EcoGov, a USAID Grant
The EcoGov Project is a Technical Assistance Grant
from the US Government to the Government of the
Republic of the Philippines (GRP).
DENR is the major technical counterpart for implementing the Project under the MOA signed by USAID, DENR, and the DILG on June 9, 2005.
USAID Technical Assistance Contractor:
Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI)
Implementation phases:
Phase 1: Dec 1, 2001 – Nov. 30, 2004
Phase 2: Dec 1, 2004 – Sept 30, 2011 (includes two-
year extension)
Scope and Coverage
ENR sectors covered:
Forests and forestlands
Coastal resources
Urban environment
Geographical coverage:
Conflict-affected Mindanao
(Southern, Central, and
Western Mindanao, ARMM)
Central Visayas
Northern Luzon
EcoGov strengthens local capacities to carry out sound environmental governance policies and programs, and ENR functions that have been devolved or decentralized under various laws and administrative issuances.
Target clients: LGUs (provinces, cities, municipalities),
individually and/or in clusters DENR Bureaus and field units
Communities, as resource managers and stakeholders
Key Partners: LGU leagues
PLGU DENR, BFAR. DILG
Academic institutions
Related donor-funded projects
Local service providers
NGOs
Clients and Partners
EcoGov is expected to contribute to
the overall effort to:
Reduce over-fishing, illegal and destructive fishing
Reduce illegal logging and conversion of forests
Improve management of solid and liquid wastes
Promote good governance practices
EcoGov is expected to contribute
to these goals:
Biodiversity conservation
Food security
Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Conflict resolution and peace building
The Urban Environment Management
Component of EcoGov
.
Solid Waste Management:
90 LGUs diverting 25% of waste from disposal to
recycling and composting (plus 10 more LGUs in the
extension period)
WasteWater Management:
20 LGUs with investments in sanitation projects (plus
6 more LGUs in the extension period)
Indicator: Number of LGUs diverting 25% of waste from disposal to
recycling and composting
Definitions: Diversion = reducing biodegradable and recyclables brought to waste
disposal facility through composting, recycling and other recovery
methods. The aim is to reduce the % of these types of waste to total
waste disposed.
Evidences of significant waste diversion:
a. Legitimized ISWM plans and annual budget for implementation
b. Ordinances being enforced
c. Operational composting facility d. Organized and strengthened recycling sector
e. Ongoing IEC program on waste segregation, composting and recycling
f. Waste diversion of at least 25% in specific, major point sources, i.e.,
public market, business district, urban barangay, schools, etc.
EcoGov Performance Indicator for SWM
Phase 1 and early part of Phase 2:
Selection of LGU partners was based on demand.
Since the middle part of Phase 2:
Priority given to the bigger LGUs
LGUs that border marine key biodiversity areas (MKBAs)
PLGUs and their pilot scaling-up LGUs
Extension period of Phase 2:
Focus on priority MKBAs (Davao Gulf, Tanon Strait, South
Negros)
PLGUs that cover these MKBAs
Strategy for Site Selection
LUZO
N
VISAYAS
MINDANAO
South China Sea
North Philippine Sea
South Philippine
Sea
Sulu Sea
Visayan Seas
Celebes Sea
Marine bio-geographic
regions
Key Biodiversity Areas:
Cagayan River (SWM)
Baler Bay (SWM)
Bohol Sea (SWM, WWM)
Camotes Sea (SWM, WWM)
South Negros/Tanon Strait (SWM, WWM)
Davao Gulf (SWM, WWM)
Sarangani Bay (SWM, WWM)
Ligawasan Marsh (SWM, WWM)
Lake Sebu (SWM, WWM)
Illana Bay (SWM)
Sulu Archipelago/Basilan (SWM)
Lake Lanao (SWM)
UEM Support to
Biodiversity Conservation
.
Forms of Technical Assistance:
Training, coaching and mentoring (directly by EcoGov
staff and/or through local service providers)
Cross visits; participation in sharing events
Technical advice, information
Technical and policy studies
In some areas, small grants to POs, NGOs,
academic institutions
SWM Technical Assistance to LGUs
.
SWM planning and
legitimization,
following the
requirements of RA
9003 and its IRR.
Module 1
ISWM Orientation
Module 2
SWM Assessment • WACS
• KAP
Module 4
SWM Plan Formulation
Module 5
Project Management
and Financing
Module 3
Study Tour
Legitimization
SWM PLANNING MODULES
Approved Plan
SWM Technical
Assistance to LGUs
.
SWM Technical Assistance to LGUs
Implementation of waste
diversion activities:
waste segregation
promotion (IEC/social
marketing; incentive
systems; piloting)
ordinance formulation and
enforcement
Implementation of waste
diversion activities:
segregated collection
system
composting
establishment of linkages
with junkshops,
consolidators, recyclers,
processors
SWM Technical Assistance to LGUs
.
