The GTZ Project

As reported earlier, consultants of the German Technical Cooperation paid a courtesy call on the City Officials to brief them on the 3-year Urban Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Project in Calbayog City. As per letter by Mr. Allen Molen, the Program Adviser of DRM Environment and Rural Development Program, the said project was approved by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Develompent (BMZ).

Here are some details / background of the said project taken from the "Appraisal Report and Framework for Disaster Risk Management in Urban Areas in Region VII", a material provided by Mr. Mollen:

In July 2009, GTZ was commissioned by BMZ to review the develpment-oriented emergency and transitional aid project Disaster Risk Management in cities, Philippines. The appraisers were in the Philippines from 20 June to 31 July 2009 to analyse the situation and to conduct talks with representatives from institutions, organizations and potential target groups at national level and in Region VII (Eastern Visayas).

The Philippine Archipelago is regularly ravaged by extreme natural events, with earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruption being the most frequent. Year after year, the resultant floods, landslides and mudslides destroy valuable agricultural land and settlements, besides claiming human lives. In 2008 alone, over five million Filipinos were affected by typhoons, 644 people lost their lives, and economic losses exceeded US$ 400 million. Most of the damage was caused on 21 June 2008 by the sever typhoon "Frank", which devastated large parts of the country and rendered several hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

The devastation is explained not only by the fact that the country is prone to natural disasters, but also by the extreme vulnerablilty of Philippine society. Fuelled by the growth in population, the number of people in absoute terms rose by four million between 1985 and 2000. Increased environmental degradation, reflected in a dramatic decline in forest cover, heavy erosion and in the destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forests (and therefore also in declining agricultural yields), combined with inadequate capacities to deal with disaster risk management (DRM), mean that disaster-induced economic losses are increasing in the country.

Region VIII is particularly hard hit by natural disasters. For example in1991, a flash flood laid waste to large parts of the city of Ormoc, claiming 5,956 lives. Three years ago (17 February 2006), 1,126 people were burried under a landslide in Southern Leyte. Several smaller-scale disasters, particularly floods, also occur year after year, and while they do not feature in the international media, the cumulative damage and loss of life are enormous impediments to develoment n the region. On the other hand, the disasters of Region VIII are due to the area's exposure to natural hazards such as typhoons, floods, erosion, landslides, earthquakes, droughts and tsunamis. On the other hand, disaster risk also has much to do with the fact that people in Region VIII are particularly vulnerable to disasters. Poverty indicators substantiate the reality of development disparities in comparison to other parts of the country (HDI in Region VII is 0.55, as against the countrywide average of 0.76).

Further attempts to define the problem on regional level reveal that Samar is poorer than Leyte, a factor that is also reflected in the situations of the three cities that were analysed in depth in the course of the review mission (In Calbayog, the statistical annual average income was Php 78,000 (2000), Php 93,000 in Ormoc, and in Tacloban even Php 212,000 could be generated. Other data is also similar: employment in agriculture refelcted as a percentage of overall employment (45/24/1.3); literacy (14/9/3). It is also obvious that rural areas are, relatively speaking, poorer than urban areas. However, when expressed in absolute figures, substantially more poor people live in the cities.

Yet urban poverty and vulnerability to disasters are closely related to rural poverty, and have an impact on each other (functional dependencies), as will be described below. Possible solutions to minimize disaster risk in cities must therefore be sought in both areas.

Disaster risk in the cities can be outlined as follows: Deforestation in the upper water catchment areas contributing to flooding. The entry of high levels of fertilizer and faecal matter into the floodwaters compounds the problem, which then develops into a health hazard in the coastal cities. The tremendous influx of rural migrants and the absence of land use planning mean that cities are not in a position to identify adequate settlement areas. Consequently, many people live in a city’s marginalized and risk-prone locations; for example, in the flood plains of a river. Not only is direct living environment under threat, but agricultural land also lies in flood-prone areas. Traditional coping strategies are hardly to be found nowadays in cities. A pronounced trend towards individualization is clearly replacing once strong family ties, which is why, for instance, examples of people helping each other at times of disasters are rare. Moreover, traditional knowledge of minimizing risk (e.g. multiple cropping or crop diversification) and of risk prevention (stilt houses, adapted agricultural usage) is being increasing lost. Livelihood (above all, housing, health and food) is therefore at direct risk.

