In 2007, the BDRC Learning Circle was introduced to Joint Memorandum Circular No. 01-2007. For MACEC, it was an opportunity to make critical DRR and CCA interventions. Means were explored. In June of 2008, NEDA extended the invitation for Sub-National DRR Mainstreaming with CA and its partners. MACEC took the lead in learning the process that NEDA presented. Seeing its possible application to local government units, MACEC studied the process and found policy foundations in various Philippine policies, including the RA 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991) and developed a tool for the integration of DRR and CCA in the planning and budgeting processes for the barangays using the very same tools that DILG requires of the local government units.
Process
1. A team from each barangay attended a 3 day workshop composed of Punong Barangay, Barangay Treasurer, SB Kagawad, Chairperson of Appropriations Committee and MACEC representative as member of the Barangay Development Council
a. Situation Analysis and Environmental Scanning Using the PCVA
b. Overview of the International, National, Regional and Provincial Policy Frameworks
Attention given to the Hyogo Framework for Action on DRR vis a vis the Strategic National Action Plan; UN Framework on Climate Change vis a vis the National Policies on CC; Millennium Development Goals; Rio Declaration and the Philippine Agenda 21; MTPDP targets (ie. BEAT THE ODDS of the current administration) and the Provincial/ Municipal Development Thrust
c. Visioning Workshop
d. Strategy Formulation
e. Formulation of the Programs, Projects and Activities
f. Budgeting Workshop
2. DRR and CCA were integrated and expressed in their barangay vision and priority projects, programs and activities and at the same time harmonizing all plans and projects (and also budgets) in accordance with the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 01-2007 and the Budget Operations Manual for Barangays (BOMB)
3. Barangay Officials were made aware that the mandatory 5% Calamity Fund is only a benchmark of a minimum requirement of RA 7160 and not the celing amount for appropriation. Instead, if there are enough funds, allocation may be made above the 5% benchmark
4. Barangays were able to integrate budgets for specific disaster preparedness activities such as capability building, drills and projects on livelihood in their Annual Budget (integrated in their 20% LDF or in the MOOE)
6. Discussions on the insertion of administrative provisions in appropriations ordinance such as the provision that any excess amount in the budget year;s 5% Calamity fund shall remain in the same allocation as a continuing fund appropriation
OUTPUT
184 of 218 barangays in Marinduque were able to prepare their 10-year Local Development and Investment Plan, 2009 Annual Investment Plan and 2009 Annual Budget with DRR and CCA provisions
Provincial Development Council and Municipal Development Council inclusion of specific budget items on DRR and CCA and the appropriation of modest amount therein their regular budgets for 2009
Adoption of an ordinance by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of MACEC's proposal to mandate the use of compressed flourescent bulbs in all government projects, edifices, buildings, etc. and the gradual transition on the use of the same by business establishments and households
Adoption of an ordinance mandating the participation of all institutions, households and individuals in the annual provincial coastal clean up drive
Two (2) units of hanging bridges (150 meters ) in 2 barangays of Mogpog were constructed upon MACEC's representation with a party-list group to enable barangay residents to have access during flooding and to facilitate their immediate evacuation
ADDRESSING ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY and the
NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Vegetable farming employing measures to protect the farming process from extreme heavy rainfall and drought with the help of line agencies, the local government and state colleges and universities
Butterfly culture: releasing a percentage of the cultured butterfly into the wild to contribute to biodiversity conservation
Name of Organization
Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns
Location
Marinduque
Contact Person
Miguel Magalang
Address
Second Floor, Sacred HeartDiocesanPastoralCenter,
Cathedral Compound, Boac, 4900 Marinduque, The Philippines
Study circles became venues for bringing closer to the communities knowledge gained from the capacity building within the BDRC Learning Circle and other venues for learning. FORGE staff are first provided the first level capacity building and are then sent out to communities to facilitate community-based study circles.
Attempts at Slope Protection (Then and Now)
The fund made available for the community project was used as a leverage to facilitate access to LGU funds. The City government has committed, in principle, to continue the slope protection project.
Planting of 3000 fruit trees, so far, for slope protection
Waste Management: Waste Segregation and River Clean-Up for Riverine Communities
Community support for the strict implementation of NO SEGREGATION, NO GARBAGE COLLECTION ordinance
Fire, landslide, and flooding are the three most common disasters in CebuCity.These disasters mostly affect the urban poor who live in congested areas where most of the houses are made of lights materials; or in danger zones, particularly, beside creeks or in riverbanks.
The Bureau of Fire Protection Region VII has yet to release its official, but between March and May this year, two major fires occurred in CebuCity.In March, a day after the sirens blared to signify the start of Fire Prevention Month, at least 40 structures were razed by the fire that left four people injured and more than 80 families homeless in Barangay Tinago.The damage was placed at P800, 000. In May, more than 447 families or around 2,400 individuals lost their homes in the blaze that hit sitios Bato and Kasilian, Barangay Ermita.The damage was estimated at P2.2 million.
