Note: This story has been updated as of February 13, 2024.

Dr. Anabelle Espadero is an Assistant Professor at Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental and a former Research Assistant at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Sandfish Project. She is one of the 2nd Cohort Mentees of CfC’s Development Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program. Anabelle’s policy reform aims to stop the illegal collection of undersized sea cucumbers, and how a surprise “connection” led to the implementation of an Ordinance that included penalty provisions designed to curb the problem.

The sea cucumber, also known as sandfish or by its scientific name Holothuria scabra, grows in our coastal waters, is nutritious and a food staple in many coastal communities.  It helps to clean up the marine environment, hence they are known as the “earthworms of the sea.” These organisms also have perceived medicinal benefits and are very expensive. Dr. Anabelle Espadero is fighting to bring back the population of sea cucumbers to its pre-1970s level.

In the 1970s, the Philippines was one of the world’s top producers of sea cucumbers. They were plentiful and inexpensive, easily accessible to Filipinos. Then there was a sudden increase in demand, mostly for export purposes. Traders came to coastal communities to buy sea cucumbers at higher prices. For three decades, this commodity provided a good source of livelihood for these coastal communities. 

But by the year 2000, there were less sea cucumbers in their natural habitats, and what remained were smaller-sized, low value species. Simply put, sea cucumbers had been overfished or over-harvested.

As a Faculty Researcher at Mindanao State University at Naawan, Doc Anabelle has been working on sea cucumbers for almost 10 years. Their project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in cooperation with the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia and other partners, seeks to restore the volume of sea cucumbers and introduce practices for its sustainable production. 

“We collect sea cucumbers, let them spawn and grow in hatcheries. Then we seed them into the wild, or their natural habitat, to enhance the stock. For our research, we keep 10 percent of the juveniles.  We give the rest to the beneficiaries, who have been able to grow them sustainably,” said Doc Anabelle.

“We teach our beneficiaries how to grow high-grade quality sea cucumbers that they can sell at a more competitive price. We provide them with some materials for fish pens such as nets and bamboo – that, and time, is all they need, because sea cucumbers don’t have to be fed. They only eat organic materials deposited in the sediments,” she added.

Long wait leads to problem of overharvesting

To grow sea cucumbers, one just needs to patiently wait and watch them grow into a harvestable weight of at least 320 grams. That normally takes a year. But some fishers can’t wait for a year. They tend to harvest the sea cucumbers before they reach the harvestable size. There’s also the problem of poachers. Left unchecked, these led to the decrease of sea cucumber populations in the first place; and left us with undersized sea cucumbers.

“I’ve been a researcher all my professional life. I’ve always wondered, what is the end point of research? Is this all about just data gathering and analysis, or can I do more?  So when I was invited to join the Introduction to Development Entrepreneurship webinar, I joined.  And when I was invited to join the Mentoring Program, I thought about finding a policy to protect the growth of sea cucumbers,” said Doc Anabelle.

“We knew that there was a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources or BFAR Administrative Circular No. 248 series of 2013, which is a policy that regulates the size of sea cucumbers for collection and trade. The regulation specifies that it is illegal to collect sandfish that is less than 320 grams live, or less than 5 centimeters if it is processed,” she shared.

“A high grade, class A product can sell from 3,000 to 4,000 pesos a kilo, but smaller ones will only go for 600 pesos per kilo or less,” she added.

No enforcement at local level

While there was a BFAR policy on a national level, this was not strictly enforced at the local level. At their project site in Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, the BFAR mandate is not observed, and there is no ordinance at the municipal level.

Doc Anabelle started working to convince Municipal officials to pass an Ordinance banning the collection of undersized sandfish. With the help of her mentor, Krish Enriquez, she secured a copy of the Environmental Code (which was also a Municipal Ordinance), and used it as a model to draft the policy they needed.

She also worked on gaining the trust of colleagues who were working in the LGU (local government unit). They advised her that the MENRO or the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office is a good entry point for her proposed ordinance on the sea cucumbers.

In October 2022, she resumed work on the ordinance after the national and local elections. “We were getting to know the newly-elected leaders, and looking for allies to help us champion our cause. We just finished drafting our Municipal Ordinance and it was up to me to lobby it with the LGU,” said Doc Anabelle.  

Two years later, a policy win

Doc Anabelle narrates that in September 2023, her policy reform met a few challenges: there was a change in leadership, she was busy with other projects, and there was a change in municipality for their project site (from Plaridel to Kauswagan).  For almost a year, she couldn’t progress on the political front and the Ordinance became stagnant…until she found a contact in the Municipality of Kauswagan.

The contact turned out to be the Vice Mayor of Kauswagan, who coincidentally, was a close friend of Rene Sanapo, CfC Leadership Component Manager at The Asia Foundation, and also a mentor to Doc Anabelle. This surprise “connection” enabled Doc Anabelle to send a copy of the Ordinance to the Vice Mayor, who then lobbied and passed the Ordinance after a public hearing. As she could not be present during the hearings, Doc Anabelle had to rely on the support of her project’s Team Leader to follow through—emphasizing the value of teamwork and partnership.

Currently, Municipal Ordinance No. 50-2023 or an “Ordinance Prohibiting the Collection, Harvesting, Gathering and/or Selling of Undersized Sandfish ‘Holothuria Scabra’ in the Municipality of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte and for Other Purposes” has been passed and implemented. Doc Anabelle insisted on providing penalty provisions in the Ordinance to ensure compliance. These include:

• Harvesting or consuming undersized sandfish: imprisonment of 10 days to one month and/or a fine of 200 pesos to 2,500 pesos

• Trading, selling, buying of undersized sandfish: imprisonment of 10 days to one month and/or a fine of 200 pesos to 2,500 pesos

• Transport of undersized sandfish without Local Transfer Permit: imprisonment of 5 to 10 days and a fine of 200 pesos to 1,000 pesos

• Export of undersized sandfish: imprisonment of 10 days to one month and/or a fine of 200 pesos to 2,500 pesos

While it doesn’t seem substantial, the monetary penalties were based on the average household income of Kauswagan, which is a 4^th class municipality.

“During the public hearings, people were encouraged to support the Ordinance because in the long run, if you harvest the good-sized sea cucumbers, you can also get a good price…a high value. This is what motivated the people to follow the ordinance. You will earn more if the cucumbers are much bigger,” said Doc Anabelle.  

Takeaways

“Looking back, some of the Development Entrepreneurship principles that I applied during the course of my policy reform journey involved networking and building coalitions. It was through partners in the local government that I was able to get a copy of the Environmental Code, and I learned about the MENRO office,” enthused Doc Anabelle.

“I also practiced the “Just Start” principle even if I had no prior experience on policy reform. I sent my mentor Krish some publications and reports on our sea cucumber project, highlighting the lessons learned on sustainability. I am grateful to The Asia Foundation and the Coalitions for Change program for this opportunity to further hone my research skills and venture into this new field of policy reform,” she ended.