At present, action is taken primarily in the aftermath of disasters, and involves the deployment of recovery teams, assessment of damage, provision of support for the injured, and rehabilitation of destroyed public infrastructure. This is because DRM in the Philippines has been extremely reactive to date (tackling the damage caused by disasters, rescuing and providing disaster victims, etc.). While attempts are already under way to shift to a holistic understanding of DRM, these have been unsuccessful for several reasons, DRM is still usually thought as an environmental issue. Moreover, disaster protection is poorly organized. There are seldom any emergency plans; rescue services are poorly equipped and poorly organized, and financial resources are not available. The question of which state institution should be responsible for this issue is also obstructing the successful shift to prevention. Apart from the vested interests of political players, reorganization is additionally hampered by the limited planning and human resource capacities of local governments and by weak communication and coordination between the different sectors.

The core problem is therefore that the municipalities are not well prepared for eventual disasters in terms of organization, structure and finances, nor are they in a position to prevent disaster risks. During the First National Conference on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (NCDRR) in March 2008, the local authorities together with the ministries responsible for disaster management and planning processes therefore stressed the need to support cities and communities in strengthening their preventive capacities.

A result of the review was the suggestion to implement a German-Philippine cooperative project in Region VIII. The following three cities were prioritized as pilot locations: Ormoc, Tacloban (both in the province of Leyte) and Calbayog (in Western Samar). Given their vulnerable location and large populations, they are at serious risk, but DRM has been initiated. Furthermore, in two of three cities one can fall back on existing GTZ structures or can build on them. The municipalities and the target groups believe that the highest priority should be accorded to activities that strengthen preparedness structures and safeguard livelihoods.

a) Strengthen preparedness structures by

• offering basic and further training, also recovery teams
• setting up and equipping evacuation centers
• setting up early warning systems
• developing disaster protection plans.

b) Safeguard livelihoods by

• making agriculture less disaster-prone
• improving health (hygienic) conditions during disasters, with special reference to drinking water and sanitation
• making houses more disaster-resilient

The target group comprises poor, disadvantaged and disaster-affected population groups in selected cities in Region VIII. The target group in the three prioritized cities covers up to 17,000 households or families (approximately 85,000 persons). Special attention is given to the following groups: women in general and women-headed households; (unemployed) youth; and migrants from marginalized areas.

The overall objective of the project is: Selected municipalities in particularly affected cities are better equipped to handle DRM and can therefore mitigate the damage and losses caused by natural disasters. The following key indicators have been identified for assessing the achievement of this objective:

1. On the basis of risk analyses, the selected cities have identified appropriate risk-reduction measures that have been operationalized in DRM action plans.
2. In at least two cities, the investments stipulated in the annual investment plan (AIP) for disaster prevention and preparedness measures, distilled from the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), have doubled.’
3. At least X% of the target group in each city uses at least one of the preventive measures promoted by the project (values will be allocated to the indicators in the first project year).
4. More than 60% of the target groups in each city confirm that they feel better prepared for dealing with disasters (opinion survey).
5. At least one additional city outside Region VIII (preferably in Caraga) has adopted the project method for integrating DRM into its CLUP.

In addition to reducing the existing disaster risks to livelihoods and preventing the emergence of new risks by promoting disaster-sensitive development and land use planning, the methodological approach pursued by the project aims to improve management of the accepted residual risk by ensuring that the people are better prepared for disasters. This comprehensive DRM concept supports the efforts of government bodies to shift from disaster management to disaster risk management. Particular importance is given to community-based preventive and preparatory approaches and therefore to capacitating municipalities as important intermediaries of the project. The self-help and self-organizational ability of people particular threatened by disasters (target group) is promoted, whereby a contribution is made to structural stability. Special emphasis is laid on the integration of disadvantaged population groups.