Disposal management (started in 2007):
RCA establishment and management
SLF soil permeability testing
SLF design and IEE preparation
SLF construction monitoring
SLF O and M; performance monitoring
LGU clustering (common SLFs)
EcoGov SWM TA to LGUs
Life-of-Project
Target
Total Achieved to Date LGUs Currently
Being Assisted
90 LGUs with 25% waste
diversion
80 LGUs (89%) 104 LGUs
Other targets:
LGUs with access to
sanitary disposal facilities
22 directly assisted in
SLF design; 3 others
provided technical
advice
4 SLFs under
construction; 3 are
operational
11 LGUs being
assisted in dev’t of O
and M manual
27 LGUs
plus 15 LGUs in two
clusters
Status as of June 2009
Life-of-Project
Target
Northern
Luzon
Central
Visayas
South-Central
Mindanao
Western
Mindanao
90 LGUs
with 25%
waste
diversion
26 LGUs
(of 30 LGUs)
23 LGUs
(of 31 LGUs)
24 LGUs
(of 32 LGUs)
8 LGUs
(of 11 LGUs)
Nueva Vizcaya
Quirino
Aurora
Cebu
Negros
Oriental
Bohol
Sarangani
S. Cotabato
Cotabato
S. Kudarat
Davao City
GenSan City
Davao Norte
Davao Sur
Zamboanga
del Sur
Zamboanga
Sibugay
Basilan
Marawi City
Status by Region as of June 2009
Improving the functionality of
LGUs
setting up SWM organizations/
ENROs; establishing accountabilities
strengthening of SWM Boards
formation and strengthening of
Barangay SWM Committees
establishment of M and E systems
annual budgeting
setting up SWM accounts/
ring fencing
cost recovery planning
EcoGov TA to LGUs:
Beyond Technical Solutions in SWM
.
Promoting good governance
practices — transparency,
accountability and
participatory decision-making:
Examples: informed decision-making
multi-stakeholder
involvement; consultations
legitimization of plans; public
hearings
governance-enhanced
ordinances
feedback and reporting
Beyond Technical Solutions in SWM
.
Promoting public-
private sector
partnerships (PPP)
and inter-LGU
agreements (e.g.,
clustering)
Beyond Technical Solutions in SWM
.
Promoting culture-sensitive approaches Example: use of Al Khalifa (The Steward) principles in
Muslim areas
Beyond Technical Solutions in SWM
Helping address site-specific problems
Beyond Technical Solutions in SWM
Burning of sugarcane thrash waste
in Negros Oriental. About 11 tons of
cane thrash are produced per
hectare of sugar cane. Burning is
the traditional practice.
Use of plastic floats in
seaweed farms. About 7,200
pieces are used per hectare
and these are discarded every
3 months. One LGU has 700
hectares of seaweed farms.
Integrating SWM into the
ridge-to-reef resource
management framework
Beyond Technical Solutions in SWM
To reduce pollution threat to coastal/
marine habitats, fisheries, and coastal
tourism
EcoGov did studies and submitted recommendations to
DENR related to —
The process of reviewing and approving SWM plans
Phased compliance to SLF requirements (categories of SLF)
Development of IEE checklist for SLFs
Modification of WACS procedures (from 7 to 3 days)
Development of provincial level clustering strategy
Deputation and training of enforcers
Sharing of SWM fund between national and local governments
Policy Related Initiatives
EcoGov is working with 11 Provinces to scale up
SWM
Assistance to MLGUs is done through the PLGU and
DENR; PLGU provide staff and funding support for
the training of MLGUs
In the process, PLGUs and DENR (and ther partners)
are trained to become future service providers to
other MLGUs
The development of learning sites and working
models in the province/region is part of the strategy
EcoGov knowledge products are designed to
facilitate the scaling up process.
The Scaling Up Challenge
At least 50 MLGUs were assisted through this
process; more LGUs are expected to be reached by
PLGUs and DENR even after project phase out.
PLGUs capability and funding support to SWM has
improved significantly
It has improved PLGU-DENR collaboration
PLGUs are gaining enough confidence to expand to
the wastewater management
Scaling up and mainstreaming will be EcoGov’s
focus in the extension period (2010 and 2011).
The Scaling Up Challenge: Initial Results
“Un-informed” decision-making; slow pace of
decision-making by LGUs
Off and on enforcement of local ordinances
Limited funding for SWM facilities and the operation
of these facilities (exacerbated by the thinking that
SWM should be a free service of the LGU)
Limited understanding of SLF design and operation
principles and standards
In urban centers, especially in Mindanao: limited
options re management of non-traditional
recyclables, e-waste, non-industrial THW
Implementation Issues: LGU Level
Performance monitoring and enforcement tend to
focus on disposal management and establishment of
facilities (e.g., MRFs)
Regulatory mindset; insufficient technical assistance
or support to LGUs
Limited local service providers; limited capabilities
Unclear messages regarding “zero waste” and
sanitary landfills
Lack of incentives for clustering, private sector
involvement and investments in SWM services
Implementation Issues: Support Institutions
PLGUs, with DENR, can play significant roles in SWM:
with training, they can be effective TA providers to LGUs
they can support and facilitate decisions and actions best
taken at sub-provincial and provincial levels (e.g., clustering
of LGUs, developing external markets for recyclables,
promotion of SWM among large industries or sectors)
they can extend financial support or leverage funding for
their LGUs
they can support the development of learning models/sites
SWM can be included in their regular monitoring of LGU
performance; basis for incentives
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
There is need to develop more local service providers that LGUs
can access. Training of local service providers should be
directed at areas where serious gaps are evident such as social
marketing, cost recovery, design and operation of SWM
infrastructure, closure and rehab of open dumps, others.
The development of working models and learning sites in the
regions will accelerate the scaling up process. Their geographic
distribution can be planned; they can be networked. Models
should showcase as well the non-technology aspects (e.g.,
good governance, cost recovery) of SWM.
Develop internal capability of DENR to respond to changing
needs of LGUs in SWM. With current emphasis on disposal
management, DENR-EMB staff will need to be retooled so they
can be effective TA providers, monitors and enforcers.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations