February, 2016 (Mindanao, Philippines). Militants of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf) inside the camp base in the Darapanan.

Female students stroll along a street in Surigao, Mindanao, Philippines.

An infant at the NGO German Doctors Hospital in Valencia, Mindanao, Philippines.

Street scene in the town of Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines.

Desperate Grandmother with a sick child seeks help at the Hospital of the German Doctors in Valencia, Mindanao, Philippines. The NGO offers free medical treatment for poor hill tribe people.

Hilltribe people get free medical treatment in the hospital of the German Doctors in Valencia, Mindanao, Philippines.

Journalist Carlos Sardiña Galache travelled to Zamboanga, Philippines in October to cover the situation of IDPs and, more generally, the conflict in Mindanao in the light of the ongoing peace process between the MILF and the government. He interviewed several IDPs, Philippine army officers, Muslim activists, members of the MNLF and the MILF, and members of the local authorities, including the Mayor of Zamboanga.

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Tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) are still waiting to go back to their homes in the city of Zamboanga, in the restive island of Mindanao, in southern Philippines.

The conditions in the IDP camps are far from ideal and 186 people have died due to the unsanitary conditions in this and other camps since they were established.

A battle last year between a disgruntled faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Philippine Army in the streets of the city left 218 people dead, more than ten thousand houses were destroyed and at least 120,000 people were left displaced. It was one of the latest violent episodes in a conflict between the government and Muslim militant groups which has been going on for more than four decades and has left at least 160,000 people killed.

“My house was burned after the fighting,” said 38 year-old IDP and activist Gaman Hassan. “The problem is that when we wanted to take some belongings from the house, the military didn’t allow us to go back, because it seemed to us that they are thinking we are also part of the rebels, and that’s why they don’t allow us to go back to our area, Rio Hondo. Our belongings were stolen. We believe that the soldiers burned many houses to better locate the rebels. It’s also a way to justify the looting.”

With an ongoing peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), it is widely believed that the attack on Zamboanga was launched by the faction led by the MNLF founder and former chairman Nur Misuari, as an attempt to derail the peace negotiations.

“We will try to get Nur Misuari back in the fold, but sometimes he doesn’t agree with our ideas,” said MNLF Field Marshall Al-Hussein Caluang. “We can’t exclude Misuari from the MNLF, because there are a lot of people who follow him, particularly in Sulu and Zamboanga del Norte.”

The future is uncertain for the thousands of people displaced by the violence last year. Some of the areas where they used to live have been declared no-build zones for security reasons, amidst accusations by Muslim activists that the real motivation behind this decision by local authorities is purely political.

“The no-build zones are places with geo-hazards, which suffered big storm-surges between 2007 and 2013,” said Zamboanga’s Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco Salazar. “We can’t send back people there to stay, we can’t put them in dangerous areas. During the attack against Zamboanga City, those same places were the first areas that the MNLF used as entry points.”

In 2016 there will be a referendum by which each district will decide whether it wants to join the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and some suspect that the authorities are doing everything they can to get Zamboanga, a Christian-majority city with strong Spanish influences, out of the autonomous region.

“The local government in Zamboanga City is working against the inclusion of Zamboanga in Bangsamoro,” said Arasid Daranda, a local information officer for the MILF. “Their main purpose is to prevent the Muslim authority from operating in Zamboanga City. They want Zamboanga City out of the Moro grip, but publicly they claim they want peace.”

With extremist groups like Abu Sayaf operating in the area, kidnapping both Filipino nationals and foreigners, Mindanao is one of the most dangerous and potentially explosive areas in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

“This ‘Asian’ latino city’ is a myth,” said Father Ángel Calvo, who has lived and worked as a missionary in Mindanao since 1972. “That belongs to the past. There’s nothing Latin in Zamboanga anymore. This is a multi-cultural community. We have eight or nine ethno-linguistic groups here, everybody with their own interests, naturally. This is very explosive. The government doesn’t realize this.”

Ustadz Saudi M. Gandisa (Male reader or qari) and Ustadza Rahima Panondiongan (Female reader or qari'ah) are the champion of male and female category of the 40th National Qur'an Reading Competition held in Quezon City.