Fire authorities identified electrical misuse as the common cause of fires.On the other hand, Cebu City Vice-Mayor Michael Rama and City Councilor Gerardo Carillo identified the narrow roads, especially in urban poor communities, as the number one difficulty of fire trucks responding to the incidents.
Also in May, some 2,000 people were displaced due to the landslide and flooding spawned by heavy rains.The Cebu City Government, in fact, declared 26 barangays under a state of calamity.
Cebu, being an island, is also threatened by the rising sea level brought about by climate change.Note that big urban poor communities are living in CebuCity’s coastal barangays (i.e. Mambaling, Duljo, Pasil, Ermita, and San Roque).A mere one-meter rise in the sea level will surely submerge these barangays.
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDC) articulated the need to come up with effective and efficient disaster preparedness plans at the city and barangay levels.
The aforementioned instances strengthened FORGE’s resolve to pursue the advocacy for DRR, particularly, by integrating it into the development plans of partner-barangays.
Pilot areas for this project are barangays Apas, Bulacao, and Kalunasan.Based on the Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA), two years ago, separate landslide and flooding incidents severely affected a total of 600 households in Apas and in Bulacao, and 1,700 households in Kalunasan[j1].
Most of the vulnerable residents in Bulacao are living near the BulacaoRiver, which has a history of overflowing soon after Sta. Lucia Subdivision was developed in the mountain part of the barangay and its adjacent place, TalisayCity.
On the other hand, the most affected residents in Kalunasan are living near the famous GuadalupeRiver, where a portion of its bank (located in Sitio Lower Kalunasan) has not been rehabilitated by the City Government.If this area remains un-rehabilitated, landslide and flooding spawned by heavy downpour will continue to be a major threat.
PROJECT CONCEPT
Community organizing and provision of technical assistance to the barangay local government units (BLGUs) are the indispensable strategies in carrying out the project’s three major components, namely…
1.Social Protection[j1] through Physical Protection, Structural, and Technical Measures:
Under this component, FORGE will build and strengthen the capacities of the urban poor communities and the BLGUs of Apas, Bulacao, and Kalunasan for disaster risk reduction.Major target outputs include the formation of qualified and functional barangay disaster brigades; the regular conduct of community drills as part of the communities’ early warning system; the communities’ familiarization and understanding of the basic concepts of DRR and climate change adaptation through study circle session and thematic discussions; and the construction of slope protection in the landslide-and flood-prone areas in Barangay Kalunasan.
2.Environmental Management through Solid Waste Management and Tree Planting Activities:
Poor or absence of solid waste management in the barangays adds up to the risks of flooding, as garbage will clog-up the canals and other passageways.Hence, FORGE will help set-up the waste management systems of the pilot barangays.FORGE will ensure that waste segregation and regular garbage collection are incorporated in the pilot barangays’ development plans.
On the other hand, deforestation is among the major causes of landslides.Hence, FORGE will encourage the regular conduct of tree planting activities, especially in Apas, Bulacao and Kalunasan landslide and flood prone areas.
Further, FORGE will encourage partners to get a copy of the geo-hazard maps of CebuCity.The plans will provide them with information relevant in coming up with DRR activities for their respective barangays.
3.Planning
Target outputs for this component include the formulation of a Comprehensive Five-Year Barangay Development Plan incorporating the realistic and attainable DRR plan; a Resolution adopting the five-year BDP, and the passage of Barangay Ordinance on the comprehensive utilization of 5% calamity fund[j2] of the BLGU.FORGE will ensure that the planning will be participated by the various stakeholders in the community.
[j1]Social protection normally takes a particular meaning in the context of DRR.This refers to interventions that guarantee social rights.
[j2]What do you mean by this?What do you mean by comprehensive utilization?
[j1]What community was affected by the landslide and what community was/were affected by flooding?
What underlying factors render communities to be at risk to flooding and landslide?These underlying factors should be the main target of risk reducing interventions.
MACEC is currently implementing a project with Christian Aid (under a supplemental
agreement) for a period of one (1) year which is due to end on December 2008
[INTEGRATING DRR IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND BUDGETING MECHANISMS OF
PRIORITY BARANGAYS IN MARINDUQUE];
• It is intended to support a series of workshops for 100 barangays (with established MACEC chapters) or 420 individuals composed of (Punong Barangay, Chairman of the Barangay Committee on Appropriation, Barangay Treasurer, and a Member of MACEC who is a member of the Expanded Barangay Development Council);
• The project aims to assist the Barangays in coming up with a DRR/CRR-enhanced Barangay Development and Investment Plan (6 years), Annual Investment Plan (2009), and Annual Budget 2009—in accordance with the mandate of the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2007 of the DILG, COA, DBM and NEDA providing for the harmonization and integration of plans at the local level;
• It is also a timely intervention because of the mandate of the new Budgeting Operations Manual for Barangays (BOMB) which has mandatory processes and standards forms that were used in the workshop design and distributed to the participating Barangays;
• MACEC is soon to finish the fifth and last batch of the workshop on September 10-12, 2008. The workshops were directly coordinated with the provincial development council and the provincial disaster coordinating council, DILG-Marinduque, COA-Marinduque, the Presidents of the Municipal Chapters of the Liga ng mga Barangay and the Municipal Mayors.
