TITLE: PARTNERSHIPS IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
A Narrative of the Planet Dive Tourism Doctrine
OUTLINE:
Citio Balanoy, Barangay SanTeodoro, Mabini Batangas, 1999
Planet Dive Story
Initiatives and Activities:
Management of Twin Rocks Marine Sanctuary
Maximizing community’s share of tourism income
Organization of interest groups or sectors
Active participation in Public Councils and other Forums
Strategic partnerships and support to NGO and Academic projects
Providing livelihood as a means of reducing fishing impact
Socio-Economic Impact
Environmental Impact
Summary
Conclusions
VALUE:
More often solutions to tourism challenges especially by government are infrastructure,
airports, piers, roads and hi-ways plus the ever popular racket, security. Ironically, tourism
resources are left undervalued, unaccounted and mismanaged while tourism impact is increased,
accelerated and secured. This has led to the way of the Cavite beach resorts of the 70’s, Puerto
Gallera and western Batangas in the 80’s and the Boracay of the 90’s. They all started out as
island paradise and were left with pollution, poverty and prostitution in the wake of their tourism
boom.
It is therefore proper that as learned practitioners we must seek tourism resource
management doctrines that will perpetuate not only the resource and its economic viability, but
the local’s livelihood, culture, dignity and heritage as well. Giving stakeholders their rightful
share of benefits derived from the resource encourages partnership in its preservation.
OBJECTIVES:
To establish a broad and general baseline for socio-economic and environmental benchmarking
in the Balanoy setting
To get know Planet Dive the resort, its core competence and partnership mix factor that
contribute to its viability,
To enumerate various initiatives relevant to the improvement of both socio-economic and
environmental resource conditions,
Identify the impact indicators of these initiatives and measure them against established baseline,
And propose models for resort activity geared towards viable, sustainable and, environmentally
and socio-culturally relevant tourism resource use based on the Planet Dive experience.
Citio BALANOY 1999
In 1999, we never realized that there was a community along the shore of Twin Rocks. It
was the last Citio, of the last Barangay before the very tip of the Calumpan Peninsula in the town
of Mabini. It was a village of 50 households not accessible by road. Aside from very few who
were already employed by other resorts, fishing was the main source of livelihood
(Oracion/Miller/Christie 2002). A very small number worked overseas and onboard ships which
occasionally injected fresh infusion to the local economy while the women gathered shell fish
and octopi as staple protein. Catching Bangus fry also constituted a seasonal windfall and boat
building augmented income from fishing.
Tales of smuggling in the earlier decades is confirmed by the deployment of the former
Philippine Constabulary Anti-Smuggling Company (COSAC) in the early 70’s commanded by
the then LtCol. Fidel V. Ramos. The community livelihood endeavor during the 70’s and 80’s
came from two fishing launches owned by the Barangay Captain. On these two boats sailed the
bravest and strongest of Balanoy folks. They fished on the high seas past Palawan and landed
their catch in Navotas, the fish port of Manila. This was coincidentally about the same size
launches stories of smuggling were set. Both sank separately in the late 80s.
THE PLANET DIVE STORY
A group of diver friends and their instructor with different backgrounds from professional
diving, business, media and government came together with a dream of their own dive resort.
With the help of their favorite local boat man, they were able to find a place which was
fortunately in front of Twin Rocks.
With a vision of providing a standard of care in diving safety in harmony with the
community and the environment, Planet Dive was established in 1999 with six cottages and a
staff of four local residents and one from Manila. After one year of operation Planet dive
constructed five more cottages and three more the next year. In 2002, Planet Dive purchased the
adjoining property to the right and constructed two villas. In the same year a gas blending station
was set up in the resort. In 2003, the company purchased the property adjoining to the left and
operated it as a back pack diving area called “Scubarat”.
