Sibalom-San Jose River Watershed

A Case Study written by MarilouLlavan

Antique Human Development Program (AHDP
Member, Antique Development Council

"For the past eight years, I have seen the fulfillment of my dreams, I have
seen that there are more dreams to work for, and even to fight for..
I will continue to tilt against windmills, I will continue to reach the
impossible dream even against unbeatable foes." Gov. Evelio B. Javier
ANTIQUE RIVER WATERSHEDS

Antique: Where the

Mountains Meet the Sea

1. Libertad Rivers Watershed

2. Pandan Rivers Watershed
3. Sebaste Rivers Watershed

The Province of Antique is one

4. Culasi Rivers Watershed
5. Tibiao Rivers Watershed
of six provinces of Western
6. Dalanas Rivers Watershed
Visayas and is located in the
western portion of Panay Island
7. Laua-an Rivers Watershed
8. Paliuan Watershed
in Central Philippines. Of its
9. Cangaranan Watershed
total land area of 252,200
10.Patnongon Rivers Watershed
11.Sibalom River Basin
hectares, 83% are upland and
12.San Jose Rivers Watershed
17% are lowland. Its total
13.Hamtic Rivers Watershed
coastline is estimated at 311
14.Dao Rivers Watershed
kilometers.
This
rugged
15.Anini-y Rivers Watershed
landscape is crisscrossed with
fifteen major river systems that
originate from the Central and
Northern Panay Mountain Ranges Because of this physical make up, Antique is popularly known
as the province where the mountains meet the sea. However, this rugged yet majestic landscape
also makes the province prone to landslides and flooding along river basins. The frequency and
magnitude of these disasters have increased in past few years and is attributed by most on the
degradation of the environment, especially of the upland areas.
Majority of the people of Antique (known as Antiquenos) depend on agriculture and fisheries for
their livelihood; hence, climatic and weather disruptions have a magnified effect on the province.
Keeping the balance of nature is paramount in order to sustain the Antiqueno way of life.
Recognizing this, the provincial government has historically pushed for sustainable development.
The late Evelio B. Javier, past Provincial Governor and hero, prioritized reforestation and
sustainable agriculture through his Upland Development Program. The establishment of the
Antique Integrated Area Development in the 90s continued and expanded this tradition through

the implementation of environment-focused programs such as the Critical Area Protection

(CAP), Coastal Resource Management (CRM) and promotion of sustainable livelihood (e.g.
SALT, SCLI). In all these, government partnered with Peoples Organizations (POs), NonGovernment Organizations and other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
As an offshoot of the awareness created by these initiatives resource-based management
structures were set up such as the Libertad Pandan Sebaste CulasiBaywide Management
Council (LIPASECU), CoastHaven (composed of San Jose, Hamtic, Tobias Fornier and Aniniy), and the Northwest Panay Peninsula Management Council. Currently, there are four protected
areas in the province: the Sibalom Natural Park (formerly the Mau-it Tipuluan River
Watershed), the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park, the Padlusan National Forest Reserve
and the Dalanas River Watershed.
More recently, a multisectoral,
multi-agency
convergence program was
launched covering towns in
Central Antique. Following
the ridge-reef approach to
sustainable development, the
convergence program is a
partnership between the
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources, the
Department of Agriculture,
the local government units
(provincial and municipal) as
well local civil society
organizations.
Last April 12, 2011, a
Provincial
Watershed
Summit was conducted, which resulted to the formulation of a multi-sector provincial technical
working group to map out the future of environmental management in Antique.

The Sibalom River Watershed

Based on surveys and hydromaps, the Sibalom River Watershed stretches from the south-southeastern portions of the Municipalities of Valderrama and Patnongon, the entire Municipalities of
San Remigio and Sibalom, and certain portions of Hamtic, San Jose and Belison. It covers two
protected areas:

The Sibalom Natural Park (Formerly known as the Mau-it Tipulu-an River Watershed
Forest Reserve by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 605 dated June 28, 1990). The
SNP was declared a Protected Area by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 282 under

RA No. 7586 or NIPAS Act on 23 April 2000. It is one of the few remaining lowland
forests in Panay and has an area of 5,511.47 hectares located in geographical coordinates:
120 and 4 to 122 11 and 10 longitude with latitude of 10 and 42 to 10 and 49.

Padlusan Natural Forest Reserve. The PNFR lies on the southernmost tip of the Central
Panay Mountains from Osorio II and Clara Valley in Aningalan (Antique) and running
north-northwest
northwest from Panpanan II to Panpanan I; bordered
by Valderrama, Antique in the North, and Leon, Iloilo in the
west. It was identified as extremely high-urgent
high
(EHU) site
by the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priority-Setting
Priority
Program (PBCPP) and as one of the 117 key conservation
sites in the Philippines Important
tant Bird Area (IBA PH
61).

