TH
NATIONAL SENIOR EDUCATORS' ASSEMBLY IN
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT
Highlights of the Assembly
The Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in
Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM), in its pursuit to enhance
environmental education and management at the tertiary level held its 7 TH National
Senior Educators' Assembly in Environmental Protection and Management. The
assembly was held last October 10-11, 2002 at the Country Village Hotel, Cagayan
de Oro City. The assembly was organized by the PATLEPAM and the Environmental
Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme in Bangkok and the
United Nations Development Program in Manila. Annex 1 shows the programme
for the assembly.
The assembly was attended by close to 120 participants, composed of
presidents and senior officials of higher education institutions nationwide whose
aim was to rally them to support the implementation of water resources
conservation measures, as also enunciated in the Proposed Clean Water Bill. The
same also provided an opportunity to disseminate the ASEAN Environmental
Education Action Plan 2000-2005, and reviewed opportunities for its continued
implementation in the Philippines. Annex 2 shows the directory for the
participants, guests, resource persons and secretariat for the training.
Among the guests during the opening ceremonies were DENR Assistant
Secretary Rogelio Paglumotan; Ms. Amelia Dulce Supetran, Environment Portfolio
Manager of the United Nations Development Programme; Mr. Jovencio Verdejo,
OIC of the Legal and Environmental Education Division of EMB Region 10, Mr.
Francisco Camacho, Jr. from the Office the Governor of Misamis Oriental and Dr.
Edmundo Gumpal of the Isabela State University, acting chair of the PATLEPAM
Board of Directors.
The speakers during the first day of the assembly were Ms. Michico Venus
Navaluna of the EMB Water Quality Management Section who discussed about the
"Water Quality Status of Surface Waters in the Philippines: Issues and Concerns";
Dr. Cely Binoya of the Camarines Sur State Agricultural College who presented her
paper on the “Developing Partnership for Sustainable Watershed Management: The
Case of Mt. Isarog"; Congressman Nereus Acosta of Bukidnon who talked about the
"Proposed Clean Water Bill; Fr. Hermann Van Engelen of the University of San
Carlos who discussed, in simplified terms, "The Quality of Ground and Surface
Waters, and Pollution and Subsidence of our Water Tables; and Dr. Guillermo
Tabios III of the UP National Hydraulic Center who tackled the "Water Sources'
Degradation".
The following day of the assembly was the proclamation of the newlyelected officers of PATLEPAM and the business meeting. The participants were also
briefed and toured the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring with Telemetry System as a
joint undertaking of EMB Region 10, with Xavier University. Directly in support of
the Clean Air Act implementation, the monitoring system continuously measures air
pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter of 10 u
diameter (PM-10), ozone, benzene, toluene, p-xylene, and on real time basis. The
system also has the capability to measure meteorological conditions such as wind
speed and direction, weather temperature, barometric pressure and humidity.
The participants also had their action planning workshops during the
assembly, particularly on the following: their individual institution action
commitments to support the implementation of water resources conservation/water
quality management measures; regional accomplishments on PATLEPAM's FiveYear Development Plan (1997-2001); and individual institution action plans to
support the implementation of the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan.
The awarding of the winners of the Nationwide Contest on "Teaching on the
Environment: Best Lessons and Practices in Higher Education" was also held during
the Assembly.
Annex 3 shows the workshop outputs, both as individual institution and
regional action plans on various aspects of the assembly objectives.
Annex 4 appends the papers of the various resource persons of the
assembly.
Annex 5 shows the selected photographs of the assembly appends various
aspects of the assembly including: the event's newspaper release (Philippine Star),
PATLEPAM Annual Report for 2002, and the PATLEPAM Newsletter, and tallies of
results of the participants’ evaluation of the assembly.
