The study explored the dynamics of the island municipality of Tingloy and the mainland consisting of the municipalities of Mabini, Bauan, and San Pascual located in the southwestern portion of the province of Batangas. It looks at fisheries and dive sites as economic resources of Tingloy and how these are integrated and physically linked with the larger spatial planning context of the mainland, and the enhancement of the level of regional economic growth.
Tingloy serves as a rural settlement that was economically linked with the mainland through fisheries for livelihood generation and dive sites for ecotourism activities. Fishing is done for subsistence, and surplus is exported to mainland. However, fishery product flow analyses show that fisherfolk of Tingloy were marginalized by the disproportionate income distribution in favor of middlemen and fish dealers.
In terms of ecotourism, a number of dive sites are found within the territorial waters of Tingloy. However, the linkage in ecotourism to the mainland is weak, since marketing is done at the mainland.
Support facilities such as ports and transportation facilities are available to promote linkage between Tingloy and the mainland. However, the linkage is limited by the existence of only a few ports directly linking the island municipality and mainland. Likewise, transportation facilities are limited only to trips from Tingloy and Mabini, and vice-versa. Other municipalities in the mainland has no direct access to Tingloy. Similarly, physical linkage, measured through distance, shows a strong interaction only between Tingloy and Mabini.
Slow pace but positive integration of island economy to mainland is observed in the study area, as evidenced by indicators such as population concentration; centralization of services; employment, per capita income, and livelihood; and self-sufficiency.
Interventions to further improve integration and linkages between Tingloy and the mainland are directed towards improved institutional arrangements, stricter implementation of existing local ordinances, and regional development planning that would take a holistic view and consider the vast resource base of the concerned local government units.