Mabaw Reef is Tagbilaran’s last remaining underwater jewel

There is alot to be learned from local histories, something everyone must always consider and research, research, research.

Say, for instance, the case of the etymology of the Mabaw Reef. We talk about Mabaw Reef, the Tubattaha-like marine protected area (MPA) just off the shores of Taloto/ Ubujan, this city, because,  the Rare Conservation, Inc. – backed Mabaw Reef Pride Campaign that aims to deepen awareness and local pride on the MPA, and particularly, increase active participation of the local folks in the conservation of the Mabaw Reef, was launched earlier today.

Literature on the Mabaw Reef, provided by the pride campaign team states that the origin Mabaw Reef comes from the local word for “shallow”, “mabáw”. However, during the short message of renowned local historian/ Bol-anong Binisaya stalwart and of recent Mabaw Reef Pride Campaign Ambassador Engr. Jes B. Tirol, during the launching program today in Tubig-Daku, Barangay Taloto, we learned that “m?baw” in Mabaw Reef, in fact, comes from ”m?baw”, meaning “just below the rim” (of the water), as in the word “him?baw” (just about, my diacritics might be wrong, too, but if you’re Bol-anon, you’d know what I mean, regardless). Which perfectly makes sense, because that’s how Mabaw Reef is pronounced, not Mabáw Reef.

Anyhow, just as an aside, because, it’s interesting, how everyone had it wrong, even four (4) years after Mabaw Reef was officially recognized by Tagbilaran City when, in 2007, it passed the ordinance declaring it a no-take zone marine protected area (NTZ-MPA).  Well that, and the fact that there still exists illegal fishing activities in the area, even today, is telling. 

The launch of the Mabaw Reef Pride Campaign also marked the introduction of their super-cute (and well-assembled, mind you) mascot Mabi (after guess-what; previously Goldie but was renamed due to its cultural-inappropriateness, but probably because the name’s too cliché, really, and wanting of a surname, Hawn! Oops, there!).

This billboard/poster, designed by Ryan Macalandag of Designdepot, is only one of the many social marketing strategies to be used in the Mabaw Reef Pride Campaign.

In Bohol, two (2) MPAs are concurrent grantees of the Rare Conservation Pride Campaign, the other, being, the Hambongan Marine Sanctuary, in Hambongan Islands, Inabanga, Bohol. The Hambongan Pride Campaign will be launched tomorrow.

Update:  Read Ivan Henares’ post on the Hambongan Pride Campaign launch here