Annex 1
Program
7th National Senior Educators' Assembly for Environmental
Protection and Management
(Theme: Conserving our Water Resources: The Challenges for the Academe)
October 10-11, 2002
Country Village Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City
Day 1 (Thursday) - October 10, 2002
Morning Master
of ceremonies
: Chancellor Marcelo Salazar
Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology,
PATLEPAM Vice President for Mindanao
(PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating Center for Northern and
Central Mindanao)
Officer of the Day :
Dean Antonio Sevillano
Xavier University, PATLEPAM Board of Directors' Member
7:00- 8:00
- Registration
8:00-10:00
- Opening Ceremonies

Dr. Ruth Guzman
Invocation
Vice President for Research and Extension and Information
Services, Rizal Technological University

National Anthem

Welcome Remarks
Ms. Anna Ma. Cordovilla
Acting Dean, Institute of Environmental Management and
Habitat, Philippine Women’s University
PATLEPAM Treasurer
(PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating Center for Metro Manila)
Dean Antonio Sevillano
Xavier University

Opening Remarks
Dr. Edmundo Gumpal
Dean, College of Forestry and Environmental Management,
Isabela State University
Acting Chair, PATLEPAM Board of Directors
Dir. Sabdullah Abubacar, D. M.
EMB Director for Region 10

Hon. Constantino Jaraulla
Congressman of Cagayan de Oro City


Mayor Vicente Emano
Cagayan de Oro City

Messages

Mr. Francisco Camacho, Jr.
Acting Provincial Agriculture and Natural Resources
Officer, Office of the Governor

Ms. Amelia Dulce Supetran
Environment Portfolio Manager
United Nations Development Pogramme

Mr. Mahesh Pradhan
Environmental Affairs Officer
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific-United Nations
Environment Programme, Bangkok, Thailand

Keynote Address

Prof. Rogelio Paglumotan
Asst. Secretary, DENR
10:00 - 10:15
-
10:15 - 11:15
-
11:15 - 12:15 -
Afternoon Master
of Ceremonies:
12:15 - 1:15 -
Assembly Workshop Mechanics -cum-Merienda
Ms. Elenida del Rosario-Basug
Chief, EMB Environmental Education and Information
Division and Coordinator, PATLEPAM Secretariat
Paper I Presentation - Water Quality Status of
Surface Waters in the Philippines: Issues and Concerns
Ms. Michico Navaluna
Supervising Environmental Management Specialist
EMB Water Quality Management Section
Paper 2 Presentation - Developing Partnership for
Sustainable Watershed Management: The Case of Mt Isarog
Dr. Cely Binoya
Director for Extension, Camarines Sur State Agricultural College
Dean Dino Sabellina
Western Mindanao State University,
PATLEPAM Board of Directors' Member
(PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating Center for Western Mindanao)
Paper 3 Presentation The Proposed Clean Water Bill
Congressman Nereus Acosta
Province of Bukidnon
1:15 - 2:15 -
Paper 4 Presentation - Quality of Ground and Surface Waters, and
Pollution and Subsidence of our Water Tables
Fr. Hermann Vann Engelen, SVD.