The Sibalom River Watershed has an estimated area of about

62,964.62 hectares. Its forest cover is about 54% or
34,000.89 has., while 9.6% or 6,065.40 hectares are
considered riceland. Other land uses include: 3,264.60 has.
planted to coconut, 5,317.50 has.
has. with mixed tree crops and 18,101.10 hectares are classified as
grasslands.
Significant portions or 72% of the watershed are located at high elevations. Its lowland area is
about 11% of the watershed while uplands and hilly lands are estimated to be 17
1 percent.
An estimate of 41,608.40 hectares or about 66 % of the watershed has a slope of more than 18
degrees while agricultural lands with slopes of 00-88 degrees is approximately 8,419 hectares or
13.2 % of the total area. About 79% of the watershed have
have moderate to severe erosion due to
steep slope conditions and inefficient soil cover. Of these, approximately 9,932.8 hectares or 16
percent with slopes above 50 degrees suffer from potential problems related to mass movements.
Around 13,438 hectares or about
bout 21.3% of the total watershed has slight erosion problems.
These areas have slopes below 8 degrees or are covered by tree crops and forest trees.
The Sibalom River Watershed as a Key Conservation Site
Several biodiversity surveys have been conducted in the Sibalom River Watershed, but these
focused mainly on the Sibalom Natural Park and some areas of the Padlusan National Forest
Reserve. These include: a German Forest Resource Inventory (1987), DENR Field Survey
(1997), Fauna inventory using visual and bio-coustical
coustical observation (1999), Rapid site assessment
and Biophysical Assessment conducted by the Haribon Foundation (2002
(2002),
), Biological survey by
Haribon and Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation (2003, 2005) and Ethnobiological
Survey conducted by Marisol dG. Pedregosa (2005).
(2005)
Cumulatively these studies show that the watershed has high levels of endemic species of flora
and fauna, several of which are endangered. Notable findings include:
64 floral species have been recorded, Nine (9) are considered
considered endangered and six (6) are
endemic;

Discovery of the Rafflesiaspeciosa and Rafflesialobato, species of the worlds biggest

flower
76 species of birds were recorded, 28 are Philippine endemics, 41 are dependent on the
forest for survival
A total of 21 mammalian species was recorded which include 8 species of bats, (3
species fruit bats and 5 insectivorous bats), 5 species of rats and mice, 2 species of civets
and 1 species each of deer, pig, monkey, bat and shrew. Of these mammalian species, 6
are endemic to the Philippines. 3 new species of bats were recorded during the survey.
43 herpetofaunal species were recorded of which, 25 are endemic to the Philippines.
five globally-important species for conservation as determined by the 2000 IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species and CITES are known to be found in the Sibalom River
Watershed. These are the Swamp Frog (Limnonectesleytensis), Giant Visayan Frog
(Limnonectesvisayanus),
Negros
Truncate-toed
Chorus
Frog
(Kaloulaconjunctanegrosensis), Sailfin Water Lizard (Hydrosauruspustulatus) and
Collared Monitor Lizard (Varanussalvatornuchalis)

The Watershed as Life Support

The Sibalom River Watershed supplies surface and ground water to five municipalities, namely
San Remigio, Sibalom, Belison, Hamtic and the provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista. The
Sibalom River and its tributaries have an average flow discharge of 20,000 cubic meters. The
Mau-it Tipuluan Reservoir flows through the Sibalom River with a drainage stretch of 564
square kilometers being used for domestic, industrial and irrigation purposes used by 5,416
hectares of farm lands. It also supplies electricity to some households through hydroelectric
power generation.
Aside from providing support for agriculture, commerce and household needs, the watershed
also provides inland and coastal fishing opportunities for the five influenced municipalities.

Issues and Threats

Several issues were identified that imperils the balance of the Sibalom River Watershed. These
include activities that threaten biodiversity, forest cover, long-term agricultural productivity, and
coastal / marine life.
Presence of alienable and disposable lands, and limited forests within the protected areas
Unregulated wildlife hunting. This includes game hunting for food and recreation as well
as for wildlife trade;
Unregulated extraction of timber and non-timber forest products;
Unregulated conversion of land from forest to agricultural, and from agricultural to
commercial / industrial;
Illegal quarrying / mining. The Sibalom Watershed is rich in semi-precious stones, (like
amethyst, jade, quartz among others) and is also the source of sand and gravel of quarry

permittees. Areas of Sibalom and San Remigio have also been declared as mineralized
land, and have been opened to mining applications by the MGB;
Extensive use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides;
Deforestation / Farming along river easements;
Improper waste disposal, especially in built up areas
Unregulated tourist influx
Use of illegal fishing methods in inland and coastal areas
Destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forests

Protection efforts
Many initiatives have been undertaken by various stakeholders in order to curb these threats to
the watershed. Mostly, however, these are focused on upland / forest protection activities.