In 2002, Planet Dive was listed in the Asian Diver Magazine’s Anniversary Issue Top 10
diving destinations in Asia. Today the company is in good financial standing and continues to
enjoy a relatively larger share of the Anilao diver market.
INITIATIVES and ACTIVITIES:
Management of Twin Rocks Marine Sanctuary
Planet dive is located squarely in front and between the shoreline boundaries of a
Municipal Marine Sanctuary. This sanctuary is called Twin Rocks, and is one of three in the
Municipality of Mabini. The location of Twin Rocks influenced greatly the selection of the
property on which investment was made. Despite the far from perfect condition of this reef
system in 1999, the partners realized the potential of a legally protected reef as a tourism
resource.
But in 1999, a municipal ordinance was all the protection it enjoyed. Lacking facility for
Marine Law Enforcement, the Local Government down to the Barangay level laid helpless
witnesses to dynamite, cyanide and countless other forms of illegal fishing. Twin rocks in 1999
was primarily encrusting coral substrate on dead coral rubble beleaguered by spear fishing,
aquarium fish gathering and constant line, net and trap fishing by residents of the fronting
community of Citio Balanoy as well as intrusion from fishers from other barangays.
By the time the resort was fully operational, fishing was still rampant. So the first order
of the day was to enforce the law. Warding off fishermen day and night became a checklist duty
for resort staff. In the beginning, confrontations were regular and antagonisms exchanged.
Looking to Government for enforcement of municipal ordinances seemed selfish considering it
was a fourth class municipality. We knew we should already be thankful for the legislative
initiative that led to its declaration as marine sanctuary.
As a result of local hiring, encounters with fishers inside the sanctuary became less
confrontational because of staff familiarity. This offered an opportunity for a new approach to
enforcement which was Information and Education. By 2002, the number of incidents of
information and education exceeded that of confrontational encounters. Realizing local reception
to this initiative, we designed an Information and Education Campaign teaching fishers the value
of coral reef system and why it is important to preserve them as sanctuaries. This IEC was
designed such that even the lowliest resort staff could deliver it and achieve change in behavior
in the fishermen while preserving their dignity of labor.
At this point in time, we are very proud to say that the community of Balanoy shares our
initiative of protecting the reef not only from fishing but from dropping of anchors by dive boats
as well. Today, Twin Rocks enjoys one of the highest rates of recovery based on indicator
species (White/Christie Earth Watch Survey 2002). It is also one of the most dived dive site in
the municipality. Planet Dives offers unlimited shore dives in Twin Rocks to its guests free of
charge as part of its diving package.
Maximizing community’s share of tourism income
Planet Dive staffing pattern kept a ratio of 75% local hire minimum. This was to ensure
direct livelihood impact on the community. Planet Dive has one of the highest guests to staff
ratio and employs 50-100% more personnel compared to resorts in the area. Over the regular
hire, the resort hires part time staff during heavy days which mainly forms its recruitment and
training pool program.
Laundry is subcontracted to ten households in Balanoy. Although it will come out
cheaper for resort staff to use washing machines during weekdays, the overall benefit both in
quality of laundry and focus of staff to their assign tasks, far outweigh the small margin of
savings specially considering the income generation it provides for fisher folks who would
otherwise be out fishing and diminishing the tourism resource.
All supply items available in the community are purchased there. Again, losing the
small margins in savings, saves the resort the manpower and logistics of supply chain, and
generates additional income and goodwill for the community. Case in point, Coke in cans sell in
Manila for P16.00. We purchase it in the community at P20.00 delivered to our stock room, but
sell it at P 30.00. I would have paid for all the above benefits for P03.00 and gave the sari-sari
store more reason to stay in business.
Boat rental by far constitute the highest singular operating expense class in diving
operations. Planet Dive owns two boats. However, management is careful to distribute income
opportunity to 30 or so boats organized into a Dive Boat Association, the resort’s boats
themselves being members of the Association. In the past, resorts would hire boats based on
recommendation or commission. Only boat owners with connections to resorts either by affinity
to resort staff or bribery of commissions, were the lucky few who would not have to fish every
night just to put food on the table. The resorts called them “Priority Boats”. These priority boats
comprised not 5% of all boats in the coastline. Meaning the other 95% still went fishing.
