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Layawan Ri e , Polanco, Zamboanga Del No e, Philippines:
Resou ce u iliza ion, en i onmen al issues and wa e quali y
P incess K ishyll B. Andong
*1
, Ch is ine Ma ie V. Casal
2
, Wella T. Ta il
1
,
A mi G. To es
1
1
Depa men o En i onmen al Science, School o In e disciplina y S u
dies, Mindanao S a e Uni e si y,
Iligan Ins i u e o Technology, Tibanga, Iligan Ci y, Philippines
2School o En i onmen al Science and Managemen (SESAM), Uni e si y o he Philippines Los Baños,
Philippines
A icle published on May 09, 2025
Key wo ds:
F eshwa e
,
Layawan i e , U iliza ion, En i onmen al issues
Abs ac
The Layawan Ri e is a i al eshwa e ecosys em in Polanco, Zamboanga del No e, Philippines. The
In eg a ed Wa e shed Managemen Plan o Layawan Ri e a ge s o es ablish conse a ion and p o ec ion
e o s. Howe e , in o ma ion c ucial o i s managemen and conse a ion emains sca ce. This s udy
assessed he esou ce u iliza ion, en i onmen al issues and wa e quali y along he lowe eaches o Lawayan
Ri e in Polanco. The i e suppo s subsis ence ishe ies and sand-g a el qua y indus y and p o ides wa e
o ag icul u al (i iga ion) and domes ic (cleaning, washing clo hes, and ba hing) use. Along wi h i s
con ibu ion o he communi y lies he associa ed h ea s i aces. I is mainly h ea ened by un egula ed
disposal o ga bage, sand and g a el qua y, and open de eca ion. While majo i y o he wa e quali y
pa ame e s passed he na ional s anda d, conce ns a ise wi h i s high phospha es, o al suspended solids
(TSS) and o al coli o m coun s. Phospha es eadings om 0.099 o 0.144 mg/L ailed he 0.025 mg/L
h eshold, indica ing excessi e nu ien s. TSS alues eached up o 109 mg/L, exceeding he 50 mg/L limi .
To al coli o m coun s anging om 3,700 o 35,000 MPN/100 mL a e appalling, indica ing po en ially
ex eme ecal con amina ion and posing heal h isk o he public. E o s o sus ainable managemen o
Layawan Ri e should ocus on s ic implemen a ion and en o cemen o en i onmen al laws (e.g., R.A. 9275
Clean Wa e Ac ; R.A. 9003 Ecological Solid Was e Managemen ), moni o ing o wa e quali y, IEC
campaigns o aise he le el o awa eness and pa icipa ion o he communi y, e o es a ion o ipa ian zones,
and mi iga ion measu es o add ess he po en ial heal h isk o he public.
*
Co esponding Au ho : P incess K ishyll B. Andong p incessk ishyll.ando[email p o ec ed].ii .edu.ph
Jou nal o Biodi e si y and En i onmen al Sciences (JBES)
ISSN: 2220-6663 (P in ) 2222-3045 (Online)
Vol. 26, No. 5, p. 119-128, 2025
h p://www.innspub.ne
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In oduc ion
Ri e s a e signi ican in all aspec s, whe he
his o ically, cul u ally, biologically, o geologically
(Cui illas e al., 2016), and a e essen ial o human
su i al (Basak e al., 2021).
Li ing in a wo ld wi h diminishing eshwa e
esou ces impac s human well-being and a ec s i al
li e-suppo sys ems a ou end (Albe e al., 2021).
Ha ing heal hy i e s is c ucial (G ill e al., 2019), o
i is conside ed he li eblood o humans (Basak e al.,
2021).
The i s -e e wo ldwide e alua ion o he plane 's
su i ing ee- lowing i e s ound ha one- hi d
(37%) o he wo ld's longes i e s emain ee-
lowing, highligh ing se e e ecological deg ada ion
(G ill e al., 2019). The S a e o Global Wa e
Resou ces Repo 2022 also e ealed ha he global
ca chmen a eas display an al e a ion om no mal
condi ions and a e obse ed as d ie han usual
(Wo ld Me eo ological O ganiza ion, 2023).
