The private sector and local government joined hands and showed collective resolve to investing in biodiversity conservation by donating thousands of pesos. This was done at the launching of the Federation of Davao Region Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s “Bring Back Davao Biodiversity” Aadvocacy campaign held last August 21 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City, in collaboration with the Philippine Environmental Governance Project (EcoGov), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Leo Sibala, Ppresident of the Davao Oriental Eastern Chamber of Commerce, kicked off the “donation spree” by contributing P10,000 ($222) to the campaign, in the context of his opening remarks. This was followed by a P10,000 pledge from Engr. Jun Basalo, president of the Golden Dragon International Terminals, Inc., a private company which collects ship-generated wastes at the Port of Davao City.
In response, Davao City Councilor Marissa Abella, chair of the committee on environment and natural resources, committed her first month salary for the conservation of Davao region’s biodiversity.
The event was a hallmark in fostering a public-private partnership to reduce threats to biodiversity for the Davao region. “Business should have a clear agenda for the environment. This actually prevents profit losses. Moreover, between 10-20% is lost in property valuation for beach property and tourist resort owners if waste is unmanaged. That is why we are serious in advocating and working for Davao Biodiversity conservation,” said Sibala.
The Davao Chambers launched their fund drive using recycled plastic water bottles as coin banks, donated by Davao City’s “Scubasureros.” The initial aim is to distribute 500 bottles to establishments owned or operated by Chamber members region-wide. The use of “recycled” water bottles is symbolic, according to Oliver Agoncillo, USAID natural resources policy advisor, “as people will be able to see the collections, emphasizing transparency, and would even be encouraged to contribute more. The coin bank water bottles also suggest that people could re-use items that are often discarded as waste,” he added.
Proceeds from the coin bank campaign will be part of a bigger drive to develop a sustainable source of funds for conservation efforts. Funds will be used for focused technical assistance and advocacy activities, including a small grants program, symposia and discussion forums, recognition and awards for local governments, corporations or civil society organizations that adopt best practices in environmental governance and other participatory, awareness-creation activities such as a “fun run”. A multi-stakeholder fund management committee is being convened by the Chambers.
“This is indeed a worthwhile initiative. Now that we have the private sector and other stakeholders actively involved in biodiversity conservation in the region, I am optimistic about the results of our efforts,” said Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional executive director, Jim Sampulna. This initiative builds on lessons learned from previous efforts, by encouraging a market-driven approach – led by the private sector.
The event also leveraged participation and investments from a number of other local partners. A 90-second animated video advertisement encouraging a ‘ridge to reef’ approach to environmental governance was produced by Adtech. The video will be shown at a number of different venues, including the Davao International Airport.
A local events management firm, OrganiCzar, packaged a “Concert for a Cause”, following the launch, which featured well known artists, Rico J. Puno and Jenine Desiderio performing for about 300 people. This concert helped raise awareness of the issues and encouraged continued support for the advocacy campaign.
The prevalent theme is that biodiversity conservation is a “shared responsibility”. This theme was underscored by the range of participants in the launch, including Mutya ng Dabaw 2010 representative, Ms Janelle Tee, DENR Region 11, Davao City Government, Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA), Philippine Port Authority (PPA), Federation of Davao Region Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao, the UP-Marine Science Institute, Mindanao Center for Research and Development, Commission on Population 11, ABS-CBN, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer among others.
A dedicated web page, Facebook and Twitter accounts have been developed among the various social marketing tools to support the campaign. Knowledge products and good practices developed through the USAID-supported EcoGov project will continue to support this biodiversity conservation campaign.