University of San Carlos
2:15 - 3:15 -
Paper 5 Presentation - Water Sources' Degradation
Dr. Guillermo Tabios III
UP National Hydraulic Center
3:15 - 3:30 -
OPEN FORUM cum MERIENDA
3:30 - 4:30 -
Workshop by PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating Center Groupings
4:30 - 6:00 -
Workshop Output Presentations
6:00 - 6:30 -
Announcement and Awarding of Winners of the Nationwide
Contest on " Teaching on the Environment: Best Lessons and
Practices in Higher Education"
6:30 - 7:30-
Nominations and Election of the next set of PATLEPAM
Officers (2003 to 2004)
7:30 - 9:00
-
Dinner-cum-Program
 Special Number from Xavier University
 Canvass of PATLEPAM Election Returns
Day 2 (Friday) - October 11, 2002
Master of
Ceremonies:
Dr. Helen Pondevida
University of Southeastern Philippines
(PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating Center for Southern
Mindanao)
6:00 - 7:30
-
Breakfast
7:30 - 10:30
-
Proclamation of Elected Officers and Business Meeting
10:30 - 1:30
-
Educational Field Trip to various ecological places
(10:45- 11:45 - Xavier University's Air Quality
Monitoring Station; and 11:45 -1:30 Ecology Villagecum-lunch and City Tour)
3:00 PM
-
HOMEWARD BOUND
Annex 2
Directory of Participants,
Guests and Secretariat
7th National Senior Educators’ Assembly for Environmental
Protection and Management
(Theme: Conserving our Water Resources: The Challenges for the Academe)
October 10-11, 2002
Country Village Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City
Directory of Participants/Guests/Resource Persons/Secretariat
National Capital Region
Dr. Gerardo Janairo
Dean
De La Salle University
2401 Taft Avenue, Manila
Telefax No. 5240451
E-mail address: janairog@dlsu.edu.ph
Miriam College
Katipunan Road, Quezon City
Tel. No. 4364736
Fax No. 9205093
E-mail address: agalang@me.edu.ph.
Dr. Juliana Hafalla
Chairperson
Dept. of Biology
Far Eastern University
Manila
Tel. No. 7355621
E-mail address: jhafalla@feu.edu.ph.
Mr Romeo Isaac
Director III
Commission on Higher Education
2/F Jollibee Center, San Miguel Avenue
Pasig City
Tel. No. 6331981
Fax No. 9101982
E-mail address: romisaac@yahoo.com
Dr. Crecencia Joaquin
Professor
College of Education
UP-Diliman
Tel. No. 6456663
Telefax No. 9299322
E-mail address:
cjoaquin@ced.upd.edu.ph
Mr. Felizardo Colambo
Vice President
AMA University
59 Panay Avenue, Quezon City
Tel. No. 3712378
Fax No. 3734664
E-mail address:
frcolambo@amaes.edu.ph
Ms. Anna Ma. Cordovilla
Acting Dean
IEMEH
Philippine Women’s University
Taft Avenue, Manila
Tel. No. 5268421
Fax No. 5266935
E-mail address: gnenius@yahoo.com
Cordillera Autonomous Region
Dr. Ruth Guzman
Vice-President
Rizal Technological University
Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City
Telefax No. 9326975
Dr. Angelina Galang
Executive Director
Environmental Studies Institute
Ms. Tessie Merestela
Vice-President for Planning and
Development
Benguet State University
La Trinidad, Benguet
Tel. No. 074-4222401
Fax No. 074-4222281
E-mail address: kikutess@yahoo.com
Region 1
Region 4
Ms. Gregoria Najorda
Director, Communication Extension
Center
Northwestern University
Laoag City-Region 1
Tel. No. 7720322
Fax No. 7720333
E-mail address: www.nu@com
Mr. Domingo Pantaleon
Instructor III
University of Rizal System
Sumulong St., Morong, Rizal
Telefax No. 6916646
Mr. Adriano Esguerra
Research Director
Don Mariano Marcos State University
Bacnotan, La Union
Tel. No. 072-2425641
Fax No. 072-8885354
E-mail address:
atesguerra@PINOYMAIL.com
Region II
Ms. Tina Salibay
Department Head
De La Salle University-Damasrinas
Dasmarinas, Cavite 4115
Telefax No. 046-4164531
E-mail address:
cosccs@dasma.dlsu.edu.ph
Ms. Elizabeth Bollozos
Coordinator/Professor
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 025293916
Dr. Edmundo Gumpal
Dean, College of Forestry and
Environmental Management
Isabela State University
Cabagan, Isabela
Tel. No. 8135519
E-mail address: edgumpsl@hotmail.com
Mr. Larry Avelino
Faculty
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 049-4111845
Dr. Roger Guzman
Professor
Isabela State University
Cabagan, Isabela
Telefax No. 9326975
E-mail address:
roger_Guzman@hotmail.com
Mr. Douglas Aduna
Faculty
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 8343806
E-mail address: DCA2023@yahoo.com
Ms. Estrella Pichay
Community Extension Director
University of St. Louis
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
Tel. No. 078-8462617
Fax No. 078-8440889
E-mail address: Esther@yahoo.com
Mr. Remil Garcia
Faculty
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 049-5312908
Mr. J.M. Tuaño
Student
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
B1 L16, Cordillera St., Country Home
Muntinlupa City
Tel. No. 7734957
Region 3
Mr. Maximo A. Macaso
Vice-President
NEUST
Cabanatuan City
Tel. No. 044-4630226
Mr. Ponciano Espino
Faculty
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 049-5314150
E-mail address: boyep122@hotmail
Mr. Reynante Deña
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 4111845
E-mail address: rey_haynto@Hotmail
Ms. Cecille Delfinado
University of Perpetual Help SystemLaguna
Binan, Laguna
Tel. No. 049-2433732
E-mail address:
cecilledlfinado@hotmail.com
Region 5
Mr. Mark Abella
Instructor I
DEBESMSCAT
Mandoon, Masbate
Tel. No. 09165284688
Dr. Wilfredo Olaño
President
Camarines Sur State Agricultural College
Pili, Camarines Sur
Telefax No. 4773341
Rocely Fonacier
Campus Director
Bicol University
Palangui, Albay
Telefax No. 052-2125498
Dr. Ofelia Vega
Vice-President for Research and
Extension
Palangui, Albay
Telefax No. 052-2125498
Region 6
Mr. Romy Billones
Director, Extension Services and NFE
NIPSC
Estancia, Iloilo
Tel. No. 3970314
Fax No. 3970315
Ms. Evangeline Aboyo
Dean, College of Agriculture
University of Negros OccidentalRecoletos
Lizares Avenue, Bacolod City
Tel. No. 034-4339822
Fax No. 4331709
Mr. Rubin Penpillo
Associate Professor
West Visayas State University
La Paz, Iloilo City
Tel. No. 3200870
Mr. Jovas Paragados
Instructor I
West Visayas State University-Calinog
Calinog, Iloilo
Tel. No. 033-3203472
Ms. Jenita Prado
Associate Professor IV
Aklan State University
Banga, Aklan
Fax No. 036-2615801
Ms. Ruby Besana
Associate Professor III
Aklan State University
Banga, Aklan
Dr. Lourdes Morano
Director, Regional Science Teaching
Center
West Visayas State University
La Paz, Iloilo
Tel. No. 033-3209106/3200870
Dr. Lourdes Arañador
President
West Visayas State University
La Paz, Iloilo
Tel. No. 033-3209106/3200879
Mr. Guillermo Legada, Jr.
Chairman, Forestry Department
Panay State Polytechnic College
Mambusao, Capiz
Tel. No. 09176954474
Fax No. 036-6410212
E-mail address:
jenlagada@eudonamail.com
Mr. Julhusin Jalisan
Graduate School Coordinator
Foundation University
Dumaguete City
Tel. No. 035-4229167
Fax No. 035-2250617
E-mail address:
ESTERTAN@EUDORAMAIL.com
Dr. Primitivo Bangcoto
Chancellor
Panay State Polytechnic College
Roxas City, Capiz
Telefax No. 036-6214578
Mr. Jose Sevilla, Jr.
