Gleaning in Bais Bay : a case study on an informal sector coastal activity in the Philippines

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 1970s, the informal sector has been a subject of increasing attention. Initially, attempts to understand workers making a living outside the official formal economy took a negative view. However, as the failure of industrialization theories of the 1950s and 1960s became apparent, a more positive attitude toward informal workers materialized. This study focuses on an undocumented informal sector activity taking place in Bais Bay Basin in the province of Negros Oriental in the Philippines. Gleaning involves walking on mud flats and in mangrove forest at low tide, probing with a stick for various shellfish. A comprehensive survey was conducted to explore the structure and organization of the activity. The social and economical systems the activity is integral to were also documented as well as the influences of inherited colonial structures on the shaping of today's life in Bais Bay. It was found that the problem of the landlessness of the majority of Bais rural population, exacerbated by the seasonal character of the work found in the main employment sector (the hacienda) causes most of the municipality's rural poor families to rely on gleaning during off-milling season, therefore adding tremendous pressure on Bais marine resources. Changes in legislation such as the Philippine Integrated Social Forestry Program of 1982 and the Philippine Local Government Code of 1991 affecting gleaners' traditional access right to the intertidal zone are also documented. This case study supports the idea that property rights are political and that gleaners, because of their lack of political strength, are unable to protect their interest. The City of Bais that now has jurisdiction over Bais Bay failed to balance the various needs of multiple users. As a consequence, user conflicts over the exploitation of marine resources and the degradation of coastal water quality are becoming major issues.