1. The Philippine Coastal Resource Management Certification System
Prepared by
Emma E. Melana
Chief, ERD Division
Department of Environment and Natural Resources – 7
and
Catherine A. Courtney, Ph.D.
Chief of Party
Coastal Resource Management Project
Assisted by the Coastal Resource Management Project

2. A Decade of CRM-related Legislation in the Philippines
1987 Constitution: the State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth and the rights of of subsistence fishermen and local communities to the preferential use of marine and fishing resources
1991 Local Government Code: devolves primary responsibility for municipal waters out to a distance of 15 km from the shoreline to municipalities and cities
1998 Fisheries Code: adopts integrated coastal area management as a national strategy, reinforces local government mandate to manage municipal waters, requires 15% of municipal waters designated as marine protected areas

3. Five-phase CRM Process Adapted for Philippine Local Government

4. The Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation in Coastal Resource Management
Ø Determine the degree to which planned interventions are being implemented and are working
Ø Identify areas for improvement in directions and strategies
Ø Assess impacts of CRM plans and programs on biophysical and socioeconomic conditions in the area
Ø Characterize the benefits from CRM accruing to coastal communities and society at large
Ø Estimate returns on investments in CRM at the local government level
Ø Build community support for CRM plans and programs

5. Reasons for Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
Ø M&E will guide your internal development and provide you with external accountability
Ø M&E keeps you focused in one direction towards the attainment of your goals and mission
Ø M&E occurs in an environment where you can honestly evaluate your own performance and that of those around you without fear of negative consequences
Ø M&E is everyone’s concern, everyone asks questions and shares and contributes towards the assessment
Ø M&E is a team building process which ensures all the stakeholders put their heads together to come up with the best for all persons concerned
Ø Evaluation must use both qualitative and quantitative descriptions to ensure that everything is covered
Ø All stakeholders have something important to contribute
Ø It is an on-going process which can be used to adjust your activities to be fine tuned and even better
Ø Nothing is perfect, there is always room for improvement
Ø People working together to solve problems are much more effective than the same people working on their own for the same goals
Misconceptions of Monitoring and Evaluation
Ø M&E is a worthless activity which just wastes time and money
Ø M&E is complex and technical and must be done by external experts which make it expensive
Ø Implementation is the important activity, not M&E
Ø There is a fear that unsatisfactory or negative results from M&E will cause problems and negative feelings of the group
Ø M&E is usually imposed from the outside or top-down by provincial or regional agencies and staff
Ø The results of M&E not used to improve implementation
Ø M&E is only quantitative not qualitative

6. Types of Monitoring Indicators
Process Indicators
Results Indicators
Input indicators
monitor activities and efforts to build capacity to plan and implement CRM
Impact indicators
monitor biophysical and socioeconomic changes in coastal areas relative to baseline conditions
Output indicators
monitor the process of developing CRM plans and programs
Outcome indicators monitor implementation of CRM plans and programs

7. Illustrative Impact Indicators for CRM Plans and Programs
Ø Municipal fish catch per unit effort (kilograms/fisher/day)
Ø Living coral cover and fish abundance inside and outside marine protected areas (% living coral cover, number of fish/500 m2)
Ø Mangrove area under effective management (hectares planted and managed)
Ø Upland forest area under effective management (hectares planted and managed)
Ø Solid waste management system effective (volume of solid waste recycled/disposed)
Ø Household income in coastal barangays (income/family)
Ø Frequency of CRM-related violations (daily, weekly, monthly)
Ø Level of stakeholder support for CRM plan and programs (percentage of stakeholders with knowledge of and supporting CRM best practices)

8. Monitoring Methods for CRM Plans and Programs
Ø Review and analyse secondary and other available data and information
Ø Ocular inspection of shoreline/foreshore areas and municipal waters
Ø Interviews with key informants, LGU staff, and partner organizations
Ø Consultations at community/barangay levels
Ø Surveys at community/barangay levels
Ø Participatory coastal resource assessment
Ø Quantitative biophysical and socioeconomic assessments
Ø Regulatory and compliance monitoring

9. Level 2 - Intermediate CRM
Summary of Municipal/City Benchmarks for Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Levels of Coastal Resource Management
Level 1 - Beginning CRM
Acceptance of CRM as a basic service of municipal/city government with planning and field interventions initiated (1 to 3 years)
Level 2 - Intermediate CRM
Implementation of CRM plans underway with effective integration to local governance (2 to 5 years)
Level 3 - Advanced CRM
Sustained long-term implementation of CRM with monitoring, measured results, and positive returns (5 years or more)
ü Multi-year CRM plan implemented, reviewed, and revised as necessary
ü Socio-environmental conditions assessed in accordance with monitoring plan
ü CRM-related organizations effective and supported financially through municipal/city budget or revenue generating mechanisms
ü Annual programming and budget sufficient to implement the plan
ü Shoreline/foreshore management effective with regular monitoring and enforcement guidelines
Ø At least 6 CRM best practices implemented with measured results and positive returns
Ø Illegal activities and destructive practices minimized or stopped
Ø Biophysical improvement measured
Ø Socioeconomic benefits accrue to coastal residents
Ø Positive perceptions of CRM interventions among stakeholders
ü Multi-year CRM plan finalized and adopted
ü Monitoring plan developed for assessing socio-environmental conditions
ü CRM-related organiza-tions active and effective
ü Financial and human resources assigned permanently to CRM activities
ü Shoreline/foreshore management plan adopted with implementing guidelines
Ø At least 4 CRM best practices implemented with measured success
ü Multi-year CRM drafted
ü Baseline assessment conducted
ü CRM-related organizations formed and active
ü Annual budget allocated for CRM
ü Shoreline/foreshore management measures planned and initiated
Ø At least 2 CRM best practices planned and initiated