Muslim youth reading the Qur'an through his tablet

A Muslim reading the Qur'an while watching the competition

Muslim competitors gathered at UP Bahay Alumni in Quezon City for the 40th National Qur'an Reading Competition. This year's theme is "Al Qur'an: The Exponent of Justice and Peace". Winners will represent the Philippines in international competitions.

Aleem Anuar S. Limbona, chairman of the competition tells the criteria for judging. Winners of the Qur'an Reading Competition will represent the Philippines in various international Qur'an reading competitions.

Muslim competitors gathered at UP Bahay Alumni in Quezon City for the 40th National Qur'an Reading Competition. This year's theme is "Al Qur'an: The Exponent of Justice and Peace". Winners will represent the Philippines in international competitions.

The rate of ocean acidification is expected to accelerate in the near future. Since the industrial revolution, ocean acidification has increased by 30%. Scientists believe that this rate is faster than anything previously experienced over the last 55 million years.

The problem is that even a mild change in PH levels has significant impact on animals with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons. They literally dissolve. Affected animals include krill and plankton as well as coral. This means that the bottom of the food web could potentially become extinct, and in turn so could fish, according to Zoologist Kent Carpenter: "If corals themselves are at risk of extinction and do in fact go extinct, that will most probably lead to a cascade effect where we will lose thousands and thousands of other species that depend on coral reefs.”

A fisherman wades through the shallows carrying a handful of possessions after a mornings fishing trip.

Attempts to educate fishermen have been made by the environmental community, and attitudes are slowly changing. The Coral Triangle Initiative announced that it saw a decrease in the use of destructive fishing methods in 2012. Although, they stated that other threats such as Population increase, pollution and sedimentation have increased considerably.

A fisherman on Palawan Island in the Philippines prepares for a fishing voyage out to sea.

Scientists have predicted that by 2100, global temperature rise could result in the extinction of coral in the Coral Triangle. This would lead to an 80% reduction in regional food production.

Fishers tend to target bigger fish, which act as predators in the food web. Biologists have observed a change in the Philippines' species composition, and an increase of fishing for small oceanic fish – anchovies, etc. This is a good indication of overfishing, and of gradual stock collapse, as fishers can no longer catch larger fish to support themselves.

The Philippines Government admits that all targeted species in the Philippines are showing signs of overfishing. Officials also recognise that the current approach to fishing is unsustainable. “Overall, the harvest rate of Philippine fisheries is approximately 30 percent higher than the maximum sustainable yield, which will likely trigger stock collapses in the absence of increased management.” (Department of Environment and Natural Resources)

The majority of people within the Coral Triangle are living in poverty. This increases the social and economic importance of reefs, and reduces their ability to adapt to depleting fish supplies.

The threats to the Coral Triangle are numerous, and often vary from site to site. As such there is not a single answer to the problems faced by these ecosystems. Nevertheless, wide ranges of solutions are being adopted in an attempt to curb this degradation. These include: Marine Protected areas (MPA), gear restrictions, and catch regulations.

A decline in reef biodiversity does not only affect local communities and subsistence fishermen’s food security, though they are likely the hardest hit. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), natural capital contributes significantly to manufacturing and service economies, that in-turn helps stabilise a nations food security. In their report ‘TEEB – The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for National and International Policy Makers’ the UNEP suggest one systemic cause for a lack of local will power to preserve natural resources. “Benefits depend on local stewardship, local knowledge and, in some cases, foregoing opportunities for economic development – yet people on the ground often receive little or no payment for the services they help to generate. This can make it more economically attractive to exploit the resource rather than preserve assets of global worth.”

Government figures state that 67% of animal protein in the Philippines is comprised of fish and fish products. This makes fish the nations most important food source, next to rice.

A fisherman prepares his line in a small wooden shack as his daughter plays behind. Surrounded by sublime tropical waters, the 7,000+ island shorelines of the Philippines are home to 40 million people - 45% of its population.

Hook and line fishing techniques are seen as a solution compared to large scale commercial methods like trawler nets, that are considered dramatically unsustainable. Commercial fishing is having a drastic impact on fish stocks around the globe. Populations of targeted species such as Bluefin Tuna and Cod have reduced 90% since the 1960s, according to professors at the University of British Columbia.