Chairperson
MS Environmental Management
University of Southern Philippines
Cebu City
Telefax No. 032-2321596
E-mail address: meson@usp.ph
Mr. Evaristo M. Magoncia
Campus Administrator
Panay State Polytechnic College
Dayao, Roxas City
Tel. No. 6211230
Mr. Jesus Chua
Instructor
St. Paul College
Iloilo City
Ms. Helen Sotomil
Coordinator, WITECOC
Western Institute of Technology
La Paz, Iloilo City
Tel. No. 033-3209767
Fax No. 033-3201418
Ms. Betsy Joy Tan
Dean of Instruction
Silliman University
Dumaguete City
Tel. No. 4226002
Fax No. 2352235
E-mail address: tan_chmm@mozum.com
Mr. Henry Sojor
President
Central Visayas State Polytechnic
College
Main Campus I, Dumaguete City
Tel. No. 2254751
Fax No. 2250777
E-mail address: sojor@cupc.edu.ph
Region 7
Mr. Vicente Araneta
Chairman, Biology Department
Cebu Normal University
Cebu City
Tel. No. 2530347
Sr. Sandra Clemente, RSCJ
Director, University of Cebu
Sanciangko St., Cebu City
Tel. No. 4123540 local. 21
Fax No. 2530729/2543287
E-mail address:
sgc@universityofcebu.edu.ph
Mr. Christopher Ablan
Professor
Silliman University
Dumaguete City
Telefax No. 2251556
E-mail address: chrisab@su.edu.ph
Mr. Roberto Antonio
Faculty member
CEA-CVPC
CVPC
Dumaguete City
Tel. No. 2255664
E-mail address: tma@cvpc.edu.ph
Region 8
Region 9
Mr. Jesus Lanuza, Jr.
Leyte Normal University
Tacloban City
Tel. No. 3273256
Mr. Fredelino San Juan
Faculty
Western Mindanao State University
San Jose, Normal Road
Zamboanga City
Tel. No. 062-991-7427
Mr. Dino A. Sabellina
Dean
Western Mindanao State University
Zamboanga City
Tel. No. 062-9917427
Fax No. 992-2438
E-mail address:
sabellina@wmsu.edu.ph
Mr. Reginaldo Lastimado
Associate Professor
Leyte Institute of Technology
Tacloban City
Mr. Reynaldo Lombrio
College Professor
Eastern Samar State College
Bosongon, Eastern Samar
Tel. No. 2612500
Fax No. 055-2612725
Mr. Jaime Quiminales
Associate Professor
Eastern Samar State College
Bosongon, Eastern Samar
Tel. No. 2612500
Fax No. 055-2612725
Mr. Feliciano Hampac
OIC, College Administrator
Southern Leyte State College of Science
and Technology-Hinunangan Campus
Hinunangan, Southern Leyte
Tel. No. 09193793838
Mr. Pablo Suarez
College Administrator II
Southern Leyte State College of Science
and Technology
San Juan, Southern Leyte
Mr. Lamberto Badeo
College Adminstrator
Southern Leyte State College of Science
and Technology
Bontoc Southern Leyte
Tel. No. 3823121
Mr. Merlon Quisumog
Pagadian Water District
Pagadian City
Tel. No. 062-214747
Region 10
Dr. Olga Nuñeza
Director of Research
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Telefax No. 063-3516131
E-mail address:
olgammuneza@yahoo.com
Ms. B.D. Jimenez
Associate Professor V
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Tel. No. 063-2214050 local 137
E-mail address:
benben@biocsm.msuiit.edu.ph
Mr. Henry Rivero
Faculty
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Tel. No. 063-2214050 local 137
Fax No. 063-2214068
E-mail address:
csm-hir@sulat.msuiit.edu.ph
Ms. Elisa Malaga
Faculty
St. Michael’s College
Iligan City
Tel. No. 09196528010
Ms. Hermilita Paculba
Faculty
St. Michael’s College
Iligan City
Tel. No. 09194322176
Ms. Ma. Albera Bumaat
Faculty
St. Michael’s College
Iligan City
Tel. No. 09202086434
Mr. Publio Eguna
Education Supervisor II
Commission on Higher Education
Pelaez Sports Center
Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City
Tel. No. 711631
E-mail address: chedx@hotmail.com
Mr. Marcelino Tumandal
Chancellor
MSU-Naawan
Naawan, Misamis Oriental
Telefax No. (08822)720552
E-mail address: m_tumanda@yahoo.com
Mr. Jaime Jimenez
Dean
MSUN-SMFT
Naawan, Misamis Oriental
Tel. No. 09198171955
E-mail address: jimzenez88@yahoo.com
Mr. Marcelo Salazar
Chancellor
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City
Tel. No. 063-2214056
E-mail
ddress:oc_mps@sulat.msuiit.edu.ph.