10. Suggested Steps in Conducting Annual CRM Monitoring and Evaluation of Municipal/City CRM Plans and Programs
Step 7: Conduct strategic planning based on M&E results
Step 6: Prepare, validate, and adopt Annual Municipal/City M&E Report
Step 5: Conduct M&E activities
Step 4: Conduct M&E workshop
Step 3: Compile and review all information and data
Step 2: Develop M&E Plan
Step 1: Establish/mobilize municipal/city M&E Technical Working Group

11. Role of CRM Certification in Benchmarking LGU Performance
CRM Certification provides a framework for benchmarking LGU performance in the delivery of CRM as a basic service as well as a roadmap for planning future directions and initiatives.

12. Benefits of Coastal Resource Management Certification
Ø Serves as a catalyst and tool for planning and monitoring LGU investments in CRM to restore and sustain benefits derived from coastal resources
Ø Provides a vehicle for social mobilization in support of LGU initiatives in CRM
Ø Serves as a basis for provincial LGU incentive or funding support program for municipal CRM
Ø Provides public recognition of exemplary performance of LGUs
Ø Provides a framework for national government and foreign funding institutions to prioritize “certified” LGUs for financial and technical assistance
Ø Provides systematic monitoring system for Medium Term Development Plan goals and objectives for coastal and marine resources
Ø Establishes an institutional memory for CRM beyond political term limits
Ø Forges a stronger partnership between national government agencies and LGUs
Ø Strengthens local coastal law enforcement
Ø Uses information to boost compliance
Ø Encourages self-assessment and continuous quality improvement

13. Institutional Arrangements and Responsibilities for CRM Certification
Regional CRM Certification Committee (Multisectoral Committee chaired by DENR)
Ø Encourages local government to conduct annual M&E of CRM Plans and Programs
Ø Reviews and validates PCRMC Evaluation Report and Municipal/City M&E Report and supporting documents
Ø Prepares RCRMC Validation Report and certifies municipal/city CRM plans and programs by April of each year
Ø Provides feedback on status of CRM and areas for improvement to municipalities and cities
Ø Provides recognition and priority funding status to certified municipalities at regional and national levels
Regional Coastal Database Unit
Provincial CRM Certification Technical Working Group (Multisectoral TWG chaired by provincial government)
Ø Evaluates and validates the Municipal/City M&E Report and supporting documents
Prepares PCRMC Evaluation Report endorsing municipality/city for certification to the RCRMC Committee
Provides feedback on status of CRM and areas of improvement to municipalities and cities
Provincial Coastal Database Unit
Municipality/City
Ø Conducts M&E of municipal/city CRM plans and programs
Ø Prepares Annual CRM M&E Report and updated MCD with self-rating of CRM level achieved based on benchmarks
Ø Submits Annual CRM M&E Report for adoption by Sangguniang Bayan/Sangguniang Panlungsod resolution
Municipal Coastal Database Unit

14. Municipalities Achieving Level 1 Benchmarks
ü Multi-year CRM drafted
ü Baseline assessment conducted
ü CRM-related organizations formed and active
ü Annual budget allocated for CRM
ü Shoreline/foreshore management measures planned and initiated
Ø At least 2 CRM best practices planned and initiated

15. Where are we now?
Regional CRM Certification Committees have been organized and functional since CY 2001 in both regions 7 and 11 covering areas of Central Visayas and Mindanao. Region V is also starting to adopt the system.
The Regional Development Council (RDC) of Region VII endorsed for its piloting and the provincial executives of Bohol, Cebu and Negros Oriental have ordered its adoption.
The provinces of Bohol (Region 7) and Davao del Sur (Region 11) have functional CRMC Provincial Technical Working Groups (PTWG) that guide municipalities conducting M&E and initially evaluate and validate M&E reports for indorsement to the Regional TWG which further review M&E reports and CRMC application for the Regional CRM Certification Committee.
Two municipalities, namely: Inabanga, Bohol (Region 7) and Hagonoy, Davao del Sur (Region 11) were the first two municipalities CRM Certified. They were awarded with CRM Certification Level I during the first Provincial CRM Festival last 21 February 2002 held in Cebu City, Philippines. During the same occasion they also received 1 unit each of the Global Positioning System (GPS) from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, one of the member agencies of the Regional CRM Certification Committee.

16. Where are we going?
Strengthening of the CRM Certification System activities in Regions 7 and 11.
Nationwide adoption of CRM Certification System through the Coastal and Marine Management Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the lead agency of CRM Certification.
Development of incentive packages for certified coastal municipalities from national government agencies, donor-assisted projects and provincial governments.