but also at Daku, Consuelo, Happy Valley, Union, Datu, Maasin, Cabitoonan and Catangnan.

Most families of Siargao live off fishing and coconut farming and have an average income of 7'000 PHP per month, being around 140 CHF ( 120€). Barely enough income to feed their household.

Tourism is developing more and more in Siargao. When the association was established on the island in 2010, General Luna (main tourist village) had a dozen hotels and a few restaurants. For a few years, development was gradual. In 2015, tourism expansion took a different turn with the construction of a road linking the main villages.

Tourism development has its advantages (increase in jobs, hotels and living standards) and its disadvantages (price increases, sale of land, increase in waste). The majority of businesses are owned by foreigners or mixed couples, hence the increase in land value in recent years. Many families, by necessity, decide to sell their land and thus lose the opportunity to generate income.

Some local families nevertheless operate a hotel or restaurant they have owned for many years. But with rising competition, equipment prices and rapid wear at the seaside, they are no longer able to maintain or renovate their buildings.

It is this fragile economic context that has motivated all of Siargao Masaya's actions to support local communities in their development and offer the children of Siargao the opportunity to attend school.

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SIARGAO ISLAND Siargao is an island located 800 km southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. Its surface area is about 437 km². The island of Siargao faces the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Trench. There are about one hundred and sixteen thousand inhabitants on the island.

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DOST PCIEERD Tech cleans Siargao Island’s Domestic Wastewater

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The Philippines is known for its white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons. It is also home of renowned surf spots, one of which is in General Luna, Siargao, the home to the famous “Cloud 9” wave. However, beach resorts in the island have been facing a pressing issue on treating their wastewater as…

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SIARGAO IS BEAUTIFUL, BUT HOW DO WE KEEP ITS WATERS SAFE

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Source: http://clairedelfinmedia.com// Links: http://clairedelfinmedia.com/siargao-is-beautiful-but-how-do-we-keep-its-waters-safe/ By: John Mychal Feraren One of the main reasons Siargao continues to attract tourists is the fact that is has beautiful beaches comparable to top beach destinations in the world. However, its waters are also in danger of exploitation. Thus, the island's waters can become unsafe.