Nea ly 27% o eshwa e species a e in dange o
ex inc ion, and he a e o we land loss, which
includes i e s, is h ee imes as e han ha o o es
decline (S e anidis and Papas e giadou, 2024). In
ecen s udies, 25% o he wo ld’s eshwa e auna,
including ish, a e h ea ened wi h ex inc ion (Saye
e al., 2025). Howe e , despi e hei essen ial
con ibu ion o he well-being o humans and hei
necessi y o global biodi e si y (Da wall e al., 2018),
eshwa e ecosys ems a e deemed o ha e less
esea ch emba king and conse a ion e o s when
compa ed o bo h e es ial and ma ine
en i onmen s (Esca on e al., 2022). Hyd ological
al e a ions, o e exploi a ion, habi a deg ada ion and
loss, pollu ion, in asi e species, and he mul iple
impac s o clima e change a e a ew o he causes o
hese eshwa e declines (Da wall e al., 2018; Saye
e al., 2025).
The g owing human popula ion and socioeconomic
ac i i ies a e he majo con ibu o s o he ising
nu ien loads and pollu an s, leading o se e e
de e io a ion o wa e quali y ac oss di e en
coun ies wo ldwide (Albe e al., 2021). Changes
b ough abou by humans also signi ican ly impac
he p o ision o ecosys em se ices, which a ec s
human wel a e. Hence, conse a ion managemen
mus be implemen ed o enhance biodi e si y,
ecological quali y, and he a ailabili y o clean wa e
and o he ecosys em se ices o human use
(S e anidis and Papas e giadou, 2024). Ri e
e alua ion and h ea iden i ica ion a e essen ial o
ehabili a e and p o ec hem adequa ely (Magbanua
e al., 2023).
Bohne (2014) highligh s ha public pe cep ion and
awa eness o clean wa e a e conside ed equisi e
pa s o e ec i e wa e esou ce managemen . To
sa egua d ou eshwa e ecosys em e ec i ely,
moni o ing and managing i ai ly o iden i y
con aminan s, add ess and con ol hei e ec s, and
assess he e ec i eness o he exis ing en i onmen al
policies and p o ec ion p og ams o wel a e and
well-being is impo an .
In he Philippines, Layawan Ri e is conside ed
one o he sub-wa e sheds and se es as he
p ima y sou ce o sand and g a el in Zamboanga
del No e. In 2008, he En i onmen al
Managemen Bu eau (EMB) Region 9 classi ied
Layawan Ri e as a Class A wa e body. A Class A
classi ica ion is a Public Wa e Supply Class II
in ended as sou ces o wa e supply equi ing
con en ional ea men (coagula ion,
sedimen a ion, il a ion, and disin ec ion) o mee
he la es Philippine Na ional S anda d o
D inking Wa e (DENR Adminis a i e O de No.
2016-08). Cui illas e al. (2016) ound ha he
i e 's wa e quali y may be ea ed o po able use
and is gene ally sa e o ec ea ional uses like
swimming and ba hing.
Human in e en ions o e he yea s signi ican ly
con ibu ed o he s a e o he Layawan Ri e ,
making i a c i ical eshwa e ecosys em.
