Restoration, Development and Governance of Dagatan Lake, San Antonio, Quezon, Philippines

Restoration, Development and Governance of Dagatan Lake, 

San Antonio, Quezon, Philippines

This is the authors’ original manuscript of an article published in 

Taiwan Water Conservancy Journal (2017), vol. 65, no.1, pp. 44–54

Bing Baltazar C. Brillo, PhD.

UP Scientist and Associate Professor

Institute for Governance and Rural Development

College of Public Affairs and Development

University of the Philippines Los Ban͂os

Email: bbbrillo@yahoo.com; bcbrillo@up.edu.ph

Ephraim C. Quinones, M.A.

Assistant Professor 

Institute for Governance and Rural Development

College of Public Affairs and Development

University of the Philippines Los Ban͂os

Aileen V. Lapitan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor 

Institute for Governance and Rural Development

College of Public Affairs and Development

University of the Philippines Los Ban͂os 

Abstract

Predicated on the scarcity of socio-political studies on small lakes in the Philippines and on a small town’s successful revival of a ‘dead’ lake, the article looks into the governance and development experience of Dagatan Lake. Specifically, it delineates the governance practice in Dagatan Lake using the critical areas identified in the Integrated Lake Basin Management’s (ILBM) framework, and explains the key factors behind the small lake’s restoration. The study finds that: (a) on institutions— an ‘active’ local government was a decisive factor in the restoration project; (b) on policies— the formulation of a Master Development Plan (MDP) is a vital management-development issue; (c) on participation— the practice of development continues to be top-down; (d) on technology and information— scientific interventions remain critical in sustaining the conservation efforts; (e) on finance— partnership with the private sector should be explored post-restoration. The study contends that the successful restoration of Dagatan Lake was anchored on the confluence of three factors: (i) the local government’s adoption of agri-tourism strategy; (ii) local lobbying for the lake’s preservation; and (iii) the tapping of informal ties to DA-BFAR for assistance. The article expands governance and development studies on small lakes in the country as it places Dagatan Lake on the map of scholarly discourse.

Keywords

Dagatan Lake, Development, Governance, Lake Restoration, 

San Antonio, Small Lake, Philippines

1. Introduction

Dagatan Lake is a small freshwater lake situated in San Antonio, Quezon. By road, it is only 10 kilometres away from Tikub Lake of Tiaong, Quezon (see Figure 1), and about 27 kilometres away from the seven crater lakes of San Pablo City, Laguna. Unlike those other small lakes, which are relatively well-known in the Philippines, Dagatan Lake has been so  little-known that it was even thought of as a dead or dried-up lake. Until recently, it has been virtually unheard of in scholarly literature, particularly in lake studies in the country (see Brillo 2015a). Dagatan Lake’s successful restoration— making it the ‘newest’ small lake in the country invites query as how a fourth-class municipality with relatively less resources than most towns, was able to pull it off where others failed. Such remarkable achievement offers a good case for illustrating and evaluating the governance and development of a small lake, considering that many small lakes in the country are arbitrarily governed and ecologically threatened (e.g., Aralar et al. 2005; Fernandez 2011; Aralar et al. 2013; LLDA 2014; GNF 2014). Small lakes also suffer from scholarly neglect despite prevalence in the country as the overwhelming majority of lake studies heavily concentrate on the major lakes (Brillo 2015a; see also Guerrero III 2001, 2005). On top of this, the few existing information about small lakes mostly relate to limnology and aquaculture studies, evidently pointing to the paucity of socio-political studies (Brillo 2015a; see also Brillo 2015b,c, 2016a,b,c). The imbalance in literature makes it imperative to generate more of the much-needed academic research on governance and development of small inland water resources in the country.  

The article assesses the governance and the restoration-development of Dagatan Lake. In particular, it delineates the governance of Dagatan Lake using the critical areas identified by the Integrated Lake Basin Management (ILBM), explains the key factors behind the small lake’s restoration and development, and elucidates the issues and lessons drawn from the experience. On the whole, the study aims to literally put Dagatan Lake on the map of scholarly literature (specifically, in small lake studies, and generally, in water resources studies) and advance the governance-development studies on small lake in the country. As a caveat, the paper defines a small lake as an inland body of water that is permanent in nature (not intermittent) with a surface area of at least one hectare but not more than 200 hectares (see Brillo 2015a). The concept of restoration, development and governance are broadly defined in the study. Simply, restoration refers to the process of reviving and rehabilitating the lake and its ecosystem; development refers to the process of bring economic and/or social improvement in the lake and its community; and governance refers to the systems and process of managing, utilising and conserving the small lake.

