Philippines

This rural water supply design manual is the first of three related volumes prepared for the use of prospective and actual owners, operators, managements, technical... Show More + staff, consultants, government planners and contractors of small level three and level two water supply systems in the Philippines. Its purpose is to introduce the key concepts and considerations involved in the design of small waterworks facilities for level two and three systems. For the technical persons, hopefully it will facilitate their work by providing them with a ready resource reference for their everyday use. For the non-technical readers, such as the many who are involved in the management and operation of small water supply systems, hopefully it will be an aid in understanding the design process, giving them a basis for participating in decisions that would enable them to avail more usefully of the services of the technical consultants and contractors they must deal with. Overall, the local and international partners who cooperated in making these manuals possible hope that they will help the participants in the rural water supply sector to understand better the nature of the water supply business, its responsibilities to the stakeholders, and the role of the government agencies and regulatory bodies that seek to help them operate sustainably while protecting the consumers. Show Less -

This rural water supply design manual is the first of three related volumes prepared for the use of prospective and actual owners, operators, managements, technical... Show More + staff, consultants, government planners and contractors of small level three and level two water supply systems in the Philippines. Its purpose is to introduce the key concepts and considerations involved in the design of small waterworks facilities for level two and three systems. For the technical persons, hopefully it will facilitate their work by providing them with a ready resource reference for their everyday use. For the non-technical readers, such as the many who are involved in the management and operation of small water supply systems, hopefully it will be an aid in understanding the design process, giving them a basis for participating in decisions that would enable them to avail more usefully of the services of the technical consultants and contractors they must deal with. Overall, the local and international partners who cooperated in making these manuals possible hope that they will help the participants in the rural water supply sector to understand better the nature of the water supply business, its responsibilities to the stakeholders, and the role of the government agencies and regulatory bodies that seek to help them operate sustainably while protecting the consumers. Show Less -

This presentation proposes that BPO and other ICT development have a potential to be a major catalysts for economic growth and socio-economic transformation. It claims... Show More + that IT-BPO sectors development represents major promises that potentially can transform the Philippine economy and also foster inclusive growth. The presentation postulates that the importance of IT-BPO industry development goes beyond the debate of picking industry winners. It argues that the BPO industry is poised to have a substantive impact on the country and that especially so if there simultaneously is major growth in other ICT sectors and the scale and scope local usage of ICTs. It claims that expanded scale and scope of BPO industry in conjunction with further development of IT services, Telecom and other ICTs industries coupled with the advancement in education, science & technology can be principal factors that can transform the Philippine economy and its interface with the rest of the world. Show Less -

Small water utilities with fewer than 5,000 connections comprise over 90 percent of the known network systems in urban areas in the Philippines. By developing their... Show More + capacity to improve their performance, they have more chances of being creditworthy and bankable so that they can finance investments for expansion and service improvements. The Small Water Utilities Improvement and Financing (SWIF) Project of the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) in the Philippines worked with 11 small water utilities to help them do strategic planning and prepare performance improvement plans and to prepare cost recovery tariffs as well as project proposals that can be submitted to a bank. They can easily reorganize their investment plans to suit available financing. This smart lesson shares lessons learned by the project team in helping these small water utilities become bankable, including making sure everyone gets training, ring-fencing the accounts of water operations, and helping close the gap between what utilities want and what banks want. Show Less -

The privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and subsequent investments have dramatically improved water and sewerage services for the... Show More + more than 11 million people living in metropolitan Manila. The majority of households now have reliable and affordable 24-hour access to clean water. Private partners are investing US$7 billion to expand and improve the water and sewerage systems, resulting in better service, lower rates, and significantly fewer leaks and illegal connections. Show Less -

Water districts local public corporations serving urban areas with a population of at least 20,000 people serve the largest portion of urban populations with house connections... Show More + of all providers in the Philippines. This field note looks into the experience of integration among municipalities and cities under a water district structure. Using data from 35 integrated and 109 nonintegrated water districts, the study confirms the potential advantage of increasing scale to the reduction of unit costs. However, the study notes that integrated water districts did not perform as well as nonintegrated water districts of the same size because of higher fixed costs and greater inefficiency. Show Less -