The key outputs are support for the (re-) construction of infrastructure, the promotion of disaster-resistant and disaster-reduction technologies, the setting up and equipping of early warning systems, rescue teams and centers, the promotion of risk analyses and planning processes, and support for upgrading (organization, training) the municipalities and government planning authorities (intermediaries). Knowledge transfer processes and the integration of local experiences into national political processes are also supported. Use of outputs by the intermediaries and target groups is reflected in the utilization of the infrastructure developed, the adoption of disaster-resistant and disaster-reduction technologies, and the implementation of preventive planning procedure in budget planning that takes account of DRM, and in the replication of DRM measures by cities and government authorities. The direct-benefit lies in mainstreaming DRM in planning processes and budgeting, strengthening disaster-resistant means of existence, ensuring that cities are better prepared for disasters, and implementing DRM on a broad scale. In addition to reducing the losses and damage caused by disasters, this leads to more disaster-resistant economic and social development (indirect benefit), which is ultimately a basis for poverty reduction and sustainable development (highly aggregated results).

The lead executing agency is the Department for the Interior and Local Government (DILG). It supports the project at national level (Manila) in the effort to incorporate project experiences into the design of the national policy process. At regional level, DILG is represented in the Development and Planning Councils; it advises cities on integrating DRM into planning processes and plans and, together with the respective city, partners the project in planning and implementing certain infrastructure measures.

The German contribution involves the assignment of one long-term expert (50%) for three years. Philippine experts and auxiliary staff will also be paid from the project budget. In addition, the following contributions will be made within the framework of the German assistance: advisory services, training measures within the country and abroad, equipment and materials, and local subsidies. The contract value for the three-year project term is EUR 950,000.

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Relative to this project, a Partner Workshop will be held today in Tacloban. On October 21, 2009, a pre-Planning Workshop was held in Calbayog. Here some pictures from that activity:

Mayor Mel Sarmiento delivering his message

Mr. Mario Donga, DRM HQ Project consultant

Mr. Olaf Neussner, DRM Consultant with Mr. Mario Donga.

Courtesy Call by the GTZ Team

Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino as he welcomed the GTZ Team

Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino, together with some SP members met with the German Technical Cooperation or GTZ Team earlier today at the City Mayor's Office.

The team was composed of Mario Donga and Olaf Neussner, both GTZ Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Consultants; and Allen Molen, Program Adviser, DRM Environment and Rural Development Program.

They were on hand to brief the City Officials on the 3-year Urban DRM Project for the City of Calbayog which was recently approved by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation (BMZ).

The team was in Cabayog for data-gathering the pre-planning workshop aimed at defining the areas of cooperation in line with the overall objectives and outputs of the project in preparation for the Partner Workshop in Tacloban this coming October 29, 2009.

Present at today's meeting were Councilors Ina Rabuya, Danny Bernate, Noel Sermense, Jonas Montealto and Benjie Dean. Also on hand were Environment Officer Joe Raz, City Planning and Development Officer Gil Lentejas, City Agriculturist Adela Ocenar and DILG City Director Valente Bajet.

Mr. Allen Molen giving some info on the project.

Team leader Mario Donga

DILG City Director Valente Bajet (right) with (l-r) Mr. Olaf Neussner, Mr. Mario Donga and Mr. Allen Colen.

JICA Midterm Evaluation Team visits Calbayog

(June 22, 2009) A 10-man JICA Mifterm Evaluation Team visited Calbayog to check on some JICA projects in the City. The said team which was headed by Shiro Amano paid a coutesy call on the Sangguniang Panlungsod before proceeding to Calbayog Sanitary Landfills in Barangay Gadgaran (Tomalon Estate) and Barangay Dinagan and the Material Recovery Facility in Barangay Payahan.

The JICA Team also met with their local conterparts at the I's Plant Function Hall for some updates on the projects.

Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino as he welcomed the JICA team.

(l-r) Councilors Bombie Enriquez, Noel Sermense, Julius Mancol and Ina Rabuya.

