They shared their intention following a visit to Ketapang village, Mauk sub-district, Tangerang district, on Friday (October 28, 2022).
Tangerang district head Ahmed Zaki Iskandar had invited the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) PNLG delegates to observe integrated coastal management (ICM) in Ketapang village.
"I appreciate what the Tangerang local government has done for the environmental rehabilitation here," said Luis A. Awitan representing Batangas, a province in the Philippines, according to a release posted by PNLG on its official website.
Awitan was one of the 86 foreign delegates who attended the international forum, PNLG Forum 2022, hosted by the Tangerang district local government.
On the occasion, Iskandar explained that through the flagship program of the Movement to Build Coastal Communities, Ketapang village has been transformed into a marine tourism village.
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Under the program, which has been implemented since 2019, the local government has carried out community empowerment, the construction of habitable settlements for fishermen and local residents, mangrove forest conservation, establishment of nurseries, cultivation of vaname shrimp and fish, and creation of tourist areas in Ketapang village.
In addition, the program has also involved the development and training of fishermen and local residents as well as the development of ecotourism and the creative economy in the village.
Awitan said that rehabilitation in Ketapang -- which is a fishing village -- has been realized because of the will of the local government.
"I can see that there is a political will here," he observed during a visit to the Ketapang Aquaculture area.
Awitan further said that he will take lessons from the coastal management model followed in Ketapang village and try to implement it in his hometown, Batangas.
"What is being developed in Ketapang village is different from what the local government is doing in Batangas. Therefore, we will imitate what the local government here did. (It's) interesting," he added.
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Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Suharto
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