2. Methodology and Methods

The study employed a case study design in examining the governance and development of Dagatan Lake. Data drawn from interviews, focused group discussions, site observations and few existing documents on the lake were analysed using content analysis approach where they are classified into a set of criteria. The criteria adopted are that of the ILBM’s critical areas of governance: (a) institutions (refer to the presence of effective organisations), (b) policies (refer to the existence of broad plans and specific rules), (c) participation (refers to the involvement of people), (d) technology (refers to the utilisation of technological interventions) and information (refers to the adoption of traditions and scientific knowledge), and (e) finance (refers to the adequacy and sustainability of funds) (see ILEC 2007; Nakamura and Rast 2012). The ILBM is the most recent approach in lake governance which, in principle, takes a holistic perspective and is committed to integrated management of lakes and their basin via incremental, continuous and improvement of governance (Nakamura and Rast 2011). The findings are outlined in a narrative presentation which proceeds as follows: first, the status, restoration and development of Dagatan Lake; second, the assessment of the small lake’s governance; and the conclusion.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 The Status, Restoration and Development of Dagatan Lake

Dagatan Lake is an inland water resource located in Barangay San Jose in the Municipality of San Antonio, Quezon. It is rectangular-shaped and has a surface area of around seven hectares only (see Figure 2). The small lake’s main access point is its northern tip at Barangay San Jose Road, which connects to the Tiaong-Lipa Highway. Unlike Tikub Lake and the seven crater lakes which are volcanic in origin (LLDA 2008; PAWD-CENRO 2013), Dagatan Lake is a natural depression which has served as the catch basin of the surrounding lands. It has no water inlets and outlets or flowing natural springs which, consequently, makes the water level shrink during summer and swell back during rainy season. It becomes replenished by rainfall and surface runoff, and gets discharged by seepage, evaporation and overflow to the adjacent rice fields. In the past, Dagatan Lake was utilised for subsistence fishing, domestic purposes (e.g., washing clothes, bathing, and as waterhole for animals), and as a traditional water source for crop cultivation. In the 1950s, the local fisherfolk introduced and cultivated water hyacinths in the small lake to enhance it as spawning grounds of the native fishes. However, the water hyacinths proliferated uncontrollably, eventually covering the surface of the entire lake (PAWD-CENRO 2013). Over the years, many people were led to believe that the small lake had dried up completely.

In the 1980s, locals lobbied for the local government to include the revival of Dagatan Lake in San Antonio’s agricultural development agenda. They insisted that the small lake continue to subsist as water remains beneath the dense covering vegetation. In response, the Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Council (MAFC) launched a project to introduce tilapia farming in Dagatan Lake. The project facilitated the establishment of a cooperative, clearing a portion of the vegetation, and the installation of ten fish cages. However, tilapia cage farming in Dagatan Lake only flourished for as long as the local government sponsored the project. It lasted for only a couple of years due mainly to slow fish growth and management issues. Since the project’s failure, Dagatan Lake had remained untouched by development activities for the next two decades. Eventually, the small lake was reclaimed by water hyacinth and surrounding grasses, reaching the point where the surface of the small lake was completely covered by vegetation. The relapse reinforced the notion among the locals that Dagatan Lake has dried up and is well on its way to being forgotten (see Figure 3).

At the heels of the Tourism Act of 2009 (Republic Act [RA] 9593), which endorses tourism as a major engine of the national economy, the Municipal Government adopted agri-tourism as a key strategy in promoting socio-economic development in 2010. In particular, the local government decided to prioritise tourism promotion through its vision of making the town ‘the resort capital of Quezon Province’ (Local Government of San Antonio 2012). Under this context, the possibility of restoring and developing Dagatan Lake became an administrative agenda. The local government grounded the idea to rehabilitate the small lake on past claims that the lake is not dead and that there is still water below the heavy covering of vegetation. In addition, local officials believed that reviving the Dagatan Lake will improve the irrigation needs of the farmers within the vicinity of the small lake. The move to revive the small lake was boosted by the Philippine Association of Water Districts’ (PAWD) and Community Environment and Natural Resources Office’s (CENRO) joint initial assessment of Dagatan Lake. The assessment reports the following: (a) the lake is in a degenerative state, mostly covered with water hyacinth and cattails; (b) the lake’s water can still be found aout half a meter below the accumulated vegetation; and (c) that the lake is teeming with native fishes, particularly the native catfish (PAWD-CENRO 2013; see also Local Government of San Antonio 2013). 