The JICA Midterm Evaluation Team. (r-l) Shiro Amano, Team Leader); Makoto Iwase, JICA Philippine Office Representative; Noriko Otsuki, Consultant, Satoshi Higashinakagawa, Consultant; and Takshi Goto, JICA Project Team Leader.

The City Officials with the JICA Evaluation Team.

Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino and the JICA team members at the Gadgaran Sanitary Landfill.

The Team with Vice Mayor Aquino at the Material Recovery Faciltiy (MRF) in Barangay Payahan.

Makoto Iwase as he stressed a point during the group's evaluation / meeting.

Mayor Mel Sarmiento meeting with Shiro Amano (l) and Makoto Iwase (r) and other team members at the Calbayog Airport.

JICA hands over pilot MRF to Calbayog City

Ribbon-cutting to open the Calbayog Pilot MRF. Mayor Mel Sarmiento as he led the ribbon-cutting during the inauguration of the Calbayog Pilot MRF. In photo (r-l) Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino, JICA Philippine Office Representative Makoto Iwashi, Matuguinao Mayor Carlos De La Cruz, Sta. Margrita Mayor Fred Serrano, Councilors Ver Porlares, Sonny Salurio and Noel Sermense and JICA Project Team Leader Takashi Goto. (Photo by Henry Puyat)

As I have mentioned in an earlier blogpost, the Calbayog Pilot Materials Recovery Facility was inaugurated last Tuesday. Let me give you the report of DYOG's Eleen Lim.

JICA HANDS OVER PILOT MRF TO CALBAYOG CITY
(A compliance to an unfunded mandate, says Mayor Sarmiento)

Calbayog City, March 10, 2009/ It was almost like a hopeless case for the City of Calbayog and for other Local Government Units in the country: Establishment of a multi-million pesos sanitary landfill and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in every LGU in compliance to Solid Waste Management Act or RA 9003, or face administrative and criminal sanctions.

But then there’s always the Japan International Cooperating Agency to turn to. At least for the City of Calbayog.

On March 10, 2009, JICA thru its representatives Makoto Iwase and Takashi Goto handed–over 2.9 million pesos worth of MRF located in Brgy. Payahan, this city. The facility consists of a building, a shredding machine, rotating composter, a platform scale dial and a water jet cleaner. Built for almost 4 months, the facility will serve as the Central Composting Facility for biodegradable wastes from the backyards or gardens, and the public market, and food wastes from limited households. Said wastes will then be processed into soil conditioner or organic fertilizer.

And as if the MRF is not enough, the JICA also turned over a portable water quality analysis meter, and a 1 million pesos worth of equipment to be used for Information and Education Campaign regarding waste segregation such as video recorders, digital camera, LCD, laptop and printer. And for the “campaigners” to get moving: a Mitsubishi Montero Sports Car worth almost 2 million pesos.

During the simple inauguration and hand-over ceremonies, Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said that when Congress passed the Solid Waste Management Act, there was no provision as to the funding of its implementation, leaving the LGU’s to fund the program on its own initiative. Congress did not even consider that the agency tasked to implement the law which is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, lacks the technical capability and knowledge. Moreover, according the mayor, LGUs are mandated to implement the law within four years after its approval or face sanctions.

Mayor Sarmiento profusely thanked the JICA People for coming to their rescue.

From the 120 cities nation wide, JICA chose 3- Sagay City in Negros, Davao City in Mindanao and Calbayog City as pilot cities where they provided technical training for Ecological Solid Waste Management. As a collateral assistance to the establishment of MRF, three employees of the City, including Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino who sits as the chair of the City Solid Waste Management Board, were sent to Japan by the JICA to study the different Solid Waste Management Programs of the different cities which became successful in achieving its goal of reducing waste as a means to reduce the adverse impact of global warming and climate change.

JICA also took the initiative of providing the technical assistance, including research and geographical studies on the proposed site for the 50-million pesos sanitary landfill to be constructed sometime this year. The landfill, according to Mayor Sarmiento, can also serve the neighboring municipalities who cannot afford to put up their own sanitary dumpsites, but must put up their own MRF’s.