Planet dive designed the boat numbering system where all boats belonging to the Assn.
has a number and gets booking one number after another. This evened out the playing field for
less popular boats and assured each member one booking in a week or week and a half to earn on
the average 3-4 thousand pesos per booking. Today, boats from other Barangays, servicing their
local resorts have adopted this system. They organized the second and third chapters of AROMA
in Bgys. Ligaya and Solo. This has increased the number of members to over 80 boats. And now
that bookings are guaranteed, more fishermen are refitting their boats for dive tourism. One boat
owner thanked me for giving his eight year old boat its first dive booking ever.
Organization of interest groups
AROMA Dive Boat Assn.
In 2002, while the sectors lobbying for the formation of a Coastal Resource Management
Board (CRMB) where drafting its legislation, the boatmen ferrying divers sought representation
of their concerns in a public forum. Issues such as rates, registration cost, coast guard rules,
anchorage and the issue on resort priority needed to be addressed. Planet Dive facilitated the
organization of a Dive Boat Association called AROMA named after the tree it was organized
under. We also pushed for this Association to represent a seat in the CRMB.
The association hopes to institutionalize the service provided by the independent boatmen
and establish their standard of care for divers. Today it is common knowledge among divers not
only local that no surface support anywhere in the country or in the world can exceed the
common practice of high standard of care for both diver comfort and safety, as well as
equipment handling given by Anilao boatmen. In 2003 the Association proposed to the CRMB
that they will absorb the labor of collecting Conservation fees in behalf of the board. The board
awarded the Association authority to sell dive passes to divers at $ 01.00/ diving day. The
Association buys the passes in bulk and retails it to divers and gets a P 10.00 rebate for every
pass sold on reordering. In 2004 alone Diver pass remittance to the CRMB amounted close to P1
Million. This means a commission of over P200,000.00 for the Association per year. In
February of 2005 the CRMB will award the mooring buoy management franchise to AROMA at
a cost of P 500.00/ buoy/ month for twenty buoys along the municipal coastline. This will give
an additional P120,000.00 annual income for the Association. The Association will be
accountable and liable for dive sites with missing mooring buoys at a penalty of P100.00/missing
buoy/day after reporting, assuring absolutely no anchorage as well as dive safety.
From all these secondary income the Association plans to put up a cooperative business
of boat repair and parts sales. This would dramatically impact their cost of operation not
needing to travel to Manila for boat and engine parts and lubricants plus increase their source of
collateral income.
Diversions and Manila DivePros,
As a dive operator already represented in the CRMB, Planet Dive was careful not to
influence but at the same time push for the organization of the local Diving sector. Being an end
user of the resource and the source of the revenue stream, planet dive realized the importance
of the involvement of this sector in the management of the municipal tourism resource.
In 2002, in the course of legislating the CRMB and conservation fee ordinances, we
encouraged and incited the manila based divers through internet egroups to participate vigilantly
in the passing of a law affecting them exclusively. Suspicions of corruption and unfair taxation
had to be floated in order to draw out the righteous divers to participate in the exercise. Planet
dive supported a public hearing for divers in Shoe Mart Mega Trade Hall in Manila, where the
Municipal councilors went head to head with divers, professionals, NGOs, resort owners and
academics. It was a smoking but truly democratic process where the divers agreed to the
conservation fee but determined the price of $1.00/ diving day. This exercise was unheard of in
local governance where a sovereign local government unit will consult people of another
municipality regarding their own laws in their own land. It is also out of character for politics in
Batangas. Planet Dive implemented the conservation fee as a pilot test one month ahead of its
due implementation amidst rancor and resistance from divers and professionals, trusting only in
its clientele’s faith in the resorts social and environmental consciousness.
