TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Nov. 12 (PIA) -- Seeing that managing its coastal and marine resources is best implemented by a tightly knit network of local government units (LGUs), Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado reconstituted the coastal protection and monitoring program through the Coastal law Enforcement Council (CLEC) and provided mechanisms and implementing funds.

Through Executive Order No. 47 signed on Oct. 24, the governor also made more relevant the initial Memorandum of Agreement signed in 2001 between and among the provincial government, LGUs, national government agencies, and non-government organizations setting up the Bohol CLEC.

CLEC is the measure Bohol adopted in 2001, when it met tough issues in the implementation of the Fisheries Code of the Philippines through Republic Act 7160.

As the Fisheries Code was implemented, heavily outnumbered marine law enforcement agencies play cat and mouse with poachers, illegal fishers, and violators of the law, while marginal fishers end up with a few catch, endangering the region’s resource management.

With Section 3 (g) in relation to 3(i) of the Local Government Code of 1991 which mandates the capabilities of LGUs especially municipalities and barangays by providing them opportunities to participate actively in the implementation of national programs and projects by sharing in the responsibility of management and maintenance of the ecological balance, Bohol adopted a multi-sectoral

CLEC to address the marine law implementation loopholes.

The decision to unify a multi-sectoral coastal law enforcement team appealed generally well to fish wardens who are joined by representatives of the Philippine National Police, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Justice, Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Police, National Bureau of Investigation, lawyers, provincial agriculture office, local officials, non-government organizations, and even other sectors.

The most common issue when poaching fishermen from another town are chased by marine law enforcers is that as soon as they cross town boundaries, fish wardens lose the authority over the jurisdiction.

With the CLEC, the cluster town representatives tend to retain jurisdiction because representatives of the next town is also part of the boarding party.

Section 5 of the new executive order names eight CLEC Clusters in Bohol tasked to implement the program, namely: Tagbilaran City for Cluster 1; Cortes, Maribojoc, Loon, and Calape for Cluster 2; and Tubigon, Clarin, Inabanga, and Buenavista for Cluster 3.
Cluster 4 includes Getafe, Talibon, Trinidad, Bien Unido, and President Carlos P. Garcia, while Cluster 5 covers Ubay, Mabini and Candijay and Cluster 6 are Anda, Guindulman, Duero and Jagna.

Cluster 7 covers Valencia, Garcia Hernandez, Dimiao and Lila and Cluster 8 has Loat, Alburquerque, Baclayon, Panglao, and Dauis. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)