6 b. Livelihood of artisanal fisherfolk c. Food security of fisherfolk in coastal communities d. Access to government support and social services 2. Explore the adverse impacts of reclamation in coastal areas to the access of fishing communities to marine resources and settlements near fishing waters; 3. Look into the negative effects of COVID-19, including the quarantine measures implemented by the government to the access of small-scale fisherfolk to livelihood and marine resources; and 4. Recommend policy measures and programs that will ensure the protection of the rights of smallscale fisherfolk and their preferential access to municipal waters and its resources. The participants come from small-scale fisherfolk organizations and their support non-government organizations (NGOs) from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with clustering based on regional areas: a. Luzon Cluster 1 - Region IV-A and IV-B, Region V, and NCR b. Luzon Cluster 2 - Region I, II, and III c. Visayas Cluster - Region VI, VII, and VIII d. Mindanao Cluster - Region X and XI Participants also included National Government Agencies (NGAs) having the mandate to delineate municipal waters and protect the rights of small-scale fisherfolks. Limitations The imposition of varying COVID-19 restrictions27 throughout the regions involved posed a challenge to the ESCR Center in engaging participants for the consultations. Traditional face-to-face interviews were not possible considering the different LGU restrictions and the health risks to both the participants and the staff of the ESCR Center. As many participants come from coastal communities, weak or intermittent internet connection also prevented some fisherfolk from fully participating in the consultations. Drops in connection with some participants not being able to connect to the online platform were experienced. Tropical depression Lannie, which was followed shortly by a low-pressure area that developed into Typhoon Maring,28 also caused power outages and unstable or non-existent internet connections, particularly over the Visayas area. Some participants could not travel to designated areas with more stable internet connections due to strong winds and rains. There were also data gaps from the LGUs as they could not respond to our requests for their participation in the NGA consultations. Presentations from the municipalities of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay, Pandan in Antique, and Bulakan, Bulacan were likewise requested. Invitations to the consultation were sent to Navotas City, but they did not respond to our request. Their participation would have provided pertinent information on the delineation of municipal waters and the challenges governing them. III. METHODOLOGY The ESCR Center gathered qualitative information from selected fisherfolk and representatives of fisherfolk organizations through FGDs. This method was chosen as it generates in-depth information since the participants are encouraged to express their opinions, beliefs, and ideas on the subject matter. To gather 27 IATF Resolution 141-A dated 30 September 2021, imposed different risk level restrictions per region iatf.doh.gov.ph/wpcontent/uploads/2021/10/20210930-IATF-141-A-RRD.pdf 28 “Tropical Depression Lannie starts moving away; new LPA may enter PAR” by A. Arceo, published 5 Oct 2021, available from www.rappler.com/nation/weather/tropical-depression-lannie-lpa-pagasa-forecast-october-5-2021-5pm (last viewed 10/19/2021)