Acco ding o he In eg a ed Wa e shed
Managemen Plan o Layawan Ri e (IWMP), one
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o i s goals is o es ablish a dependable
en i onmen al conse a ion and p o ec ion
measu e in esponse o he need o he ea h's
global biosphe e ehabili a ion. Howe e , he e a e
limi ed s udies on he cu en en i onmen al
condi ion o Layawan Ri e . This s udy aimed o
add ess hese gaps by assessing he cu en
u iliza ion, h ea s, and wa e quali y o he
Layawan Ri e , Zamboanga del No e. This also
p o ides aluable insigh s o imp o ing he
exis ing managemen s a egies and policies o he
Layawan Ri e and ensu ing ha Layawan Ri e is
managed sus ainably o main ain i s biodi e si y,
secu e his mul iple-use esou ce o u u e
gene a ions, and p e en heal h isks o he
communi y. This assessmen aligns wi h he
Sus ainable De elopmen Goal (SDG) 6.6, which
seeks o p o ec and es o e wa e - ela ed
ecosys ems, including moun ains, o es s,
we lands, i e s, aqui e s, and lakes. Addi ionally,
i suppo s SDG Ta ge 15.1, which ocuses on
conse ing and es o ing he e es ial and
eshwa e ecosys em o sus ainable use.
Ma e ials and me hods
S udy a ea
The Layawan Ri e is a s eam in he Philippines'
Zamboanga Peninsula in he P o ince o Zamboanga
del No e, wi h hi een me e s o es ima ed e ain
ele a ion abo e sea le el (Fig. 1). F om M . Malindang
in Misamis Occiden al, he Layawan Ri e a els o
Se gio Osmeña and hen o he Municipali ies o
Piñan and Polanco in Zamboanga del No e, whe e i
mee s he Dipolog Ci y Ri e . This s udy was
conduc ed in he lowe eaches o he Layawan Ri e
in Polanco, Zamboanga del No e. I a e ses 13
ba angays, namely De Ven a Pe la, Linabo,
Macleodes, San Ped o, New Sicayab, Be hlehem,
Dansullan, Lapayanbaja, Silawe, Lab ado , Poblacion
Sou h, and Poblacion No h.
Fig. 1.
Map o he s udy a ea in Layawan Ri e , Polanco, Zamboanga del No e,
Philippines
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En y p o ocol and econnaissance o he s udy a ea
A s udy pe mi was ob ained om he local
go e nmen uni h ough he Municipal En i onmen
and Na u al Resou ces O ice (MENRO) in Polanco,
Zamboanga del No e.
Cou esy calls we e made o he Mayo o he
Municipali y o Polanco and he ba angay cap ains o
he co e ed ba angays. An ocula assessmen was
done o iden i y he app op ia e sampling si es along
he i e and acqui e an o e iew o i e ac i i ies.
Th ee sampling s a ions we e chosen: ups eam,
mids eam, and downs eam wi hin Polanco,
Zamboanga del No e.
Resea ch design and da a collec ion
Resou ce u iliza ion and en i onmen al issues
This s udy employed a desc ip i e-quali a i e esea ch
design o assess he exis ing esou ce u iliza ion and
en i onmen al issues along he lowe eaches o he
Layawan Ri e . A combina ion o Key In o man
In e iews (KIIs) and Focus G oup Discussions (FGDs)
was u ilized o ga he quali a i ely ele an da a. The KII
comp ised nine esponden s, and he FGD comp ised 15
local pa icipan s.
Key In o man esponden s we e selec ed
s akeholde s ep esen ing di e en go e nmen
o ices (Municipal Ag icul u e O ice, Commi ee o
En i onmen al P o ec ion, Municipal Planning and
De elopmen O ice, Municipal En i onmen O ice,
O ice o he Ba angay Cap ain), ishe men's sec o ,
and p i a e sec o (Polanco Wa e Dis ic ).
In o man s we e chosen based on hei oles and
con ibu ions o he Layawan Ri e . The in e iew
was conduc ed using a ques ionnai e di ided in o
sec ions ha included u iliza ion o esou ces,
en i onmen al issues and h ea s, and he
esponden s' p o iles.
On he o he hand, he Focus G oup Discussion was
conduc ed a he Municipal Hall o Polanco,
Zamboanga del No e, wi h ep esen a i es om
ba angays h ough which he i e a e ses. The
FGD pa icipan s we e dis inc om he KII
esponden s o ensu e a di e se ange o pe spec i es.