The MRF will serve as the “frontliner” for the landfill. From the barangay level, the household wastes are segregated into reusable, recyclable, residual or non-biodegradable, and biodegradable. The latter goes to the MRF, while only the residual wastes will go to the landfill. The city’s MRF will also serve as the model for other MRF that will be put up in other barangays in the city and the nearby municipalities.

Municipalities in the first district of Samar sent representatives, most of them the vice mayors, to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Technical Training conducted right after the said hand-over ceremonies. (Eleen Lim)

Calbayog Pilot Material Recovery Facility to be inaugurated today

The 2.9 million-peso JICA-funded Calbayog City Pilot Material Recovery Facility (MRF) will be inaugurated today. Mayor Mel Sarmiento and Vice Mayor Ronald Aquino will lead the officials and guests in the ceremony. JICA Philippine Office Representative Makoto Iwashi and JICA Project Team Leader Takshi Goto are expected to be in attendance. Also invited to the affair are the Mayors of the the Municipalities San Isidro (Northern Samar), Sto. Niño, Almagro, Tarangan, Gandara, Sta. Margarita, San Jorge and Matuguinao. The Calbayog MRF which is located in Brgy. Payahan (motorpool) is one of the only three MRFs which JICA constructed in the Philippines, the other two are located in the Cities of Sagay and Davao. Today's MRF blessing will be followed by the Ecological Solid Waste Management Technical Training.

something from the U.S. State Department website

Do you still remember my blog post about the Cocopeat Bio-Filter Wastewater Treatment Project? (please check this link). It was one of the projects under the Local Initiative for Affordable Wastewater Management (LINAW) Program (a joint undertaking of LGU Calbayog and USAID); and was initially installed at the SOS Children's Village. It's the same project that was put in place at the Greenland subdivision when the members of the USNS Mercy ENCAP came to Calbayog for their engineering civic action mission.

This project landed in one of the reports featured in the U.S. State Department's website.

The article entitled "Philippine Alliance Helps Reduce Water Pollution, Diseases" enumerates how the United States supports wastewater treatment and sanitation improvements. It tells about the good experience of some cities in the Philippines, Calbayog included:

"... A new low-cost housing development under construction in the Philippines will provide former slum dwellers with proper sewage treatment to protect their health and the environment.

The wastewater treatment system will be installed in Calbayog City on the Philippine island of Samar with assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Philippine Sanitation Alliance (PSA) and the U.S. Navy... "

For the rest of the article, please check this link.

Mayor Mel Sarmiento to moderate two events at the World Urban Forum in Nanjing, China

Calbayog City Mayor and RDC-8 Chair Mel Senen Sarmiento will be in Nanjing, China from November 3 – 6, 2008. He was invited by UN Habitat to moderate two events during the Fourth Session of the World Urban Forum. These events are the “Mayors’ Roundtable” and “Land Markets, Social Inclusion and the right to the City”, a high-level panel discussion on the difficulties of socially and physically integrating the urban poor into cities.

Roundtables are organized by Habitat Agenda partners such as ministers, mayors, youth, women, parliamentarians, and others. These action-oriented sessions enable peers to exchange views on key urban issues. Some roundtables will be closed door events, while others will be open to the public.

The Mayors’ roundtable on November 3, 2008 will build on the momentum gathered by the local authorities' movement around the world and discuss the role of cities and city managers in assisting national government in the search for "harmonious urbanization". The event will emphasize the important contribution local authorities are making to ensure harmonious urbanization, based on the fact that - if local authorities were responsible for implementing policies in order to respond to the changing conditions in increasingly multicultural societies - then they must be internationally recognized and nationally empowered to create an environment that is conducive to sustainable development for all.

