SARIAYA, Quezon, Philippines (PNA) — Officials of Tanggol Kalikasan-Timog Katagalugan (TKTK) led the launch of the "Mangrove Protection Project" in Barangay Castanas here over the weekend.

TKTK director, lawyer Sheila de Leon said the project aims to reforest mangrove areas denuded over the years by barangay residents, and at the same time protect these areas from the wrath of farmers and fisherfolk.

De Leon said the launch, participated in by TKTK personnel, barangay officials and youth groups, was graced by the presence of Quezon 2nd district Congressman Irvin Alcala.

In her address, De Leon warned that anyone found cutting the mangrove trees along the seacoast here will be charged with violation of Presidential Decree 705, or the Forestry Code of the Philippines, or RA 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code.

She said Barangay Castanas is one of the major fishing centers in the municipality. However, due to the unabated cutting of mangroves in the area, different species of fish thriving therein have lost their sanctuary, resulting to the big decrease in the number of fishes being caught by fishermen who to date are apparently losing their major means of livelihood.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and Vice Gov. Kulit Alcala are the major supporters of the Mangrove Protect in Sariaya and other towns in Quezon, officials said.

In Taal, Batangas, pro-environment and other non-government organizations tapped Globe Telecom’s information and communications technology (ICT) to step up implementation of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL) management plan covering more 65,000 hectares, 24,000 hectares of which is the seat of Lake Taal.

Pro-environment group president Enrique Nunez said Globe provides their group with one-year TxtConnect Plan 5000 facility to ply out information, announcements and updates on the TVPL management plan to every registered service subscriber.

Nunez said Globe also turned over some 2,000 Bridging Communities SIM cards — provides half regular rates on calls and text — to their organization for better stakeholder management.

The pro-environment and NGOs are part of the Batangas Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) which disseminates information to members composed of the provincial governments of Batangas and Cavite, fisher folk communities and fish cage owners, he said.

According to Nunez, they plan to disseminate the management plan, in print and digital and reconnect with over a thousand stakeholders through SMS with updates on the plan approval and implementation steps taken so far.

Their organization will also seek to mobilize citizen participation and contribution in areas where management is unable to make progress in implementation, he said.

“Mobile phones, and specifically SMS, are already in the hands of the majority of the residents in the Taal Lake Basin. They are already using it to take power over other aspects of their lives," Nunez said.