• After the three batches of the workshops, there are now clamors among the remaining Barangays to be given also the same opportunity to undergo the workshops in order for them to come up with the mandated LDIP, AIP 2009 and Annual Budget 2009. They argued that since the standard forms on planning and budgeting were newly-introduced, they should be properly briefed on the same. The DILG has no fund to convene the barangays for the workshop.
• The municipal planning and development coordinators also requested that the workshop be opened to 100% of the Barangays so that it would make sense for them to consolidate the thrusts and priorities of 100% also of Barangay plans and be introduced significantly and serve as baseline in the crafting of municipal development plans as mandated in the Joint Memorandum Circular No.1;
• The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Marinduque also requested MACEC to find ways and means in making the workshops accessible to the remaining Barangays of Marinduque so that the integration of DRR/CRR in development planning and budgeting can have visible impacts in the frontline government units and can facilitate considerably the dovetailing of plans of the municipal and provincial governments;
• The full implementation of the JMC No. 1, series of 2007 shall be rolled over in fiscal year 2009. By then, the whole of Marinduque (if 100% of the Barangays were able to undergo the workshops) can already be a reference model and source of research data on how can the implementation of JMC No. 1 in the Barangay level can be done in other provinces; and on how DRR/CRR and even other issues and concerns can be integrated and mainstreamed in the Barangay development planning and budgeting processes;
• There are 100 remaining Barangays which are not included or given the opportunity to
participate in the integration workshops. They are areas with no MACEC chapters. The
potential participants from these areas will be composed of the Punong Barangay, Barangay Treasurer and the Chairman of the Sanggunian’s Committee on Appropriation or a total of three (3) participants per Barangay. Four workshops can be organized for the remaining Barangays;
• The workshops should be finished before the second week of October because Barangaysand all local government units are mandated to submit all development plans and annual budgets on or before October 15th of each year
COMPONENT 1:
MAINSTREAMING DRR/CRR IN DEVELOPMENT
PLANNING AND BUDGETING PROCESSES OF
THE REMAINING 100 BARANGAYS IN MARINDUQUE
Since the on-going project through a supplemental agreement with Christian Aid under
MACEC’s core program has already produced the manual and modules for the workshop
package there is no need of any preparatory activities for the current project. It will only entail a renegotiation with the provincial governor for the issuance of an appropriate order for the attendance of the concerned public officials, and renegotiation with the municipal mayors and barangay league presidents for the issuance of travel orders.
As in the preceding integration workshops, participants shall be complied to accomplish individual profile form and expectations before the conduct of the workshop and a feedback evaluation form to register their comments, insights and learning from the workshop proper. They will also be obliged to furnish MACEC with their duly approved barangay LDIP, AnnualInvestment Plan 2009 and Annual Budget 2009 for records purposes, or to aid the documentation or research needs of MACEC and its partners in the future.
There will be a total of 300 participants from the remaining 100 barangays. In order to give ample time for the remaining barangays to finalize their workshop outputs with their respective Expanded Barangay Development Councils before finally submitting them in their respective Sangguniang Barangay on or before the legally mandated deadline on October 15, 2009, the workshops will be held in three (3) batches: (September 24-26; October 1-3; and October 8-10, 2009.)
COMPONENT 2:
ESTABLISHING ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS
CUM NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION
TOWARDS COMMUNITY RESILIENCY
In order to ensure the successful implementation of the livelihood components envisioned herein, the following processes detailed below shall be ensured. Gender concerns shall be considered in all phases and processes that will be employed. Participatory approach shall be employed in the whole process of implementation so that the cooperator-beneficiaries shall be involved in every phase of the project until the terminal evaluation. The Inter-agency Task
Force on Livelihood Development shall have regular meeting to monitor and oversee the
development, progress, problems and technical needs of the project packages.