The following officials have confirmed their participation in the Roundtable Event:
Mayor Zhang Guangning, Co-President UCLG (chair)
Representative from the China Association of Mayors (co-chair)
Dr. Wolfgang Schuster, Mayor, Stuttgart, Germany
H.E. Mir Abdul Ahad Sahibi, Mayor, Kabul, Afghanistan
Hon. Anders Knape, President of the Swedish Association of Local authorities, Sweden
Hon. Mel Senen S. Sarmiento, Mayor, Calbayog City, The Philippines
Hon. Michel Destot, President, Association des maires de grandes villes de France, Deputy and mayor, Grenoble, France
Mr. Simon Compaore, Mayor, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Mr. Kep Chuk Tema, Governor, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Mr. François Amichia, Mayor, Treichville and President, Union des Villes et Communes de Côte d’Ivoire, Côte d’Ivoire
Ms. Olga Ramasalon, Mayor, Antsirabe, Madagascar
Mr. Ousmane Masseck Ndiaye, Mayor, Saint Louis and Ministre d’Etat de la Décentralisation et des Collectivités locales, Senegal
Mr. Mohamed Hadj Taieb, Mayor, Sfax, Tunisia
Mr. Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General, ICLEI
Ms. Anita Normark, Building and Wood Workers' International, BWI
Mr. Serguei Lazarev, Chief of UNESCO’s Struggle against Discrimination and Racism Section, Paris

On November 5, 2008, Mayor Sarmiento will moderate “Land Markets, Social Inclusion and the right to the City”, the high-level panel discussion on the difficulties of socially and physically integrating the urban poor into cities. Panelists will discuss issues affecting the functioning of the land markets, particularly recent legislative and policy interventions. This networking event is linked to the dialogue on socially harmonious cities which explores the obstacles that many cities and countries are face in integrating the urban (and urbanising) poor into existing cities and social formations. Each of the countries represented on the panel – Brazil, India, South Africa and Spain – have faced different practical, financial, legal and social obstacles to overcome fragmented and divided urban development, as well as distorted land markets. Each has used varying methods to overcome these obstacles, including legislative mechanisms.

Panelists in this event are:
Hon. Lindiw Sisulu, Minister of Housing, South Africa
Hon. Kumari Selja, Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, India
Teresa Surita Juca, Ministry of Cities, Brazil
Maria Rosario Alonso Ibañez, Ministry of Housing, Spain

The World Urban Forum was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies and policies. It is projected that in the next fifty years, two-thirds of humanity will be living in towns and cities. A major challenge is to minimize burgeoning poverty in cities, improve the urban poor's access to basic facilities such as shelter, clean water and sanitation and achieve environment-friendly, sustainable urban growth and development.

It is a biennial gathering that is attended by a wide range of partners, from non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, urban professionals, academics, to governments, local authorities and national and international associations of local governments. It gives all these actors a common platform to discuss urban issues in formal and informal ways and come up with action-oriented proposals to create sustainable cities.

Keynote speakers from the Philippines include Vice President Noli De Castro and Senator Rodolfo Biazon.

Mayor Sarmiento’s expenses for this trip were paid for by the World Bank.

Mayor Mel Sarmiento participates in the United Nations (UN) Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in New York.

Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento was in New York September 22 – 25, 2008 as the Philippine Representative during the Side Event on Local Poverty Reduction and MDG Localization. The said activity was part of the United Nations High-Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Sarmiento, who is also the Secretary-General of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and the Chair of the Regional Development Council (RDC-8) participated in the first Round-Table Session which discussed “The Localization in tandem with national scaling up efforts: Bridging the gap between local and national levels”.

In that session, the Philippines, Brazil and Uganda made their presentations on MDG localization and national scaling up efforts. The presenters tried to answer some critical questions like the major challenges for policy alignment for MDG planning and implementation at national and local levels; and how those challenges have been overcome? They also discussed the effective ways to sensitize local government and parliamentarians on MDG and the key elements of success in bridging the gap between national and local levels in scaling up MDG implementations.

Mayor Sarmiento’s presentation entitled “Local Poverty Reduction and MDG Localization: Scaling Up the Achievement of MDGs” focused on the partnership between local and national level governments for MDGs. Most notable in that report are the following points:

On the Environment for Localization:
At the local level, Goals 1-5 and Goal 7 are devolved functions to local government units (e.g. health, safety, social justice, employment, environment, etc.). Philippine law has mandated the LGUs as primarily responsible for providing basic social services (RA 7160). LGUs are also responsible for the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Anti-Poverty Action Agenda in their respective jurisdictions (RA 8425).

