Alaska is a remote coastal village of Aringay, La Union, where blast fishing used to be the main occupation of its residents. In this village, some fishermen used to manufacture improvised dynamite sticks that they used in illegal fishing. “It was the easiest way to catch fish for residents who had no other means of livelihood, not even agriculture,” says Manuel Ugaban Jr., Aringay agriculture officer. But that was until about three years ago when a strong typhoon struck, causing storm surges that gobbled up a portion of the coastline. Then every storm thereafter, a part of the beach was reclaimed by the sea.

Sotelo, Y. (2013, February 6). The business of fixing Lingayen Gulf. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A17.