Being a fourth-class municipality with limited resources, the initial action taken by the local government was to seek external funding for the proposed restoration project— the cleaning and rehabilitation of Dagatan Lake. Early on, the Municipal Government sought financial assistance from various agencies but to no avail. The request of the local government was either turned down or unanswered by the likes of the Provincial Government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Tourism, and the Philippine Army. The crucial break came in 2012 when the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources (BFAR) manifested to the local government their interest in Dagatan Lake’s restoration project. The development of the linkage between the Municipal Government and DA-BFAR may be credited to key officials from the province of Quezon who have ties with San Antonio. For instance, Secretary Proceso J. Alcala of DA had been a two-term representative of the second district of Quezon, to which the town of San Antonio belongs. At the same time, Director Asis G. Perez of BFAR hails from the town of Tiaong, an immediate neighbour of San Antonio. This favourable circumstance facilitated the local government’s quest in securing resource assistance for the project. DA-BFAR agreed to provide funds and technical support for Dagatan Lake’s rehabilitation project under its fishery enhancement program for inland water resources (Palma 2015a,b). In particular, the conservation of the indigenous fish species found in the small lake, specifically Clarias macrocephalus (native catfish), Monopterus albus (Asian swamp eel), Trichogaster pectoralis (Snakeskin gourami), Cyprinus carpio (Common carp), Oreochromis sp. (Red tilapia), and Channa striata (Snakehead murrel). Since most of these freshwater fishes are endangered, their preservation was used as the main rationale for reviving Dagatan Lake.

Under the DA-BFAR fishery enhancement program, Dagatan Lake restoration project was officially launched on 25 March 2013. The funds allotted totalled 2.5 million pesos in 2013, 1.3 million pesos in 2014, and an additional 1.3 million pesos for the rehabilitation of the lake after typhoon Glenda.  At the onset, the restoration project utilised 80 labourers from the community to manually clear and remove the overlaying vegetation of the lake (Local Government of San Antonio 2013) (see Figure 4 and 5). The three-year rehabilitation project included the following activities: habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, fisheries repopulation, maintenance of fish refuge/sanctuary, and buffer zone rehabilitation (Palma 2015a). On the whole, the restoration of Dagatan Lake has resulted in the revival of indigenous fisheries resources, enhancement in the irrigation services of the inland water resources, and the fomentation of ecotourism development (Palma 2015b).

3.2 The Assessment of the Governance of Dagatan Lake

The ILBM is an approach in lake governance that is globally promoted by the International Lake Environment Committee (ILEC). It is based on the lessons learned from a study conducted by the Global Environment Facility-Lake Basin Management Initiative (GEF-LBMI) of 28 major lakes around the world from 2003 to 2005. In principle, the ILBM is grounded on the distinct properties of lakes: (a) integrating nature (that is, various forms of pollutants from diverse sources end up in lakes); (b) long retention time (that is, pollutants stay on the lake for a long time due to its depth, water volume, and stagnant nature); and (c) complex response dynamics (that is, as the ‘mixing bowl’ of various pollutant inputs, changes and interventions in the lake are intertwined, non-linear and multifaceted). As a governance and development approach, the ILBM underscores the watershed/basin system of lakes and is committed to integrated management for their sustainable use (see ILEC 2007; Nakamura and Rast 2011). 

In applying the ILBM to Dagatan Lake, the approach focuses on the critical areas in the governance and development of the small lake, specifically: (a) institutions that refer to the presence of agencies and/or organisations committed to the administering of the lake; (b) policies, which refer to plans and programs providing clear directions in managing and developing the lake; (c) participation, which refers to the practice of involving people in decisions and/or endeavours in the lake; (d) technology and information, which refer to the utilisation of technological interventions to improve the management/conservation of the lake and application of scientific/traditional knowledge to better understand the issues/problems; and (e) finance, which refers to the institutionalisation of a fund generation mechanism.

Institutions. Dagatan Lake is under the administration of the Municipal Government of San Antonio, Quezon. This authority emanates from the Local Government Code of the Philippines (RA 7160) which gives jurisdiction to the local government over the small lake as part of its geographical territory. In particular, the offices of the Municipal Agriculturist, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources (MENRO), and the Municipal Tourism are collectively responsible for the management, development and conservation of Dagatan Lake. The Municipal Government is assisted by two national agencies DA-BFAR and DENR-CENRO. The former was instrumental in the restoration project as fund source, and the latter conducted the preliminary assessment on the small lake. On the ground, the local government administers the small lake via the Dagatan Lake Fisherfolk Association (DLFA) which enforces the regulations and maintenance activities. DLFA was organised in 2014, as the municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) of the small lake, pursuant to the mandate of the Fisheries Code of the Philippines of 1998 (RA 8550). Presently, DLFA-MFARMC has 15 members (mostly lake residents), some of whom are provided allowance by the Municipal Government and designated as full-time lake maintenance workers of Dagatan Lake. 