Today, manila based divers and dive professionals enjoy representation in the CRMB by
no less than Micheal Perez M.D., a dive instructor and the hyperbaric physician of St. Patricks
Medical Center in Batangas City. He disseminates issues raised in the CRMB through two
egroups, namely, diversions at yahoo egroups and maniladivepros also at yahoo egroups. They
can now lay claim to funds used for managing the coastal resources of Mabini.
FOBB/ROAM
Even prior to the opening of Planet Dive, we already actively pursued upon the initiative
of WWF Phils.(Gutierrez/ Sandalo), the organization of the resort owners in the early part of
1999. We participated and supported organizational development and strengthening activities
such as strategic planning, meetings and fellowships. Friends of Balayan Bay (FOBB) took the
cudgels of spearheading Private Sector initiatives in the early 2000s. Multi-sectoral initiatives
involving LGU, NGO and PO now had a Private Sector partner. FOBB popularized the
International Coastal Clean-up in partnership with IMA(Reyes), contributing largely to its
institutionalization in the diving community in the Philippines. It was also through being a
member of FOBB that Planet Dive was able to carry out other private sector initiatives in various
forums. In the years leading up to 2004 the character of FOBB shifted from resort sector
representation to conservation advocacy. Admission of non resort operators lead this
organization away from truly focusing on resort issues.
At the height of projects implementation in 2004, the CRMB still needed a resort sector
representation to address resource use and interest conflicts being discussed in the board. The
Local Govt. through its municipal environmental officer, recreated a new strictly resort owners
association called Resort Owners Association of Mabini (ROAM). Planet dive heads the
environment committee of this association.
Active participation in Public Councils and other Forums
In the absence of environmental laws suitable as legal basis for management initiatives in
the greater Anilao area, Republic Act 8550 served as the bedrock upon which most activities
carried out here stood. That law stipulates that each coastal Municipality must organize its
Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils or MFARMCs. It further
stipulates that local govt. down to each coastal barangays must organize their BFARMC.
Consistent with our corporate consciousness, Planet Dive organized our BFARMC in
Brgy. San Teodoro together with NGO partner WWF. As private sector representative of our
Barangay, Planet Dive was again nominated and elected as Private Sector Rep of the MFARMC
Mabini. Having no strong private sector in the Island of Maricaban, across the channel from
Mabini, Planet Dive was also requested to stand as Private Sector rep for their MFARMC in
Tingloy.
Having no legal framework for unification of Bantay Dagat Units from the different
municipalities, WWF looked at stipulations of RA 8550 allowing integration of MFARMCs in
cases of shared bodies of water as a strategy to address Marine Law Enforcement issues in a
cross border scenario. Using WWF funds, the MFARMCs of eleven municipalities surrounding
Balayan Bay was integrated and Planet Dive was nominated and elected as its private sector rep.
The BBIFARMC is currently undertaking a study to support a unified ordinance on fishing
regulation.
Planet Dive also sits as private sector representative in the Tripartite Monitoring Team
for Environmental Compliance of the Petron Fuel Depot in Mabini. It also performs accounting
and administrative functions for AROMA being its auditor.
Strategic partnerships and support to NGO and Academic projects
NGO’s have very little common agenda with the resorts. By nature they are more attuned
to indicators obtaining from the community, POs and public forums. Most NGOs operating in
the greater Anilao area apply an organizational development approach strengthening the grass
roots. In spite of the difference in perspective and occasional approach conflicts, Planet Dive
insists to work with them, appreciating the common end they too aspire while realizing that they
have no stake what so ever in the final outcome.
The resort has worked with WWF closely since start of operation. Together, we have
organized and strengthened the Bantay Dagat not only of Mabini but six out of eleven
municipalities in Balayan Bay. It was WWF and Planet dive alone who battled the resistance for
the user’s fee ordinance. Side by side we shared hurting email and baseless accusations hurled at
the proponents while keeping the course until its legislation.