FGD pa icipan s comp ised local indi iduals di ec ly
bene i ing om he Layawan Ri e , including
ba angay o icials, ishe men, esiden s, and you h
ep esen a i es. Thei insigh s con ibu ed o a
comp ehensi e unde s anding o he i e 's cu en
s a e and in o med s a egic conse a ion measu es.
The discussion ac i i ies included esou ce mapping,
p oblem and issue iden i ica ion, and needs
assessmen wi h p io i y anking. Resou ce mapping
p o ided documen a ion o he esou ces ound along
he i e ha helped s akeholde s isualize he
dis ibu ion and u iliza ion o he esou ces.
Resou ces include lo a and auna like ish species,
na i e ege a ion, and biodi e si y ho spo s.
Fu he mo e, in as uc u es in he a ea we e also
eco ded, such as dams, i iga ions, b idges, and
was e disposal acili ies. P oblem and issue
iden i ica ion ocused on assessing he key challenges
local communi ies ace o e he pas 5-10 yea s. This
included en i onmen al conce ns such as pollu ion
bo h in ag icul u e and domes ically, loss o
biodi e si y, de o es a ion, and e osion. On he o he
hand, wa e - ela ed issues encompass wa e quali y.
A e iden i ying he key issues, hey we e hen
ca ego ized acco ding o hei se e i y o impac , such
as how c i ical he issue is owa ds he en i onmen
and he communi y's well-being. I was based on
public pe cep ions and u gency as pe cei ed and
e alua ed by he esiden s. Finally, sugges ions on
how o add ess hese issues we e solici ed om he
pa icipan s.
Wa e quali y analysis
Sampling o wa e quali y analysis was done once a
mon h in Decembe 2024 and Ma ch 2025.
Tempe a u e, pH, and salini y we e measu ed di ec ly
a he h ee sampling si es using a mul ipa ame e
digi al wa e quali y es e wi h h ee eplica es o
each pa ame e . Wa e anspa ency was de e mined
using a Secchi disk, and colo was isually obse ed a
each sampling loca ion. Wa e samples o
phospha es, o al suspended solids, dissol ed oxygen,
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and o al coli o m we e collec ed using h ee
eplica es o labo a o y analysis. The collec ed
samples we e anspo ed o he En i onmen al
Managemen Bu eau, Dipolog Sa elli e o ice, as soon
as possible o main ain app op ia e condi ions du ing
anspo a ion and p e en changes in sample
composi ion.
The da a o all physicochemical pa ame e s we e
compa ed o he s anda ds ou lined in he DENR
Adminis a i e O de (DAO) 2016-08 and DENR
Adminis a i e O de 2021- 19 and DOH 2017-01.
Da a analysis
P ima y da a, such as esul s om he conduc ed key
in o man in e iews and ocus g oup discussion
employing he h ee ac i i ies (Resou ce mapping,
p oblem and Issue iden i ica ion, needs assessmen ,
and anking), we e analyzed desc ip i ely. The
analysis ocused on dis inguishing he ends and
common conce ns co e ing he a ious s akeholde s
and emphasizing insigh s ha will encompass he
li ed expe iences o he communi y, which plays a
i al ole in gaining a clea unde s anding o he
p esen si ua ion o Layawan Ri e .
The physicochemical pa ame e s o he Layawan
Ri e we e analyzed and compa ed o he wa e
quali y s anda ds se by DENR Adminis a i e O de
2016-08, DENR Adminis a i e O de 2021-19, and
Depa men o Heal h Adminis a i e O de 2017-01.
