TIM eMagazine Vol.1 Issue 3
Unlike the Repedros, the family of 63-year-old Bibot
Advincula of Tolosa, Leyte lost everything they had,
including all their boats.
“On the day the typhoon arrived in Leyte, a deep
bellow from the winds rang through the evacuation
center where my family and I sought refuge. The winds
shattered the glass windows and we could hear the sea
swallowing and flattening our homes. Out of fear, I
raised my hands in surrender. I was honestly prepared
to die.”
Thankfully, Bibot and his family survived one of the
worst disasters to ever hit the Philippines.
Today – two years after Haiyan – Erma’s husband and
Bibot are back in the water with their own fibreglass
boats. Fishers from their villages also rely on these
humble yet powerful 15-foot bancas they themselves
built.
These communities are among the recipients of 1,000
fibreglass boats produced to date through Bancas for
the Philippines, a program of the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF-Philippines) to help local fishers rebuild
their lives and get back on their feet.
Bancas for the Philippines and Climate-Smart
Technologies
A future defined by climate change means that more
extreme weather events will come and that more
fishing boats will be damaged. Considering that 40%
of Philippine fishers live below the poverty line, it is
important to prepare local fishers for rougher seas
ahead.
Bancas for the Philippines offers a platform that
improves fishers’ resilience to climate change impacts.
Veering away from dole-outs and band-aid solutions,
Bancas for the Philippines taught fishers how to build
their own fiberglass bancas and replicate boat moulds
for future use and succeeding generations.
Since its launch in February 2014, the project has
reached out to 18 communities across Haiyan’s trail of
destruction. These include fishing villages that received
little public attention plus sparse disaster recovery
assistance from local and international aid agencies.
The project provided the trainees with moulds, tools,
raw material kits, and cash for work to build the bancas
for their fishing villages. With the help of local partners,
the project selected communities and recipients on the
basis of who needed assistance the most.
“Through the generous support of partners and
donors, was able to exceed its target of 600 boats.
By August 2015, the fishers and boatmakers we have
trained under Bancas for the Philippines have been
were able to build exactly 1000 fibreglass bancas,”
said Patrick Co, head of WWF-Philippines’ Adaptive
Technologies Unit.
Why fibreglass?
Compared with their wooden counterparts, fibreglass
boats are cheaper and faster to make, and last longer
if they are cared for properly. Fibreglass hulls are
also watertight, lightweight and reduce maintenance
requirements and costs. They are leak-proof. Naval
architect Ramon Binamira Jr., who designed the
project’s fibreglass boat model, estimates that the boat’s
hull is at least thrice more puncture-resistant than one
with an eight to ten millimeter-thick wooden frame.
Bancas for the Philippines Project Manager Toni
Munar shared that some fishers had initial reluctance
against to building fibreglass bancas – having relied
throughout their lives on wooden vessels for food and
income.
“Because we introduced a new technology, some
trainees were initially not convinced about fibreglass
boats as a climate-smart alternative. But when we did
an impact test, they witnessed how fibreglass boats are
more durable than what they were accustomed to using.
This made better economic sense,” said Munar.
PROVINCE
CITY OR TOWN
Leyte
Tacloban City and the municipalities of Tanauan, Palo, Tolosa, Mayorga, and
Abuyog
Palawan
Calamianes Group of Islands (Municipalities of Coron, Culion, Busuanga and
Linapacan)
Iloilo
Municipalities of Estancia and Carles
Cebu
Municipality of Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island
Aklan
Municipalities of Kalibo, New Washington, Tangalan, and Numancia
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