On 17 January 2023, the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, Inc (SCPW), met with the officers of Macagatal Irrigators Association (MIA) headed by its President, Mr. Raul Cacho, and with the Barangay Officials of Paligui, led by the Punong Barangay, Hon. Virgilio Manalili, regarding the entitled “Living Lakes, Biodiversity, and Climate Project” (LLBC) at the Barangay Hall of Brgy. Paligui, Candaba, Pampanga. The project aims to ensure that successful practices and strategies for sustainable wetland management are being implemented, managed, and mainstreamed by local communities and organizations, in ten project countries, including the Philippines, and beyond.
Highlighted in the project activity for this year for the Candaba-Paligui Wetlands is the construction of the Wetland Centre on site, establishment of ecotourism in the area showcasing birds and agricultural landscape, and roll-out of various Communication, Capacity-building, Education, Participation, and Awareness (CEPA) activities for the stakeholders of Candaba, Pampanga. As for project implementation arrangements, it was agreed that the SCPW will be the overall Project Implementor, MIA will handle local coordination particularly with farmers and other local stakeholders, while the Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) will be the oversight in the local activities. It was also agreed that a Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement between the three parties will be executed to ensure sustainability and legal arrangements of the project, especially in the maintenance and ownership of infrastructure, equipment, and the implementation of a benefit-sharing mechanism.
The timeline of the project activities was also discussed, including the launching of the Project showcasing the construction of the Paligui Wetland Centre, around the week of February 2, 2023, in time for the World Wetlands Day 2023 Celebration.
thank you for sharing this project in Pampanga. looking forward to it!