Resul s and discussion
Resou ce u iliza ion o Layawan i e
The Layawan Ri e is a mul iple-use esou ce,
con ibu ing a ious bene i s o he communi y o
Polanco, Zamboanga del No e, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Resou ce u iliza ion o Layawan i e
Ac i i ies
Goods and se ices
Responden s
(%)
Fishing
Fishes
100
Sh imps
Qua y
Sand and g a el
88.9
Wa e
ex ac ion
Wa e o a m i iga ion
55.6
Wa e o domes ic use
100
Swimming
Rec ea ion
77.8
Na iga ion
T anspo a ion
0
Key in o man s e ealed ha h ough he yea s, he
Layawan Ri e has se ed as a home o i al
esou ces o he local communi y, p o iding a ishing
g ound, sand and g a el esou ces, and wa e sou ces
o ag icul u al use speci ically o i iga ion and
domes ic use such as o cleaning, ba hing,
swimming, and washing clo hes. Highligh ing ha he
i e suppo s a wide a ay o eshwa e species, wi h
100% o he esponden s conside ing he Layawan
Ri e as a ishing g ound o ish and sh imps. Local
ishe men can bene i he mos om hese esou ces
as hey can ely on hem o ood, g ea ly helping
hem achie e ood secu i y. I is also conside ed he
p ima y sou ce o sand and g a el by mos o he
esponden s (88.9%). The majo i y o he
esponden s (55.6%) indica ed ha he i e was used
o i iga ion, aiding a me s o main ain mois u e o
c op g ow h. I also suppo s domes ic use, wi h 100%
o he esponden s saying so, as locals use i o
ba hing, swimming, and cleaning. The i e oday is
no being used o na iga ion.
En i onmen al issues in Layawan i e
O e ime, key in o man s ha e obse ed signi ican
changes occu ing in he i e . Compa ed o i s
p e ious s a e, he Layawan Ri e aces mul iple
p essu es as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. En i onmen al issues in Layawan Ri e
En i onmen al issues
Responden s (%)
Sand and g a el qua y
77.8
E osion
66.7
Cu ing o ees
55.6
Flooding
55.6
Pollu ion (i.e., pigge y and
pes icides)
44.4
Illegal ishing (i.e., pagpanga i,
elec o ishing)
11.1
Mos o he KII esponden s (77.8%) ha e iden i ied
sand and g a el qua y as he p essing en i onmen al
issue along wi h e osion (66.7%), which esul s in
habi a des uc ion, biodi e si y loss, dec eased wa e
le els, changes in i e mo phology, and he loss o
local li elihood. Majo i y o he esponden s (55.6%)
claimed ha hei communi y expe ienced looding
and illegal cu ing o ees. A conside able numbe o
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esponden s (44.4%) pe cei ed ha pollu ion
h ea ens he in eg i y o he i e . A signi ican
po ion o he in o man s (66.7 %) s a ed ha hey
ha e expe ienced and obse ed hese changes i s -
hand. Du ing he FGD, six en i onmen al issues we e
ecognized by he pa icipan s (Table 3).
Table 3. Ranking o en i onmen al issues in layawan
i e iden i ied by FGD pa icipan s
En i onmen al
issue
Rank
Un egula ed disposal o ga bage
1
Sand and g a el qua y
2
Open de eca ion
3
Illegal ishing (Pagpanga i,
elec o ishing)
4
Pollu ion (pigge y and pes icides)
5
Cu ing o ees
6
Only ou issues we e commonly iden i ied in he KII
and FGD. Speci ically, un egula ed disposal o
ga bage and open de eca ion we e known as among
he p essing en i onmen al issues in he i e du ing
he FGD. Pa icipan s in he FGD we e asked o a e
he p io i y anking o a ious en i onmen al issues
(Table 3). The anking was based on he pe cei ed
se e i y o u gency, wi h one being he mos c i ical.
