Braving the tides: The woman protecting Del Carmen’s seas | Rare

Gina Barquilla never set out to become a guardian of the sea. But today, she risks her life to protect it. 

Ms. Barquilla is a deputized fish warden with “Bantay Dagat,” or “Guardians of the Sea,” a civilian fisheries patrol force made up of volunteers who keep a 24-hour watch on the Philippines’ coastal waters up to 15 kilometers from shore. Her job is to police the municipality of Del Carmen’s waters for illegal fishing. But the job comes with a unique set of environmental hazards: physical assault, armed assault, and even death threats. For one of Del Carmen’s only female Bantay Dagat officers, the risks are even higher.

 “I want to fight for [the environment],” says Ms. Barquilla from her office in Del Carmen, Siargao Del Norte, Philippines. “But my life is also at risk.”

The rewards, however, outweigh the risks. Ms. Barquilla’s commitment to protecting the waters that sustain Del Carmen’s fishing community has led to widespread behavior change and more sustainable fishing practices community-wide; it even helped turn some of the municipality’s biggest offenders into fierce protectors of the sea. 

 Today, as the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) of Del Carmen, Siargao, Ms. Barquilla is at the forefront of enforcing environmental laws, particularly in safeguarding the municipality’s coastal resources. Fearless in her duty, she states, “Hindi ako natatakot dahil ‘yun ang mandate ko” (“I am not scared because that is my mandate”). 

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DEL CARMEN boasts over 100,000 acres of municipal waters, abundant in coral reefs, seagrass beds, and more than 12,000 acres of mangrove forest. Fishing is a core source of income and food for its population, with about 1,900 fishing households living in a community of just under 20,000 people.

A thriving marine ecosystem means abundant fish, and spillover from marine sanctuaries is a prime target for illegal fishers. Specifically prevalent is a destructive method of fishing known as “liba-liba” or Danish seine fishing. Liba-liba uses large nets that scrape the ocean floor, destroying sensitive coral and mangrove ecosystems in its wake. Other common illegal fishing practices include fine mesh nets, poison and dynamite, and mangrove logging. Fishers have overfished and used destructive methods to extract resources, perpetuating the fishery’s decline. 

 When illegal fishers strike, Ms. Barquilla is among the first to respond, racing across the water to pursue those who threaten the sea she swore to protect. Bantay Dagat officers patrol the waters using 26-foot-long white and blue fishing vessels, roughly half the size of the average liba-liba vessel.  

 “The hardest part is catching them,” says Ms. Barquilla. “You really have to chase them because their boats are much faster than the enforcement team’s.”  

 But the threat doesn’t end there. Ms. Barquilla says that many illegal fishers are backed by powerful, influential people who shield them from the law.  

 “Sometimes, it can feel like despite all the work, you’re still losing,” admits Ms. Barquilla.

 But when looking around Del Carmen and seeing the impact of her work, she knows the fight is worth it. Over the past decade, Ms. Barquilla has helped change the fabric of Del Carmen’s fishing community. She started working on environmental issues in 2014 as a staffer for Mayor Alfredo Coro II, who tasked Ms. Barquilla to lead a Rare Pride campaign utilizing community behavior change to inspire the adoption of sustainable fishing practices. In 2014, Mayor Coro appointed her to lead the Bantay Dagat through an Executive Order, solidifying her role in coastal resource protection. 

 “Before I started in this work, I didn’t fully understand the benefits and importance of having a thriving mangrove ecosystem,” says Ms. Barquilla.

Over the years, she has even seen some of Del Carmen’s biggest offenders disavow their old ways and become its fiercest protectors. One such convert was a former dynamite fisher whom Bantay Dagat once arrested. “He has become our most trusted Bantay Dagat member,” says Ms. Barquilla. After he was arrested, he learned about the long-term damage his actions caused and chose to become a protector rather than a poacher. 

“It is enough of a reward for me to see one –– maybe two –– fishers that have changed their behavior and are no longer engaged in illegal activities,” says Ms. Barquilla.  

She has no illusions about the risks of her work and understands why more women have not joined Bantay Dagat. “If a woman thinks about joining the Sea Guard, then they need to know the job is risky,” she says. Still, the risk has never stopped Ms. Barquilla. 

“What men can do, women can do,” she said in an interview with the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Coral Security.  

“I love Del Carmen,” she says. “From the ridge to the reef, even if it’s difficult I want to save Del Carmen. That’s why I’m here.”