The foremost factor that worked for the revival of Dagatan Lake is ‘active’ efforts of the local government. The Municipal Government of San Antonio took the initiative and was resolute in pursuing the restoration agenda of the small lake. Despite early setbacks, the local government was persistent in exploring possible avenues for generating the needed funds and help for its project. It succeeded when it was able to tap into informal ties— connecting with DA and BFAR, which at the time were headed by key officials from Quezon province who were in some way linked the town of San Antonio. DA-BFAR offered to finance the restoration and rehabilitation of the ‘forgotten’ small lake through its fishery enhancement program for inland water resources. Such commitment of a national agency was crucial since a fourth-class municipality with tight budget constraint would unlikely have launched and completed the restoration project by itself. In addition, the revival of Dagatan Lake also benefited from having a consensus support since there is virtually no opposition to the project from the community. Despite the existing partnership with DA-BFAR, the Municipal Government has to build more linkages down the road. In particular, the local government needs to sustain the flow of funds in order to maintain the conservation efforts in Dagatan Lake and to set off ecotourism development. To date, the small lake remains little known and lacks the basic facilities for tourism. A possible area to explore is cultivating the involvement of the Provincial Government, the local business community, and nongovernmental organisations. These institutions have so far been out of the picture in the undertakings in Dagatan Lake. 

Policies.  Dagatan Lake is primarily governed through the Local Government Code. On the other hand, its utilisation and development is guided by the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Tourism Act. These broad national laws frame the plans, programs and projects in Dagatan Lake. On the ground, the development of the small lake is defined by three utilisations— as a fishery sanctuary, irrigation services and tourism pursuit. The revival of Dagatan Lake was underpinned by the DA-BFAR fishery enhancement program for inland water resources, which was intended to preserve the endangered native fish species. In effect, it made the small lake a fishery sanctuary. The restoration of Dagatan Lake can also be considered to enhance its capacity to supply water to the surrounding farms. Tourism development in Dagatan Lake is guided by the Municipal Government’s agri-tourism pursuits and vision to make San Antonio the resort capital of the province. Transforming the small lake into a tourist destination is seen as a way to expand livelihood opportunities of the locals and to propel tourism development in the whole town.

The move to make Dagatan Lake a tourist destination, however, must align with the small lake’s conservation commitment— being a sanctuary for indigenous fishery resources. In harmonising the fishery sanctuary and tourism agenda, the basic step in Dagatan Lake is to formulate a Master Development Plan (MDP), which would serve as the overall framework for its management, utilisation and development. In principle, an MDP ensures that programs in the small lake are coherent, consistent, and suited to facilitate initiatives as it conveys direction for action. To make systematic headway toward the sustained development of Dagatan Lake, it is imperative for the Municipal Government to make an immediate effort to initiate the crafting of such an MDP. MDP formulation is more labor-intensive than capital-intensive activity. It primarily requires constant consultations and technical support, activities that can be handled by a fourth-class municipality with assistance from outside experts. 

Participation. Dagatan Lake has actively involved constituents and a local organisation in the DLFA-MFARMC which currently serves as the main platform for local participation. The involvement of the people was evident in the activities conducted to restore the small lake. At the onset, the locals supported and joined the effort to clean and remove the covering vegetation of Dagatan Lake. They also mobilised via ‘bayanihan’ (voluntary work) for the subsequent activities, particularly tree planting, seeding of fingerlings, and clean-up operations after typhoon Glenda. However, the participation of the locals generally continues to be ‘top-down,’ in which undertakings and decisions are solely determined by the Municipal Government. The commitment of the local government remains the crucial factor on initiatives in Dagatan Lake, regardless of the participation of the people.

Technology and Information. Technological and scientific interventions have been poured into Dagatan Lake. These interventions were evident during the restoration process under the guidance of DA-BFAR. In particular, the following were undertaken: (a) water quality evaluation; (b) indigenous fish stocks verification; (c) re-population via fingerling seeding; and (d) fish sanctuary-hatchery establishment. Beyond this, technological interventions and scientific information are still necessary for sustaining the conservation of the small lake, as well as in better understanding and addressing the threats it faces. For instance, the geophysical features around Dagatan Lake suggest that the body of water is the natural catch basin of the surrounding area, which suggests the possibility of a siltation problem. Considering Dagatan Lake is only about seven hectares and its depth is still undetermined, a scientific study is needed to certify whether run-off instigated siltation poses a serious infilling risk to the small lake’s long term existence. Furthermore, information from historical research may also help advance tourism in Dagatan Lake. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Dagatan Lake has a historical significance for its proximity to a former Japanese military detachment site during World War II. A historical study would authenticate the claim which, if true, can create more interests in Dagatan Lake as well as heighten its tourism pitch not only as a restored inland water resource and fish sanctuary but also as a ‘historical’ lake.