At the national level, the 10-Point Agenda of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo mirrors the MDGs. And The Philippines remain strongly committed to the Millennium Declaration. This commitment is not mere lip service because in fact MDG targets are mainstreamed in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (2004-2010). However, National Government Agencies have limited capacity to support LGUs who remain as the frontliners in the delivery of basic services to the people.

Taking a cue from his personal experience in Calbayog and that of the 13 other pilot LGUs, he enumerated the characteristics of an MDG-Responsive LGU:
- First, local plans include specific MDG-related targets and budget. The plan should show increased or increasing allocation for MDG-related services.
- Second, improvements in the delivery of social services are adopted. Those that have been identified as best practices, at the international, national or local level, are replicated.
- Third, monitoring systems are in place to track down effective and efficient utilization of resources. The monitoring system should also welcome feedback from the community.
- Fourth, institutional reforms are pursued. This could involve governance reforms at the barangay (village) level.
- And finally, local leadership makes the MDGs a performance commitment. And the local chief executive reports on this performance to his constituencies.

In answering the issue on bridging the gap between the national and local levels, Mayor Sarmiento enumerated the basic MDG localization process followed in the Philippines:
- Advocacy campaigns
- Institutionalization of the MDG Localization process
- Baselines – Minimum Basic Needs Survey, Community Based Poverty Information System –
- Local Poverty Indicators and Monitoring System
- Setting Local Targets, Indicators, Programs, Projects and Activities
- Mainstreaming local MDG targets in short and long term plans
- Measuring Results, Evaluation and Tracking Outcomes

Mayor Sarmiento also informed the event participants that in the Philippines, MDG localization means bringing the MDGs down to the individual child. For MDGs to make a real difference in people’s lives, they cannot remain to be the concern of the national government or the LGUs alone. The MDGs have to be understood and owned by the individual families. The meaning of the MDGs has to be translated to its significance in the daily life of an individual child.

The report concluded with the Mayor enumerating the key elements for success. He cited the three most critical elements based on the Philippine experience:

First, it is strategic to institutionalize the engagement and ownership by all levels of stakeholders (city, village, neighborhood and family) in program development, implementation and monitoring – in all the process of development.

Second, it is fundamental to make the MDGs meaningful to the families especially the vulnerable sector. Instead of considering them as “beneficiaries” as is the traditional thinking, they should be harnessed as “development partners”. Their capacities should therefore be developed as such partners.

Third, information is a key in poverty profiling and establishing development baselines using accurate household level data. City-wide mainstreaming of MDG targets in the LGU’s Medium-Term Development Plans, Executive and Legislative Agenda and Annual Investment Plans should be facts-based and knowledge-driven.

The event happened around the same time when heads of states started to arrive in New York for the opening of the UN General Assembly. It resulted in the last-minute change of venue for the event. As per request by the Secret Service, the presentations and discussions were moved to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan.

Other countries invited to the event included Rwanda, Vietnam, India, Kenya and Liberia. Key messages in presentations will be used to inform the MDG localization agenda and will be transmitted to the Office of the UN Secretary-General. The agencies that coordinated the event included the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), among others.

A Suitable Ecological Solid Waste Management System for Calbayog

Mayor Mel Senen S. Sarmiento (R) with Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon Jr.

JICA Resident Representative Shozoo Matsuura, DENR Undersecretary for Planning, Policy, Research and Logistic Affairs Demetrio L. Ignacio, Jr., National Solid Waste Management Commission Executive Director Atty. Zoilo L. Anden, Jr.

Sagay City Mayor Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr., Mayor Mel Senen S. Sarmiento, JICA Resident Representative Shozoo Matsuura, DENR Usec Demetrio L. Ignacio, Jr., National Solid Waste Management Commission Executive Director Atty. Zoilo L. Anden, Jr., JICA Philipppines Minnie M. Dacanay and Makoto Iwase.