Forest. The declaration of the Sibalom Natural Park brought unprecedented attention to
the Sibalom River Watershed. The establishment of the SNP Protected Area Management
Board strengthened the policies and monitoring of programs, projects and activities
undertaken within the protected area. Non-Government organizations, such as the
Antique Human Development Program (AHDP), Inc. and the Haribon Foundation,
introduced projects geared towards watershed rehabilitation (through tree-growing,
Assisted Natural Regeneration), sustainable agriculture (agro-forestry / SALT,
rainforestation), bantaygubat strengthening, eco-tourism development and advocacy /
information campaigns. Links and partnerships between local government units
(provincial, municipal and barangay), peoples organizations and civil society
organizations were strengthened to share and maximize resources. All these were done in
complementation with the DENRs continuing programs for the rehabilitation and
protection of the SNP.
Agricultural Land. Sustainable farming methods and technologies such as organic and
integrated farming, MASIPAG, among others, have been introduced in certain areas but
failed to gain ground among local farmers.
Built up areas. Most of the influenced municipalities have formulated their
Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). Solid Waste Management Policies have also
been formulated but have not been implemented fully.
Coastal and Marine Areas. The Municipality of San Jose continues to implement its
Coastal Resource Management Program in partnership with the PROCESS Foundation.
The program includes the maintenance of the Marine Protected Area, bantaydagat
protective services, and constituency building.

Way Forward: The Sibalom River Watershed Management Council

Past environmental efforts show limited regard for the inter-connectivity of ecosystems. But with
the popularization of the holistic ridge to reef approach to watershed management this is
beginning to change. On August 20, 2010, a multi-sector Water Summit focusing on the Sibalom
River Watershed was conducted to bring all the stakeholders together for collaboration. The
following are the salient outputs of this activity:

Explore options for the establishment of the Sibalom River Watershed Management
Council. This council will be composed of various stakeholders including representatives
from the municipal governments, barangay governments, the provincial government,
office of the congressperson, SNP PAMB, DENR, NGOs, POs, agriculture sector,
fisheries sector, wter districts and commercial establishments;

Formulation of Watershed Management Plan and Integration / mainstreaming in the

Programs of all stakeholders and agencies / LGUs concerned. The plan will follow the
ridge to reef approach and shall include activities such as watershed rehabilitation / tree
growing strengthening of protective services (bantaygubat / dagat), relocation and
management of forest occupants, rehabilitation of barangay micro-watershed areas,
protection / rehabilitation of 20 meters river banks/easement, coastal resources
management and propagation of sustainable practices on agriculture, soil and water
conservation and waste management, among others;

Adoption of payment for ecological services (PES) schemes

Strengthening the capacities of stakeholders to carry out their roles for the conservation
of the watershed. (Refer to attachedStakeholdersAnalysis)

Stakeholders Analysis
STAKEHOLDER
Beneficiaries / consumers
LGUs: Provincial, municipal and
barangay levels

ROLES / INTERVENTIONS
Conservation at the household and institutional levels
Financial allocation
Formulation and implementation of policies /
legislations
Protection and conservation through nursery
establishments and tree growing activities
Lead agency in local water conservation

National Irrigation Administration

(NIA) and Irrigators Association
Water Districts / Waterworks

Commercial establishments,
businesses, SMEs

DENR / ENRO

PAMB

Farmers

Media, Government Information

Agencies
Academe

Police, Bantay Gubat, MFPC

(law enforcers)
Fisher folks (inland and marine),
BFAR
Consumer groups / cooperatives
/ civic organizations, churchbased organizations, Pos,
NGOs, environmental groups

Management and maintenance of irrigation system

for the efficient utilization of water
Provide potable water to consumers
Provide funds for protection / rehabilitation of
watershed through users fee.
Use of rainwater harvesting, waterless urinals and
other eco-friendly practices
Provide funds for watershed rehabilitation
Watershed rehabilitation, conservation through
rainforestation, Assisted Natural Regeneration
(ANR)
Protection of watershed / forest areas
Implement forest laws / regulations
Techno-transfer / capacity building
Bantay gubat trainings and support
Make and implement policies for watershed
protection and conservation
Adoption of appropriate farming technologies such
as Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT),
Crop Intensification and Diversification (CID),
organic farming
Information, education campaigns
Research and information sharing
Mobilization of students for tree growing
Implementation, enforcement of laws and
ordinances
Mangrove forest, sea grass and coral reef
protection
Support to marketing and promotions of local
products
IEC
Capacity building
Water conservation
Advocacy