Hook and line fishing techniques are seen as a solution compared to large scale commercial methods like trawler nets, that are considered dramatically unsustainable. Commercial fishing is having a drastic impact on fish stocks around the globe. Populations of targeted species such as Bluefin Tuna and Cod have reduced 90% since the 1960s, according to professors at the University of British Columbia.

It is not only coral reefs that are affected by global warming. Other important environments, such as mangrove forests and sea grass beds, which provide habitats for hundreds of thousands of fish species and other organisms, are also threatened. Further destruction and loss to these domains will have profound effects on the productivity of costal regions and the lives of people reliant on them.

According to the WWF, “The decreased productivity of coastal ecosystems will reduce the food resources and income available to coastal communities in the Coral Triangle. By 2050, coastal ecosystems will only be able to provide 50% of the fish protein that they do today, leading to increasing pressure on coastal agriculture and aquaculture.”

The coral triangle is located in South East Asia and supports 120 million people, across 6 countries, over an area of 1.6 billion acres. Overfishing, pollution, overpopulation and climate change are putting this essential ecosystem in danger.

The coral triangle is located in South East Asia and supports 120 million people, across 6 countries, over an area of 1.6 billion acres. Overfishing, pollution, overpopulation and climate change are putting this essential ecosystem in danger.

Tourist diving boats float above a reef in the North-East Philippines. Such tours can have a devastating impact on the health of reefs as participants inevitably kick or displace coral formations. The excess pollution caused by nearby hotels and resorts are an often unseen yet leading factor to the decline of a reefs health.

The coral triangle is located in South East Asia and supports 120 million people, across 6 countries, over an area of 1.6 billion acres. Overfishing, pollution, overpopulation and climate change are putting this essential ecosystem in danger.

The coral triangle is located in South East Asia and supports 120 million people, across 6 countries, over an area of 1.6 billion acres. Overfishing, pollution, overpopulation and climate change are putting this essential ecosystem in danger.

Government statistics suggest that in one year 1,370 tons of coral trout alone were exported, creating revenues of US$140 million. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) disputes this figure; suggesting high incidences of illegal and unreported trafficking, significantly expand the official records. They go on to state relaxed trade agreements are one of the leading factors creating additional demand on the Philippines reefs resources.

Government statistics suggest that in one year 1,370 tons of coral trout alone were exported, creating revenues of US$140 million. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) disputes this figure; suggesting high incidences of illegal and unreported trafficking, significantly expand the official records. They go on to state relaxed trade agreements are one of the leading factors creating additional demand on the Philippines reefs resources.

According to the Coral Triangle initiative, “The impacts of overfishing and to some extent destructive fishing practices on coral reefs are evident in the biomass of reef associated fish." It is reported that more than 50% of the reef sites in the Philippines assessed are overfished.

A fisherman farms abalone instead of heading out to sea to fish. Communities throughout the Philippines are being encouraged to seek alternative sources of income from fishing. According to the WWF, “The decreased productivity of coastal ecosystems will reduce the food resources and income available to coastal communities in the Coral Triangle. By 2050, coastal ecosystems will only be able to provide 50% of the fish protein that they do today, leading to increasing pressure on coastal agriculture and aquaculture.”

The cultivation of kelp and seaweed for pharmaceutical industries is being developed by some communities as an alternative source of income to prevent an over reliance of fishing for an income, thereby reducing the stress on local fish populations.

Children play in a harbour in the Southern Philippines. Scientists have predicted that by 2100, global temperature rise could result in the extinction of coral in the Coral Triangle. This would lead to an 80% reduction in regional food production.

A child helps sort the catch on a small fishing vessel in the Southern Philippines. With nine percent of the total global reef cover, its national waters provide significant annual fish yield. Increasingly, fish catch are being sold for export, with China and Hong Kong the primary destination.
There is a billion-dollar enterprise in the Asia-Pacific region for live reef food fish trade (LRRFFT). The Philippines is a significant contributor to this industry.

A Filipino fisherman wears a mask to protect against the sun as he spends the morning catching octopus from a small canoe. Though largely seen as being sustainable, subsistence fishermen with a hook and line can still have an impact on their local ecology. Jared Diamond, an ecological anthropologist, claims the common belief that indigenous people conserve their resources is wrong. He writes that historically when people encounter the limits of their resources, catastrophe results.