1. SOCIAL PREPARATION. The General Program of Action (2009-2013) of MACEC shall be the reference in identifying and selecting areas or communities that will be piloted and enlisted as cooperators of the various livelihood packages that will be established. Areas shall be selected based also from the feasibility of the livelihood package in their area, capability of the chapter/family, coherence of the project with the plan of the barangay, degree of vulnerability, geographical setting, and such other criteria as may be added by the Provincial Inter-agency Task Force on Livelihood Development. After the selection process, reorientation workshops shall be conducted in the selected areas to emphasize to the cooperators the importance of the project in relation to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and the commensurate responsibility of the cooperators in the conservation and protection of their natural resource. MACEC shall re-convene the Provincial Inter-agency Task Force on Livelihood Development in order to tap the technical expertise of the concerned government agencies in the preparation and implementation of the livelihood packages. The livelihood projects shall form part of MACEC’s conscious efforts of participating significantly in local governance via the local development councils.
2. EXECUTION OF MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT. A memorandum of agreement
between the family/community cooperator-beneficiary and MACEC shall be designed
and executed to lay down the terms of reference of the partnership, the areas of
cooperation between partiers, and specifically to provide for the conditions on the
repayment of at least 40% of the total amount of the livelihood package to MACEC to
serve as revolving fund for other communities; and to make their community available,
in the event researches and studies are to be conducted on their projects. The
agreement shall also provide for the monitoring and evaluation processes by MACEC
with the direct participation of the cooperators.
3. INSTALLATION AND ESTABLISHMENT. Once the community/family cooperatorsbeneficiarieswere fully prepared and the memorandum of agreement duly executed, the following livelihood packages shall be installed and established:
(a) FAMILY-BASED BUTTERFLY CULTURE AND PROPAGATION. Butterflies are indicators
of a rich biodiversity. Butterfly farming in Marinduque has widely recognized by the
farmers since 1965, especially in the agro-ecological areas. The technology they
developed through the years of involvement is deemed indigenous, yet environmentfriendly,since it requires both the cultivation and preservation of larval-host plants and the over-all habitat. Majority of the cultivated larval-host plants and breeding stocks are gathered from the forested areas of Bagtingon, the proposed site of the project. (Labay, P.M. 200. The socioeconomics of butterfly livelihood in Marinduque. Research Services Unit, Marinduque State College, Tanza, Boac (4900) Marinduque.)
(b) BIO-ORGANIC NATIVE CHICKEN PROPAGATION. The considerable increase in native
chicken population in the province will eventually redound to a long-term impact of
food protein source for a significant sector of the population. It will help significantly in warding-off the ever-existing malnutrition problems among the vulnerable group as a result of the increase in protein and calorie intake.
(c) COMMUNITY ROOT CROPS PROPAGATION. Different varieties of root crops abound
in the island, which in the olden days were considered as secondary staple food of
families. While there are significant stocks in the forests, farmers started to plant
them in the backyards to have them readily available when necessities occur. Until
now, root crops serve as staple food for poor families in the far flung areas. They
can be planted in massive scale in various types of lands. Mature tubers can be left
under the soil for quite a longer period serving as stockpiled food items or can be
harvested easily when calamities occur. Root crops are naturally disaster resilient
plants
(d) COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIC CUTFLOWER PROPAGATION. Another major livelihood
opportunity that needs to be harnessed to support community’s economic activities
and resiliency is the propagation, farming and marketing of cut flowers with various
species still with great number of stocks in communities at the foot of Mt. Malindig.
They have naturally rich soils and cold climate throughout the year suitable for the
cultivation of various species of cutflowers, some are even endemic in their areas.
(e) FISH DRYING LIVELIHOD. During fishing season, fisher folks catch so much volume
of various species of fishes that are more than enough for local consumption so that
prices are not commensurate or able to support the economic needs of fishing
families. There are times that fishes are almost given free at source.
Ironically, during seasons like ‘habagat’ and ‘amihan’ when fisher folks cannot go to
sea because of strong winds and dangerous waves, traders are forces to import
dried fishes and other similar products from other provinces to meet the local
demand. During disasters, same products come from the mainland. These are
resorted to despite the availability of local technology for fish drying and food
preservation because of the lack of small capital on the part of small fisher folks.
Negotiated Strategies and Indicators
Integration of DRR in annual development plans and budgets of target barangays.
Appreciation for the role of butterflies in biodiversity in target communities (where the 12 HHs involved in butterfly propagation)
Livelihood diversification in target barangays in 8 communities and 20 households
Name of Organization
Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns
Location
Marinduque
Contact Person
Miguel Magalang
Address
Second Floor, Sacred HeartDiocesanPastoralCenter,
Cathedral Compound, Boac, 4900 Marinduque, The Philippines
The BDRC (Building Disaster Resilient Communities) initiative, supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), seeks to incorporate disaster risk reduction (DRR) into community development work, carried out by Christian Aid's partners and ecumenical networks, using the sustainable livelihoods approach. Further more, the program sought to elevate DRR as a policy priority through promoting the active involvement of civil society (CS) in the preparation of local and national development plans.