Finance. Sourcing funds is a major problem in Dagatan Lake. From early on, finances for proposing and initiating the revival of the small lake had been a challenge. At present, funding for organising and instituting tourism in the small lake is much needed. Although fund scarcity is a common problem in resource management-conservation-development activities of local governments, such setback is acute in Dagatan Lake since the local government belongs to one of the lowest income classes among Philippine municipalities. Even though the whole restoration project was underpinned by DA-BFAR funds and technical assistance, the municipal government needs to explore other financial sources for sustained conservation efforts as well as to kick-start the establishment of infrastructure for tourism in Dagatan Lake in the coming years. The private sector, specifically the private sector can be considered as funding partners as they yet to be tapped for the small lake’s restoration and development. Furthermore, the institutionalisation of financial support from the local government is another concern in the management of Dagatan Lake. At present, the funding support is discretionary on the part of the Municipal Government which provides allowance to the maintenance workers of the small lake. The funding support for the small lake’s continued development must be institutionalised as a regular item in the Municipal Government’s annual budget to ensure that this practice would extend beyond the current administration. Such measure would ensure that whoever sits at the helm of the Municipal Government at any time cannot exclude Dagatan Lake from the fiscal agenda.

4. Conclusion

The article examined the governance and the restoration-development of Dagatan Lake. In looking at the nitty-gritty of governance using ILBM’s critical areas, the study’s assessment of the Dagatan Lake experience illustrates the following: (a) in institutions, the decisive factor is having an ‘active’ local government that takes the initiative and is resolute in reviving the small lake; (b) in policies, the key issue is the formulation of an MDP which would serve as framework in managing, utilising and developing the small lake as well as in harmonising the fishery conservation and tourism agenda; (c) in participation, the arrangement vis-a-vis activities and decisions continues to be ‘top-down’— defined from above by the local government regardless of the active involvement/participation of the locals; (d) in technology and information, scientific interventions which have been utilised in the restoration of the small lake remains crucial, particularly in managing and in better understanding conservation issues; and (e) in finance, the funding problem is ubiquitous but addressing this in post-restoration necessitates exploring partnership with the private sector, particularly the business and non-governmental organisations. Moreover, the successful restoration of Dagatan Lake can be explained by the confluence of three factors: (i) the local government’s adoption of agri-tourism strategy which elevated the agenda of reviving the small lake; (ii) local lobbying efforts; and (iii) tapping of informal ties to gain access to funding and technical assistance from DA-BFAR through its fishery enhancement program for inland water resources. These findings delineate the face of governance practice in Dagatan Lake, as well as the working ingredients behind the restoration-development of the small lake by a municipality in the country’s economic fringes.

The successful revival of Dagatan Lake offers a model for resource restoration and conservation. Its governance experience offers a broad guide for managing the many other endangered small lakes in the country. This contribution is timely and consequential, considering: first, the now universally recognised thinking that many issues on water resources are largely associated with failure of governance (see UNESCO 2012; World Water Council 2012; UNWWAP 2015; UNDP-WGF 2015); second, the threatened condition of many lakes in the Philippines (see Aralar et al. 2005; Fernandez 2011; Aralar et al. 2013; GNF 2014); third, the acknowledged abundance of small lakes in the country and in the world (see Lehner and Doll 2004; Downing et al. 2006; Oertli et al. 2009; Brillo 2015a); and lastly, the now-accepted significance of small lakes in maintaining the global ecology (see Kelly et al. 2001; Smith et al. 2002; Scheffer et al. 2006; Hanson et al. 2007; Downing 2010). The article also literally placed Dagatan Lake on the map of scholarly literature by providing key socio-political information on the formerly ‘dead’ small lake. To end, this study hopes to help ‘democratise’ lake studies in the Philippines by precipitating more studies beyond the major lakes— onto the many other small lakes in the country, particularly in the area of governance and development.

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Dagatan Lake of San Antonio, Quezon

Figure 2: Satellite photo of Dagatan Lake

Figure 3: Vegetation overlay of Dagatan Lake

Figure 4: Vegetation clearing of Dagatan Lake

Figure 5: Dagatan Lake after the restoration efforts