Legal issues affecting sustainability of integrated coastal management in the Philippines

This paper will argue that a legal framework and its effective enforcement foster the sustainability of integrated coastal management. Laws, regulations, ordinances and other legal instruments buttress the sustained implementation of integrated coastal management programs, if they are applied or enforced. In the Philippines, while there are numerous laws that provide policy and regulatory framework for integrated coastal management, however these laws are not enforced properly for a variety of reasons. To find out what issues were affecting enforcement field research was conducted in two sites in the Philippines: Mabini, Batangas and Bais Bay, Negros Oriental. Semi-structured interviews with key informants in these sites were done. Results of the qualitative analysis show that because of conflicting policies, confusion of roles, political interference, lack of interest to fully prosecute cases, selective enforcement, and informal enforcement mechanisms, enforcement in the two above-mentioned sites was weak.