This report is the second in a series of country portfolio evaluations produced by the evaluation office of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF council had... Show More + two objectives in undertaking such studies to gain knowledge on the results of GEF-supported activities and how they are implemented, and to evaluate how GEF-supported activities fit into national strategies and priorities as well as within GEF-mandated global environmental objectives. The approach was piloted in a 2005-06 evaluation of GEF support in Costa Rica during 1992-2005. Based on this experience, in October 2006, the evaluation office prepared standard terms of reference for country portfolio evaluations, delineating objectives, main questions, scope, and methodology. Country portfolio evaluations are conducted fully and independently by the evaluation office and, when possible, in partnership with other evaluation offices of GEF agencies, governments, and nongovernmental organizations. The evaluation reviewed the relevance of GEF support to the country's sustainable development agenda and its environmental priorities as well as to the GEF mandate and focal area programs and strategies. Show Less -

Irrigation management transfer is an important strategy among donors and governments to strengthen farmer control over water and irrigation infrastructure. This study... Show More + seeks to understand whether irrigation management transfer is meeting the promise of its commitments. The authors use data from a survey of 68 irrigator associations and 1,020 farm households in the Philippines to estimate the impact of irrigation management transfer on irrigation association performance and on rice yields. They also estimate a stochastic frontier production function to assess contributions to technical efficiency. There are three main results. First, the presence of irrigation management transfer is associated with an increase in maintenance activities undertaken by irrigation associations. Second, by increasing local control over water delivery, the presence of irrigation management transfer is associated with a 2-6 percent increase in farm yields. Rice production in irrigation management transfer areas is greater even after controlling for various differences among rice farmers in transfer and non-transfer areas. Third, irrigation management transfer is, at a minimum, poverty-neutral, and may even give the asset-poor a small boost in terms of rice yields. The authors speculate that this boost may be a result of increased timeliness of water delivery and better resolution of conflicts related to illegal use. Show Less -

This working paper reviews available documentation on rural infrastructure, particularly rural transport facilities and irrigation and assessed growth, income, productivity,... Show More + and employment impacts of rural roads (transport) and irrigation on the rural agricultural economy in the Philippines. The aforementioned were intended to achieve the following objectives: (i) identify the constraints, such as technical skills, administrative/institutional, policies, or other factors, to incremental investments, operation, and maintenance of rural infrastructures; (ii) identify the requirements for strengthening local government units (LGUs) and other providers of rural infrastructure to enable them to overcome the identified constraints; and (iii) recommend priority initiatives to improve the implementation capacity and efficiency of institutional providers in sustaining rural infrastructure. Show Less -

This publication, the sixth in the Philippines Environment Monitor (PEM) series, focuses on coastal and marine management.Previous reports presented and updated trends... Show More + in the state of the environment (2000 and 2004), solid waste management (2001), air quality (2002), and water quality (2003). This edition highlights the degradation and loss of coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grasses. Only 4 to 5 percent of coral reefs are in excellent condition; more than 70 percent of the mangrove forests have been converted to aquaculture, logged, or reclaimed for other uses; and half of all sea-grass beds have either been lost or are severely degraded. Beaches and seashores have come under pressure from rapid population growth and uncontrolled development. One of the consequences of this coastal degradation is the decline in fisheries catch-per-unit effort. In addition, the fisheries industry and ecosystems are suffering from overexploitation, destructive fishing practices, and corruption. While existing laws and regulations provide a basic framework for coastal management, in practice coastal management has been inefficient and piecemeal. This report finds that improved public participation in coastal law enforcement and heightened national awareness of the state of these resources are crucial in improving management. Implementation of the proposed Integrated Coastal Resources Management Plan would also go a long way in reversing coastal degradation. This publication is divided into the following sections: (1) Introduction to the Philippines' coastal and marine resources; (2) Status and economic significance; (3) Pressures on ecosystems and resources; (4) Links to local livelihoods; (5) Legislation, institutions and policies; and (6) Key challenges ahead. Show Less -