Ms. Anna Arlene Eya
Faculty
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City
Tel. No. 01918419941
E-mail address:
aeya@sulat.msuiit.edu.ph
Ms. Dorothy Lacuna
Faculty
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City
Tel. No. 09163457598
E-mail address:
Dlacuna@biocsm.msuiit.edu.ph
Engr. Antonio Sevillano, Jr.
Dean
College of Engineering
Xavier University
Cagayan de Oro City
Telefax No. (088)8583116 local 1207
E-mail address: tony@miki.eng.XU.ph
Ms. Alexie Banaag
Faculty, Biology, CSM
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City
Tel. No. 09102666155
E-mail address: biocam@MSUIIT.edu.ph
Ms. Ruth Namoc
Faculty
San Isidro College
Malaybalay City
Tel. No. 09162024200
Mr. Modesto Babaylan
Director
Liceo de Cagayan University
Cagayan de Oro City
Tel. No. 858-40939095 Local 219
Fax No. 722244
E-mail address: srlsfi@edcu.edu.ph
CARAGA
Mr. Junelito Cortes
Environmental Manager/Instructor
Saint Theresa College
Tandag, Surigao del Sur
Telefax No. 086-2113046
Region 12
Mr. Pedro Gape
President
Southeastern Baptist College
Mlang, Cotabato
Telefax No. 064-2684020
Mr. Rogelio Bayona
Southeastern Baptist College
Mlang, Cotabato
Telefax No. 064-2684020
Ms. Amelia Dulce Supetran
Environment Porfolio Manager
United Nations Development Program
Makati City
Mr. Alvin Ergante
Dean
Southeastern Basptist College
Mlang, Cotabato
Telefax No. 064-2684020
Dr. Cely Binoya
Professor
Camarines Sur State Agricultural College
Pili, Camarines Sur
Ms. Jezreel Ballenas
Southeastern Basptist College
Mlang, Cotabato
Telefax No. 064-2684020
Mr. Reynaldo Liong
Faculty Member
Mindanao State University
Marawi City
Tel. No. (063)2251695
Ms. Maria Imelda Pineda
Faculty Member
NDKC
Kidapawan City
Tel. No. 2881674
Ms. Michico Navaluna
Supervising Environmental Mangement
Specialist
Environmental Quality Division
Environmental Management Bureau
DENR Compound, Visayas Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City
Fr. Herman Vann Engelen, SVD
Director
Water Resources Center
University of San Carlos
Mr. Merlon Quisumog
Pagadian Water District
Pagadian City
Tel. No. 062-214747
Ms. Librada Pableo
President
Southeastern Philippine Methodist
College
Kidapawan City
Tel. No. 2784279
Fax No. 2885131
Mr. Jovencio Verdejo
Environmental Management BureauRegion 10, Cagayan de Oro City
Guests/Resource Persons
Engr. Roger Pangan
Staff
House of Congress
Prof. Rogelio Paglumotan
Assistant Secretary
Department of Environment and Natural
Resources
Visayas Avenue, Quezon City
Congressman Nereus Acosta
Batasan Hills, Quezon City
Tel. No. 9316733
Mr. Francisco Camacho, Jr.