(Here's a report provided to me by Ike Macasa of the Samar Sunday Star)


Calbayog City - A Suitable Ecological Solid Waste Management System will soon be established here along with Sagay and Davao cities chosen by the Japanese government as high priority cities in the country.

Calbayog's Solid Waste Management Office Chief Engr. Gonzaga recently announced in a press conference that on the third or fourth quarter of this year, the Technical Cooperating Project Team is set to conduct a technical study and planning which, at the same time, signals the start of the project. Gonzaga said Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) Project Agreement was signed early this year. The signing was made at the DENR conference room. (please see pictures above)

Based on the document furnished by the CSWMO Chief, approximately 25 million pesos is allocated for the project depending on the output of the project technical study group and the target duration is three years.

As reflected in the Master Plan, the study is geared to strengthen the capability of the LGU on solid waste management planning, to improve the solid waste diversion system and the final disposal system.

The assistance will cover feasibility study on Solid Waste Management including preliminary design and technical study, formulation of master plan, capability building for the executing organization, solid waste management monitoring, computerization, weigh bridge, design of sanitary landfill, guidance and training on sanitary landfill method and operation and supervision of sanitary landfill construction work.

It was explained during JICA’s visit here that the cost of construction of the sanitary landfill shall be borne by the LGU and the financial scheme that will be adopted to finance the construction of the facility should be a two-step loan facility of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) under a soft loan.

The LGU will likewise provide, secure or purchase the landfill site that should be suitable in accordance with the site selection requirement criteria of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 which prohibits the operation of open dumpsites for the disposal of solid wastes.

JICA has already conducted ocular inspections of the present dumpsite and the proposed sanitary landfill.

The results of the waste amount and characterization survey conducted by JICA’s consultants last January 2007 here revealed that the city generates a total of 93.611 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) daily comprising 69,237kgs of residential waste, 2,112kgs commercial waste from restaurants, 18,470kgs commercial wastes from other shops, 53kgs institutional waste from government offices, 1,757kgs from schools, 198kgs from roads with street sweeping activities only and 1,784kgs from the market stalls.

The study also revealed the three categories of waste composition with high percentages are the kitchen waste with 22.76 per cent, followed by yard waste or wood with 21.77 per cent, and paper with 15.73 per cent.

“In our latest waste characterization conducted by the JICA’s contractor , almost 12 per cent guihapon an special waste. An special waste an basura nga di na nagagamitan asya na unta iton an basura an maulpot sa dumpsite. An tinatawag nga waste diversion nga kon pwede kunta nga in household level sa generation pala mag-iban na an basura. Sa pagpalit ta pala we have to take it a point nga an aton napapalit diri magiging basura naton unina…that’s reduction,” the CSMO chief said.

“We have 3 Rs --reduce, re-use and recycle. Mahimo ngani iton san aton mga household level, ma-reduce an basura nga mahingadto sa aton dumpsite,” he added.

As of now, garbage collection in the city is being done by a private contractor taking garbage from the residents during designated collection period for each area.

Gonzaga further said that section 27 of the law on waste diversion requires LGUs to reduce garbage at 25 per cent only three years after the approval of RA 9003 but the city had, so far, obtained 32 per cent reduction rate. He added that the garbage problem is not the sole responsibility of the government but is also everybody’s concern.

In 1993 the city was named as the cleanest in the region and one of the top finalists in the national level. Its two barangays also received awards. Brgy. Panoypoy was a National Silver Awardee in 2003-4004 Search for Model Barangay under the Solid Waste Management category by the National Solid Waste Management Commission while Brgy. Manguinoo won a Special Citation for Multiple Materials Recovery Facility and Coastal Clean-up Practices.

LINAW National Conference

Just got these pictures taken last August 31, 2007 when Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento attended the LINAW National Conference at The Bellevue Hotel in Muntinlupa City. Among other things, the Mayor shared the Calbayog experience on making sanitation services a local government priority.

Calbayog City is one of the pilot areas in the country for the USAID-funded Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater Management (LINAW). A few months ago I featured in this blog one of the projects of the city relative to this grant. Check this link.