Roberto “Ka Dodoy” Ballon, Coalition of Municipal Fisherfolk Associations (COMFAS) Chairperson, was the awardee in the 63rd Ramon Magsaysay from the Philippines, alongside great transformative leaders in Asia.

COMFAS is one of the Rural Peoples; Organizations being supported by AsiaDHRRA in the Philippines.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing causes financial losses and

decline in fish catches, harm biodiversity, facilitates transnational crime, and threatens human security. The COMFAS was formed by fishers organizations to tackle illegalities and degradation of natural resources.

COMFAS works closely with the Xavier Agriculture Extension Service Foundation Inc. and mobilizes support from the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation, AsiaDHRRA, and local governments for its coastal conservation mangrove reforestation activities.

In partnership with non-governmental organizations and other institutions, COMFAS has helped develop the technical skills of fisherfolks and expanded their knowledge around social enterprise and access to finance. Capacity building in organizational development, finance, trade, social protection, aquaculture, and environmental conservation has also been delivered.

Over the years, with the support from municipal, provincial and national governmental agencies, COMFAS’s action has reduced illegal fishing; established fish and marine sanctuaries covering over 9,000 hectares of mangrove forests; and rehabilitated more than 15,000 mangrove forests in Sibugaey Bay. Massive mangrove rehabilitation has helped the regeneration of biodiversity in the bay. This has already provided positive benefits to fishers along the strip of municipal waters in Buug to Tungawan municipalities, which have reported an increase of approximately 30 percent in the average fish catch per trip over 12 years.

More about COMFAS in this link:

https://www.asiadhrra.org/asiadhrra2014/resources/videos/

Featured photo: credits to Rappler
Post photo: credits to Ramon Magsaysay Award