Title: Intricacies, challenges and implications: the governance of Tadlac Lake, Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Authors: Bing Baltazar C. Brillo

Addresses: Institute for Governance and Rural Development, College of Public Affairs and Development, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Abstract: Grounded on the lacuna in literature - the scarcity of scholarly works on lake governance and small lakes in the country, and the notable transformation of Tadlac Lake - from a threatened and poorly regulated lake to a potential model for governance and ecotourism development, this article documents the small lake and examines its governance specifics, challenges and implications. It argues that the governance of Tadlac Lake can be characterised as intricate, watershed-based, hierarchical, participatory and centralised. It also contends that the lake's development - its transformation from an aquaculture-based lake into an ecotourism-oriented lake - illustrates a key lesson for developing small lakes in the country. To close, the article hopes to instigate more governance studies on lakes, particularly small lakes, owing to their number (in the country and globally) and the fact that in the country, many are surrounded by impoverished communities.

Keywords: development; governance; Philippines; lake; small lake; Tadlac Lake; Alligator/Crocodile Lake; Enchanted Lake.

DOI: 10.1504/IJW.2017.088047

International Journal of Water, 2017 Vol.11 No.4, pp.376 - 394

Received: 20 Aug 2016
Accepted: 16 Oct 2016
Published online: 20 Nov 2017 *

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