“Protect the oceans, save the earth,” was the chant of hope and resilience of the junior and senior high school students of Naval School of Fisheries (NSF) during the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Coastal Youth Camp held in Almeria, Biliran on October 15–17, 2025

Engaging and interactive activities on coastal resource management were integrated into the lectures and games, enhancing the students’ social awareness and understanding of the three basic habitats: mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. Fun learning sessions on Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) and financial literacy through Fish N’ Learn also formed part of the three-day youth camp.

Pressing on their creative juices, the students built mini seacrafts using reusable and recycled materials found within the camp area. Each group showcased their unique interpretation of “Food SEAcurity for the Community,” creatively expressing how they, as youth, can take part in marine conservation and sustainable fisheries efforts.

BFAR 8 OIC Regional Director emphasized how the actions of the younger generation can greatly impact the future of the country’s aquatic and marine resources, underscoring the need to embody the timeless words of Gat. Jose Rizal, “𝐴𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑔-𝑎𝑠𝑎 𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑛.” He also reminded the participants to remember and apply the wisdom of the elders and pass on the value of conservation to the next generation.

“𝐴𝑠 𝑎 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ, 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑢𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑎 𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚, 𝑝𝑤𝑒𝑑𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑜 𝑚𝑎-𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠,” expressed Sophie T. Dacera of NSF, reflecting the lasting impact of the camp’s learning sessions.

“𝑊𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚, 𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑤𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑜,” were the words of affirmation and commitment from Dante P. Gabing, recognized as the Outstanding Youth Camper. Along with him, all the participants also wrote their personal pledges as youth, simple yet meaningful actions they can take to conserve and protect marine and aquatic resources in their daily lives.

“𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑜, 𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑔𝑦𝑢𝑑 𝑚𝑖, 𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑔𝑦𝑢𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑔𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑎. 𝐷𝑎𝑔ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑑 𝑚𝑖’𝑔 𝑛𝑎-𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝.” shared Mr. Jyphine S. Serdoncillo, one of the teacher-mentors of the youth camp. He further emphasized how the initiative successfully combined education, enjoyment, and hands-on environmental advocacy leading the youth to develop a deeper appreciation for marine ecosystems, strengthen their sense of responsibility toward nature, and become active advocates for coastal conservation in their own communities.

The BFAR 8 Youth Camp, spearheaded by the Fisheries Resource Management Section (FRMS) in collaboration with the Provincial Fisheries Office (PFO) Biliran and Naval School of Fisheries (NSF), is initiated to deepen the youth’s understanding of coastal and marine ecosystems, instill environmental stewardship, and empower young individuals to become advocates of sustainable fisheries and food security in their respective communities. This interactive learning activity is envisioned to be conducted in other coastal municipalities in 2026 to nurture a generation of responsible stewards who will carry forward the message of conservation and responsible sustainable use of the country’s aquatic resources.

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