Acting Provincial Agricultural and Natural
Resources Officer
Office of the Governor
Misamis Oriental
Engr. Joel Salcedo
Environmental Management BureauRegion 10, Cagayan de Oro City
Mr. Enerson Larag
Staff
House of Congress
Dr. Guillermos Tabios
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
UP Diliman
Tel. 9277176
Fax No. 927-7190
E-mail address: gtabios@up.edu.ph
Secretariat
Ms. Elenida del Rosario-Basug
Coodinator, PATLEPAM Secretariat and
Chief, Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Telefax Nos. 920-22-51 to 52
Ms. Bernadita Bondoc
Environmental Management Specialist II
Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Mr. Harry Quiaoit
Information Officer III
Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Telefax Nos. 920-22-51 to 52
Ms. Alicia Sabater
Clerk II
Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Ms. Carmelita Passe
Media Production Specialist II
Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Telefax Nos. 920-22-51 to 52
Ms. Ma. Cristina Francisco
Information Officer III
Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Telefax Nos. 920-22-51 to 52
Ms. Gerarda Merilo
Senior Environmental Management
Specialist
Environmental Education and
Information Division
Environmental Management Bureau
2nd Floor, HRD Bldg., DENR Compound
Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Ms. Anielyn Deocampo
Faculty
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Tibangan, Iligan City
Annex 3
Assembly Objectives/
Workshop Outputs
16
ASSEMBLY OBJECTIVES
1.
To rally the academic sector in supporting the implementation of water resources
conservation/water quality management measures.
2.
To assess the accomplishment of PATLEPAM's Updated Five-Year Development
Plan for 1997-2001
3.
To review opportunities for the continued implementation of the ASEAN
Environmental Education Action Plan, 2000-2005, as a Framework for PATLEPAM
Action Plan for 2003-2004.
4.
Using the new guidelines for the strengthening of PATLEPAM Regional
Coordinating Centers, select (reaffirm current or select new one) RCC for the
duration November 2002 to October 2004.
WORKSHOP MECHANICS
1.
The participants will be grouped according to the regional coordinating center
cluster groupings of PATLEPAM i.e.:
For Luzon
National Capital Region (NCR)
Northwestern and Central Luzon
Region 2
Region 4
Region 5
For Visayas
Region 6
Region 7
Region 8
For Mindanao
Northern and Central Mindanao
Southern Mindanao
Western Mindanao
2.
The PATLEPAM's Regional Coordinating Center Heads shall be the
convenors/discussion moderators, unless the same is/are not present, and
should then be replaced by another one duly selected by the group members.
17
3.
4.
Each of the groups should submit to the secretariat the following: Due to time
constraints of the Assembly, they will no longer be presented in plenary.
3.1
Individual*
Institution Action Commitments
to Support
the
Implementation of Water Resources Conservation/Water Quality
Management Measures (TABLE 1)
3.2
Regional Action Commitments to Support the Implementation of Water
Resources Conservation/Water Quality Management Measures (TABLE 2)
3.3
Regional Accomplishments on PATLEPAM's Five-Year Development Plan
(1997-2001) (TABLE 3)
3.4
Individual* Institution Action Plan to Support the Implementation of the
ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan (TABLE 4)
3.5
Their respective nomination of RCC for the respective grouping for
November 2002 up to October 2004.
The workshop groups may refer to the following as they work on their outputs:
4.1
The Assembly paper presentations, including the Clean Water Bill
4.2
PATLEPAM's Updated Five-Year Development Plan
4.3
ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan (2000-2005)
4.4
Guidelines for the Strengthening of PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating
Centers
----------------------
*
Individual participants are requested to copy the same and keep a file
copy to themselves, for guidance in their implementation as they return to
their respective institutions.
18
Annex 4
Paper of Resources
Persons
19
INVOCATION
(Led by Dr. Ruth Guzman)
Let us bow down our heads and feel the presence of God.
Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and God of all Creation, You have
made this Conference event possible through Your loving mercy and
kindness.
