COURTESY: Mindanao Development Authority
Mindanao Development Authority actively supports Mandulog River Basin Collaborative Initiative. Stakeholders converge at MSU-IIT Board Room in Iligan City. They forge a powerful path toward climate resilience and environmental security. Consequently, isolated efforts transform into coordinated, science-driven action across Iligan's interconnected river systems.
EnP. Lordilie S. Enjambre leads MinDA's Northern Mindanao Area Management Office. Together with MSU-IIT's WE CARE Office, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, LGU-Iligan City, and dedicated faculty teams, they institutionalize an Integrated Watershed Governance Framework. This bold framework embraces all eight major watersheds: Dalipuga, Mandulog, Iligan, Tominobo, Abaga, Agus, Iponan, and Cagayan basins. Therefore, fragmented approaches finally yield to unified, ecosystem-based management.
Breaking Silos: Why Iligan Demands Integrated Watershed Governance
Flood dynamics, sedimentation, upstream land-use changes, and coastal impacts relentlessly cross basin boundaries. Typhoon Sendong and Typhoon Basyang brutally exposed these vulnerabilities years ago. However, past watershed initiatives operated in isolation. Now, stakeholders decisively reject that outdated model. They embrace interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle forest degradation, flood risks, and fragmented planning head-on.
Dr. Hilly Ann Roa-Quiaoit spearheads the Mandulog River Basin Program with unwavering focus. The initiative institutionalizes a unified governance mechanism. It aligns institutional priorities, strengthens inter-agency coordination, and integrates Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment, Forest Land Use Plans, and Community-Based Monitoring Systems into one centralized technical repository. Moreover, participatory ecosystem mapping identifies high-risk zones. As a result, vulnerability-informed planning drives long-term sustainability for Iligan's communities.
Building the Roadmap: Next Steps Toward Lasting Resilience
The collaborative team strengthens institutional alignment with regional and national partners. They develop a consolidated watershed governance roadmap. Simultaneously, they advance policy and technical engagements to unlock sustainable financing and robust implementation mechanisms. MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan firmly reaffirms the university's commitment. It pledges academic leadership, technical expertise, and research support to champion resilient watershed systems.
This groundbreaking initiative signals unbreakable unity. Stakeholders protect ecosystems, reinforce governance, and safeguard Iligan's future. Indeed, the Mandulog River Basin Collaborative Initiative marks a decisive stride toward a truly resilient and sustainable Iligan.