It would often be in Planet Dive together with WWF where Bantay Dagat operations
would be planned and launched where in 2003 resulted to over one hundred cases of illegal
fishing and violation of local ordinances were filed.
As a policy, the resort extends all out assistance to all environmental projects and studies
performed in our area. Anywhere from discounts to full board and even diving logistics are given
with out much accounting. Planet dive has hosted activities of CCEF, IMA, HARIBON, WWF,
Siliman University, UPMSI, La Salle, University of Washington, University of Hawaii, Duke,
Georgetown University and Cambridge, making twin rocks one of the most studied fisheries and
tourism resource in the country. Planet dive plans to build an information resource center to
serve as local repository of knowledge derived from the many studies conducted here.
Providing livelihood as a means of reducing fishing impact
The most significantly impacting livelihood initiatives undertaken was the incorporation
of Mabini Fisher folk Builders Inc. This company originated with the local master carpenters and
foremen of the resort construction. Who, over the years continued to build resort expansion and
other projects that came from guests who liked the design, cost and carpentry of the resort. Over
the five years of construction we have acquired outside contracts for three residences, two
condominium units, one resort, one hospital hall and one office of congress. Only residents of
this coastal Barangay have access to recruitment. Skill training is on top of the list in missions of
this company. To date, we have moved up to fifty eight the number of skilled carpenters, steel
men or masons, almost twenty of who are highly skilled or qualified lead men, and four are fore
men. There are also close to seventy helpers and laborers who enjoy a skill development
guidance program in the company. 2005 offers three more project under negotiation one resort,
one school and a residence in leisure farms in Tagaytay. Livelihood opportunities are given
primarily to fisher folk or residents of fishing communities.
Not all livelihood initiatives carried out by the resort was sustainable. There were cultural
and economic issues that were not overcome in the course. One was the training for spa standard
Shiatsu and Swedish massage. The resort sponsored the training of ten women in the Citio at
considerable investment. However, the husbands of the graduates did not allow them to perform
a Swedish on another mans body. There was a zero survival for that initiative and investment
was sunk.
Also in the women’s sector, Planet dive in coordination with CCEF bankrolled the soap
making business of the women of a barangay reef in Maricaban Island who chose to close by
council resolution their over fished fronting reef system for a two year recovery program. The
Brgy. FARMC resolution closed the system off to both fishing and diving for two years. And
then charge diving fee when reopened in 2005. As private sector rep of their MFARMC, it was
incumbent on us to encourage the initiative especially of the women to seek augmentation for
income reduced by closure of their primary resource. The product, although 100% organic and
ocean friendly cost too much to manufacture considering the small scale it was being produced.
Planet Dive ended up with one whole inventory of liquid lemon grass soap it gave away as very
expensive Christmas presents.
The Planet Dive souvenir shirts were originally planned to be printed in Balanoy. Three
residents were trained at the TLRC again at considerable cost to make silk screens. The output
however did not appeal to the market mostly divers from manila that had access to quality
apparel. And since it bore the brand of planet dive, management decided to subcontract printing
to experts in Manila so as to maintain the standard of the brand.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT
The improvements of socio-economic conditions in Balanoy are subtle. There are no
dramatic changes in infrastructure, standard of living and human activity. In fact you have to
study closely where the impact indicators are. Public transportation in and out of the Citio is
now regular and reliable. More people have the capacity to spend outside their local economy as
evidenced by VCD and DVD players in almost every household. Dream satellite TV is also
becoming more common among households especially with children who now watch Knowledge
and Discovery channels and National Geographic. Town’s folk now small talk of world events
such as the tsunami and the war in Iraq. Children are no longer deprived of Walt Disney movies
or the Incredibles. Their manner of clothing for special occasions is the most noticeable of all.
They are unrecognizable in trendy clothes.