Holding ank one is he un egula ed disposal o
ga bage. The h owing o household and pe sonal
was es and he dumping o dead animals in o he
i e con ibu e o pollu ion in he a ea. These
p ac ices we e obse ed by he s akeholde s om
e e y a ea o he i e . The ypical li e hey
iden i ied we e plas ic w appe s o de e gen s and
powde s, soaps, and ood packaging. Dumping o
dead animals was also ampan . They ha e obse ed
se e al inciden s in which hey wi nessed animals
being ca ied ou h ough he i e 's low. These
was es con ibu e o pollu ion in he i e , impac ing
wa e quali y, which can h ea en aqua ic li e. Second
is he con inuous ex ac ion o sand and g a el in he
i e . As ex ac ion is loca ed in he lowe s eam o
he Layawan wa e shed, Polanco will na u ally ecei e
all he accumula ed sedimen s om ups eam,
leading o shallowe wa e le els. Al hough i canno
be denied ha i e sedimen ex ac ion al e s he
mo phology o he i e and dis up s eshwa e
bio a, i is also commonly he cause o he educ ion
o i e low in some a eas, con ibu ing o he
inc ease in u bidi y, collapse o i e banks, and
inc eased lood isks because i lowe s he i e bed
bed so much. Open de eca ion, holding ank 3, was
also an issue, wi h locals o en using he i e as a
oile , po en ially yielding se e e wa e con amina ion
p oblems and he possible sp ead o wa e bo ne
diseases. Pa icipan s poin ed ou ha because no all
houses ha e oile s, locals use he i e o de eca ion.
A s udy by Xie e al. (2022) s a ed ha sewage
discha ge, in gene al, has been shown o inc ease
pa hogenic bac e ia in i e s, and such p ac ices
a ec he condi ion o he i e . Wi h he cu en
popula ion o Polanco a app oxima ely 42,000,
sani a ion may be included as a c ucial issue.
Mo eo e , he widesp ead use o non- adi ional and
po en ially ha m ul ishing echniques is in ank 4. The
applica ion o chemical subs ances o physical s unning
me hods has been obse ed. Pa icipan s no ed ha
mos ishe men use hese ishing me hods o ca ch ish
as e . These p ac ices a e non-selec i e in na u e,
posing h ea s o aqua ic li e, leading o mo ali y a
a ying de elopmen al s ages, inju ies, and s ess
(Young e al., 2023; Ca nei o and Ma ins, 2022; Jawad,
2021; Wu e al., 2021; Abbas and Aylan, 2020). In
addi ion, ag icul u al pollu ion is a challenging issue.
Pes icides we e used in nea by a ms ha low o he
i e as un-o , leading o wa e con amina ion and
a ec ing aqua ic li e and wa e quali y. Addi ionally,
pigge y was e was a common issue in hese h ee
sampling a eas. The discha ge o was es om pig a ms
in oduces pa hogens and o ganic pollu an s ha may
esul in eu ophica ion and al e he condi ion o wa e .
In he s udy o Fe ei a e al. (2022), manu e
o e applica ion o ag icul u al soils leads o he
discha ge o phospho ous and ni ogen in o he aqua ic
en i onmen , causing a se e e decline in wa e quali y
and eu ophica ion p oblems. Ano he p essing conce n
is he cu ing o ees. The ad e se impac o cu ing ees
causes e osion and soil loss, which subsequen ly
p omo es sedimen a ion in i e s ha educes
biodi e si y (Boyle, 2025).
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The in o man s made signi ican sugges ions in o de
o add ess hese p essing issues, including c a ing
o dinances, policy, and legisla ion (22.2%),
conduc ing o ien a ion and semina s o locals o
in o ma ion dissemina ion (22.2%), seasonal
ex ac ion o sand and g a el (22.2%), and iling a
pe i ion o s op mining (11.1%) as shown in Table 4.
The e a e 22.2% o he esponden s who didn’ gi e
any sugges ions o add ess hese issues.
Fu he mo e, he Layawan s akeholde s ha e
iden i ied ele an ins i u ions and go e nmen
agencies esponsible o implemen ing, moni o ing,
p o iding unding, and c a ing policies and
o dinances o add ess hese a ious en i onmen al
issues along Layawan Ri e (Table 4).
