The community elders in Ramot, Santol, La Union dancing to gongs in celebration, a shared practice with communities in the upstream province of Benguet. To some degree, the river also acts as a conveyor of culture.

Shared goals for river protection

On December 23, 2015 the community of Barangay Ramot in Santol, La Union gathered for their annual barangay meeting to discuss and celebrate their achievements for the year. Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation, Inc. along with Leonard Cachero, a researcher from Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University were present to gather data and report on the status of the Amburayan River.

Local policies are in place for solid waste management and watershed protection in Barangay Ramot. The community understands the relationship between their forests and their water resources and they seek to protect the delicate balance that allows them to fish in the river and irrigate their farms.

The barangay officials and the community do as much as they can to implement their local policies despite some individuals growing angry at being prevented to use electricity in fishing, a method which kills even the smallest marine life.

Protecting and Defending the Amburayan River Basin and Watershed through Good Governance and Active Peoples’ Participation is a project funded by the USAID through the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) and is implemented by the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc.  (JVOFI).