17 Besides sharing the process for municipal water delineation, Mr. Princer also made mention of several services that NAMRIA was doing prior to the pandemic. 101 They had ground validation of coastal terminal points and also validation of jurisdiction of the municipality over islands. They also conducted training on the use of handheld GPS Receiver including reading and plotting on nautical charts or maps. They have conducted forty-eight (48) training sessions since 2008102 which was attended by LGU technical personnel, BFAR Quick Response Teams (QRT), Philippine National Police Maritime Group (PNP-MG), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) field personnel, Bantay-Dagat (fish wardens) members and other stakeholders. Mr. Princer also shared the status of delineation of municipal waters as of 30 September 2021. He did mention that because of the pandemic, they were not able to conduct coastal validation as well as face to face orientation. Some meetings with the LGU were instead done online through video conferencing platforms. Out of 930 coastal cities/ municipalities • 273 (29.36%) without offshore island and not adjacent to a municipality/ city with offshore island • 264 (20.46%) without offshore island but adjacent to a municipality/ city with offshore island • 383 (41.18%) with offshore island Out of 930 coastal cities/ municipalities • 77 (8.28%) with ordinances passed (in which NAMRIA has been given copies; there may be some LGUs that have ordinances passed but no copies were given to NAMRIA) • 314 (33.76%) certified • 370 (39.78%) revised after validation Status of Delineation of Municipal Waters (As of 31 August 2021): • 930 mapped • 370 revised • 314 certified • 77 with ordinance Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) The Bureau of Local Government Supervision of the DILG, represented by Mr. Erlo Matorres, provided information regarding the current programs and activities of the DILG in relation to the regulation and monitoring of fishery activities in municipal waters. Section 16 of RA No 8550 states that the municipal or city local government unit, shall have jurisdiction over municipal waters. 103 Besides what is mandated in the Fisheries Code, Mr. Matorres also shared other policies that serve as guidelines for the LGUs in the governance of municipal waters: • DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2018-59104 dated 4 April 2018 provides the Policies and Guidelines on the Regulation and Monitoring of Fishery Activities in Municipal Waters o This is to ensure that local government units play an active role in the management of water resources within their areas of jurisdiction and also to hold them accountable in the exercise of such powers and functions. 101 Consultations with NGAs, supra note 40 102 Ibid (Data as of 20 January 2020) 103 Section 16 of the Fisheries Code provides for the jurisdiction of municipal or city governments over municipal waters. supra note 8 104 DILG MC 2018-59 dilg.gov.ph/PDF_File/issuances/memo_circulars/dilg-memocircular-2018424_4e720f999e.pdf