TIM eMagazine Vol.1 Issue 3
Bancas for the Philippines was able to train 48 fishers and boatbuilders from 18 towns
and cities from five provinces most devastated by Haiyan, the strongest tropical cyclone
in recorded history. Two years after the storm, 1000 fibreglass boats have been built.
(Derrick Lim / Imagine Nation Photography)
Philippines has also helped reduce existing pressure on
our forests and seas.
The Philippines loses about 157,000 hectares of
forest cover each year. Relying on wood to rebuild
the thousands of damaged boats threatens to upscale
deforestation. A fiberglass banca helps curb the
country’s dependence on wood as a major boatbuilding
component.
Binamira estimated that the project’s fibreglass boat
model was is equivalent to 28 board feet of wood. Thus,
a thousand fibreglass boats have saved the country at
least 28,000 board feet of wood.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’
(BFAR) National Stock Assessment Program also
showed that 10 out of 13 fishing grounds are already
heavily exploited. The project avoided increasing fishing
pressure by providing only 15-foot fibreglass boats
without engines and by promoting artisanal fishing.
Keeping Hope Afloat
Two years after Haiyan, much remains to be done.
Sustainable recovery will be a long process but Bancas
for the Philippines is a pioneering initiative that
empowers local fishers to chart a climate-resilient
future for their families and communities.
Bibot, for example, has built more than 20 fibreglass
boats for fishing families in Tolosa and continues to be a
source of inspiration for his community.
Concludes Munar, “Bancas for the Philippines
has given me a deep sense of hope. While I see its
immediate impact on the lives of fibreglass boatmakers
and recipients, I also see the project as a viable longterm solution for fishing communities that are highly
vulnerable to climate change impacts.”
Indeed, when you give a man some fish, you feed
him for a day. But teaching him how to build his own
fibreglass boat will help him secure a better future for
his family.
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