These include he Depa men o En i onmen and
Na u al Resou ces, Municipal Sani a y O ice,
Local Go e nmen Uni , Ba angay Local
Go e nmen Uni , Municipal Heal h O ice, and he
Depa men o Ag icul u e. Conduc ing semina s
and c ea ing and en o cing o dinances we e
sugges ed o add ess un egula ed disposal o
ga bage and qua y ope a ions.
S opping he qua y ope a ions was u he
endo sed. Building a common oile was
ecommended o p e en and elimina e open
de eca ion. Implemen ing and en o cing
o dinances o comba illegal ishing p ac ices and
pollu ion was p oposed. Re o es a ion o he
ipa ian zones was also pu o wa d.
Table 4. Sugges ed solu ions o add ess en i onmen al issues in Layawan Ri e
En i onmen al Issue
Sugges ed
solu ions
Ins i u ion/Agency
Un egula ed disposal o ga bage
Conduc Semina s, Pass O dinances,
Imp isonmen
DENR, Municipal Sani a y
O ice, BLGU
Sand and g a el qua y
Conduc Semina s, Pass O dinances,
S op Ope a ion
DENR, LGU, BLGU
Open oile
Build Common Toile
MHO, BLGU
Illegal ishing (Pagpanga i,
Elec o ishing
)
O dinances
BLGU
Pollu ion (
Pigge y
and
Pes icides
)
O dinances
BLGU
Cu ing o ees
Re o es a ion
DENR, DA, BLGU
As s ipula ed in he IWMP o he Layawan Ri e he
Depa men o En i onmen and Na u al Resou ces
(DENR) alone canno add ess he wide ange o issues
ound in he Layawan Ri e . I should be collabo a i e
and likewise ini ia ed by o he na ional go e nmen
agencies and pa ne s such as he Depa men o
Ag icul u e (DA), Depa men o Social Wel a e and
De elopmen (DSWD), Depa men o Public Wo ks and
Highways (DPWH), Depa men o Ag a ian Re o m
(DAR), Na ional I iga ion Au ho i y (NIA), Municipal
Local Go e nmen Uni (LGU) and Ba angay Local
Go e nmen Uni (BLGU) including NGOs. They mus
wo k oge he owa ds sus ainable managemen o he
Layawan Ri e .
Wa e quali y
The esul s o wa e quali y a e p esen ed in Table
5. The physicochemical pa ame e s o he Layawan
Ri e we e compa ed o he wa e quali y
s anda ds se by DENR Adminis a i e O de 2016-
08, DENR Adminis a i e O de 2021-19, and DOH
2017-01.
The obse ed empe a u e, anging om 28.3°C o
29.3°C, alls wi hin he accep able limi o 26–
30°C, indica ing a s able en i onmen o aqua ic
li e. Phospha e le els, measu ed be ween 0.099
and 0.144 mg/L, emain below he 0.025 mg/L
minimum equi emen , sugges ing excessi e
nu ien s and isk o eu ophica ion. Dissol ed
oxygen (DO) le els, anging om 7.7 o 8.8 mg/L,
we e abo e he minimum s anda d o 5 mg/L a all
moni o ing s a ions. These high DO concen a ions
e lec a well-oxygena ed en i onmen conduci e o
sus aining aqua ic o ganisms. Simila ly, he pH
alues, be ween 7.84 and 8.39, we e wi hin he
accep able ange, indica ing a balanced le el o
acidi y and alkalini y ac oss he i e .
J. Bio. &
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126 | Andong e al.
