{"id":58493,"date":"2025-06-28T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/tide-of-change-in-philippines-as-women-revive-watersheds-and-livelihoods\/"},"modified":"2025-06-28T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T12:00:00","slug":"tide-of-change-in-philippines-as-women-revive-watersheds-and-livelihoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=58493","title":{"rendered":"Tide of change in Philippines as women revive watersheds and livelihoods"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Onshore, women in this tropical zone gather to mend torn nets, sort the day\u2019s catch, and prepare their harvests for the market.<\/p>\n

Among them is Christina Guevarra, who gently frees a blue swimming crab from her net. \u201cFrom February to May, we are grateful,\u201d she told the UN ahead of the International Day of the Tropics\u00a0 marked annually on 29 June. \u201cBut after these months, especially when the rainy season begins, we have to find other ways to earn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Christina Guevarra removes crabs from fishing nets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Simple but hard life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Christina\u2019s family, like many others in Sasmuan, relies on the river\u2019s bounty, a livelihood increasingly threatened by dwindling fish populations and environmental degradation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult in coastal communities like ours because we are so dependent on the river\u2019s harvests,\u201d she explained. \u201cLife for us fishers is simple, but it\u2019s also hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

For generations, the local people have depended on the Sasmuan Pampanga coastal wetlands, part of a watershed that drains into Manila Bay.<\/p>\n

But pollution, poor waste management, and unsustainable practices now imperil its biodiversity and the local economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wastes we see in the river also come from upstream communities,\u201d said Irene Villar, Assistant Head of Pampanga\u2019s Environment and Natural Resources Office. \u201cEven with proper waste disposal and policies in place, enforcement remains a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Edna\n<\/div>\n

Edna Bilacog and Rose Ann Tungol have been supporting their families as waste segregators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

To address these issues, the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project which is financed by the Global Environment Facility, implemented by\u00a0 the UN Development Programme (UNDP)\u00a0has partnered with the Provincial Government of Pampanga and local groups to promote sustainable practices including not only on conserving waterways but also on uplifting vulnerable communities\u2014especially women.<\/p>\n

In Sasmuan, women like Edna Bilacog and Rose Ann Tungol find work at a Materials Recovery Facility, sorting household waste. Their pay, about 175 pesos a day (US$4), is well below the local minimum wage. \u201cWhat we earn barely meets our needs,\u201d they admit, but their work helps sustain their families.<\/p>\n

Net gain<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Others, like Maricar Guevarra, have relied on traditional crafts. A skilled weaver for over 20 years, she earns about $4 per repaired net and $13 for a large one known as a panti<\/em>, which takes four days to complete. \u201cThis has been my main source of income, especially when my husband fell ill,\u201d she said. To make ends meet, she also does laundry and sells home-cooked meals.<\/p>\n

Women also lead the crab trade, detangling crustaceans from nets and preparing them for market, though unsustainable aquaculture from nearby fishponds threatens their livelihood. In response, many have diversified. During the off-season, they work as helpers, labourers, or store employees in nearby towns.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The\n<\/div>\n

The blue swimming crab is abundant in the Sasmuan Pampanga coastal wetland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In the village of Batang 2nd, a women\u2019s group turns sea purslane, a wild riverbank weed, into atchara<\/em> (pickled salad), while on the mainland, Patricia Culala has built a business around crab paste. \u201cThe fat from the crab is the tastiest part\u2014that\u2019s what I preserve and sell in bottles,\u201d she explained. \u201cThrough this business, I was able to send my children to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

The women of Sasmuan are both resilient and innovative. But without sustainable solutions, their future remains uncertain. Fair wages, community-led conservation, and responsible river management are essential to preserving the wetlands, and the lives they nourish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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