A sizable market for regular transportation was not spared by the telecom companies who
put up cell site after cell site. The average household in Balanoy would have 2-3 cellular phones.
The cell card and eload business are very competitive here having not less than five dealers for
the 50 households. Day care is now also a standard service in Balanoy, and majority have health
insurance. Appliances unheard of here in the past like oven toasters, washing machines and turbo
broilers are kept under cloth covers in homes.
The impacts of tourism to the community are not obvious, intangible and difficult to
measure. A safe assessment would be a change in quality of life.
To quantify socio-economic impact of tourism on the community, in May 2004, Planet
Dive alone paid out over four hundred thousand pesos for goods or services to the community.
Considering May was a low month, it would still translate to P4.8M direct revenue to households
per year. The actual direct local expense of Planet would average between five to six million per
year before taxes.
PLANET DIVE, INC.
SCHEDULE 3 - OPERATING EXPENSES
FOR THE MONTH ENDED MAY 31, 2004
Salaries & wages
Salaries & wages
Employee benefit
Light & water
P 90,275
22,000
17,951
29,022
Communication
7,115
Meal allowance
Dining & kitchen supplies
Housekeeping supplies
6,732
1,319
Laundry services
Office supplies
Repairs & maintenance
Fuel
27,985
3,538
32,300
14,450
Miscellaneous
7,634
Fees & dues
Commission
SCUBA supplies
Transportation
10,400
8,077
Boat rental
5,629
128,550
Total Operating Expenses
(Andres & Cabigao)
P 412,677
Environmental Impact
By all existing standards of all studies made (White/Christie97, White/Christie 2001,
Fenner2003, Carpenter /Springer2004) in the last five years, show that the conditions of both
fisheries and marine resources in the general Anilao area improved. The “Anilao” book
(Tuazon/CuUnjing2002) was awarded the Golden Leaf Award in Paris and another seal of
recognition in the United States. The book contains nothing but pictures of marine life in the
area. It can be credited for drawing world wide diver attention to the marine bio-diversity of this
area. Both diver and fisher testimonials attest to the findings of surveys done in the area. Divers
will tell you that shark, schooling barracuda and turtle sightings are common. Larger pelagics
such as yellow fin tuna, blue fin tuna, wahoos, dorados, Spanish mackerel, jacks and pompanos
are becoming regular. Manta rays, eagle rays and dolphins are becoming less and less rare. Fish
catch is the most outstanding indicator of all. Record catches of two tons landed by four small
boats and six hundred fifty kilos dragged to shore by one boat were set in 2004. Half of the two
tons of Alumahan (Fusilier) was sold in Talaga pier for P32,000.00. That’s P 8,000.00/boat for
one nights fishing. To top it all, the lowly “Tamban”(Sardine) went uncaught for seven years
until it just came back in droves in late 2003. Today tamban is a regular catch together with
galunggong, dulong, alumahan, tambakol and guliasan.
LESSONS LEARNED
Counting intangibles as part of the bottom line increases profit and improves business climate.
Not all unnecessary expenses are losses.
Sharing the profit margin of revenue centers outside your core business and competence secures
your position.
In a community based tourism scenario the resort must integrate into the community and not the
other way around.
Protection, management and judicious use of tourism resources perpetuates livelihood for all.
Partnership with other resource users assures genuine protection of the resource.
PLANET DIVE RECOGNIZES THAT COMMUNITY, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
NGOS ARE ESSENTIAL PARTNERSHIP ELEMENTS IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
FRAMEWORK ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
PLANET DIVE EXPERIENCE
NGOs, Academe
SUPPORT TO ORG DEV
AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
COMMUNITY
LGU
PARTICIPATION IN
LOCAL GOVERNANCE
PLANET DIVE
Developmental / environmental
orientation of the owners
Corporate Social
Responsibility
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT/CONSERVATION
ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD
AND CO-MANAGEMENT