Table 5. Physico-chemical pa ame e s o Layawan i e
Pa ame e s
Uni
S a ion 1
(Ups eam)
S a ion 2
(Mids eam)
S a ion 3
(Downs eam)
DENR and
DOH Wa e
quali y s anda ds (DAO
2016-08, DAO 2021-19
& DAO 2017-01)
Tempe a u e
°C
28.4
28.3
29.3
26
-
30
Phospha es
mg/L
0.099
0.105
0.144
0.025
Dissol ed oxygen
mg/L
8.8
8.1
7.7
5(minimum)
To al suspended solids
mg/L
7.67
109
34.7
50
pH
8.39
8.07
7.84
6.5
-
8.5
Salini y
ppm
0.19
0.07
0.07
-
T anspa ency
inch
29.5
9.3
26.1
-
To al coli o m
MPN/100mL
3700
35000
7236.7
0*
*applies o d inking wa e
Howe e , conce ns a ise wi h he To al Suspended
Solids (TSS), pa icula ly a he mids eam (S a ion 2),
whe e he alue eached 109 mg/L, exceeding he 50
mg/L s anda d.
The high TSS le el migh be a ibu ed o he sedimen s
b ough down by he wa e cu en om he ups eam
due o hea y ain all du ing he sampling ime.
Rega ding bac e iological quali y, o al coli o m coun s
ange om 3700-35000 MPN/100mL, indica ing
po en ially ex eme con amina ion linked o human and
animal was e. Among he h ee s a ions, he mids eam
a ea (S a ion 2) is he deg aded a ea, ma ked by he
highes TSS and coli o m coun s alongside he lowes
anspa ency.
Conclusion
The Layawan Ri e is in eg al o he communi y's
s i ing and unc ioning. I highligh s i s c ucial ole
in p o iding a wide a ay o goods and se ices. I
suppo s locals in Polanco by p o iding ishing
g ounds, sou ces o sand and g a el, and wa e o
ag icul u al (i iga ion) and domes ic use (cleaning,
washing clo hes, and ba hing).
Howe e , he s udy e ealed ha he Layawan Ri e
is unde h ea , mainly due o he un egula ed
disposal o ga bage, sand, and g a el qua y, and
open de eca ion nowadays. While he majo i y o he
wa e 's physicochemical pa ame e s a e wi hin he
accep able h eshold, he high phospha e le els,
excessi e suspended solids, and ala mingly high
coli o m coun s con ey an impo an en i onmen al
conce n. I hese pe sis , his will lead o mo e
ex ensi e wo k in he u u e, a ec ing he gene al
public's heal h and he i e 's in eg i y.
The esul s unde sco e he need o make a collec i e
e o , om he people who li e in he communi y o
he na ional and local go e nmen uni s and o he
s akeholde s. This s udy ecommends he ollowing:
implemen a ion and en o cemen o en i onmen al
laws such as he Clean Wa e Ac (R.A. 9275) and
Ecological Solid Was e Managemen ; ehabili a ion o
Layawan Ri e ; es ablishmen o IEC campaign
p og am o ein o ce he communi y's unde s anding
o hei ole in managing Layawan Ri e ; egula
moni o ing o wa e quali y; e o es a ion o he
ipa ian zone. Fu he mo e, his s udy sugges s ha
LGU, in collabo a ion wi h o he go e nmen
agencies, should de elop mi iga ion measu es o
add ess he heal h isk o he public due o high
coli o m con amina ion.
Acknowledgemen s
The i s au ho would like o hank he
Depa men o Science and Technology-
Accele a ed Science and Technology Human
Resou ce De elopmen P og am (DOST-
ASTHRDP), Philippines o he g adua e esea ch
g an . I also hank he Local Go e nmen Uni
(LGU) o Polanco o allowing me o conduc he
s udy. Special hanks o my co- esea ch eam, he
esiden s and local ishe men o Polanco, and o
Rhabbie Quilona, No alyn Quilona, Je ico Balla es,
Jake Ped abuena, Anylin Sanchez, Ja ed Andong,
Richelle Cabañog, Ki by Ga cia and P incess
Es ada o hei suppo du ing he ield sampling.
J. Bio. &
En . Sci.
20
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5
127 | Andong e al.
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