Bless us Lord, all the participants and the speakers, as we strive to repair
the damage we have wrought on Your Creation, especially the waters.
As we became Your children Lord and became born in the Spirit through
the waters of baptism, so have You sustained Your people through the
precious waters that flow through this Universe and that nurture our bodies.
Yes, You have told us Lord to subdue the Earth and all its dominion, the
waters and all that live in it, but we have made travesties of Your
command. We have made it a free pass to exhaust and pollute the Earth's
resources. Not knowing that Your generosity comes not without a prize.
Lord, our Good Shepherd, lead us through this Conference today and
tomorrow and lead us again and always, to fields of green grass and quiet
pools of freshwater.
Enlighten all of us who have gathered here as we attempt to mend the
breaks man has made on Your Creation.
We humbly invoke Your aid as we respond to the challenges of conserving
a precious resource, our waters, for us and for our children, as water is life
and life is water.
All this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
20
OPENING MESSAGE
By:
HON. ANTONIO P. CALINGIN
Provincial Governor, Misamis Oriental
Guests, and members of the academe, a PLEASANT MORNING to ALL OF
YOU!
Let me speak before you this morning not just as the governor of the province of
Misamis Oriental but as a stakeholder, as everyone of us is. As a governor, my concern
will be on the need for a sustained water supply in the province as a major requisite for
industrialization versus the need of this commodity for the domestic consumption of our
population. While Misamis Oriental is known to have more than 320 or more developed
springs that provide the much needed water, it is also observed in various studies that
Misamis Oriental still has an inadequate supply of potable water system. As a
stakeholder, I will say much for the city because this is where the need for water is more
pronounced than the rest of the province due to its high urbanization rate brought by a
growing population and an expanding land use coverage.
I recognize that the tributaries of water supply in the city traverse some of our
municipalities. Mount Balatukan in the eastern part of the province and the Calabugao
plains at the southeastern portion bordering Bukidnon are major tributaries along with
the Mount Kitanglad range through the Pulangi river basin. So, I will not limit the
territory of my concern on political boundaries as I deliver to you my message about
groundwater resources and its conservation.
Two weeks ago, I was invited to react on the research papers and proposals
presented by the International Center for Research in AgroForestry or ICRAF together
with its partner organizations and the academe to the International Fund for Agricultural
Development or IFAD at UPLB, Los Banos, Laguna. The papers were designed to
develop the mechanisms, which will reward the upland poor for the environmental
services they provide. The goal is to enhance the livelihood and resource security for
upland communities. By so doing, the upland communities may be given greater
access and security control over the use of resources in their localities.
I mentioned this to you because I believe that if we have to conserve our water
resources, it is not only done right in the city but also focused on the upland areas
where these water resources are derived from. To ensure that tributaries are protected
and sustained, one must recognize the role of the upland community including the
indigenous people in water conservation. Giving them greater responsibility in
exercising resource management and making them realize the important role that they
can assume in protecting these tributaries are strategies that must be considered.
Practices that are environmentally unsustainable like farming on steep slopes with
21
inadequate safeguards in soil and water conservation are usually the result of the lack
of security of tenure over livelihood resources. As a catchment basin of tributaries from
the upland areas, Cagayan de Oro and the province of Misamis Oriental, specially the
industrialized zones, must realize this.
Misamis Oriental is an industrial province. At this very moment, we are in the
process of completing the construction of the Mindanao International Containerized Port
and preparing for the blueprint of the establishment of an international airport. Both
infrastructures are designed to further spawn the influx of industries and downstream
manufacturing plants in the province. Undeniably, all these industries will need large
volume of surface and ground water as part of the industrial process. In the meantime,
our constituents in the municipalities compete for this water for domestic and farm use.
Eastern municipalities of the province are particularly wanting of this commodity. As a
consequence, it is vital that the province be provided with every available data to assess
the amount of water that is extracted from all sources and whether the carrying capacity
of our tributaries can bear the increasing demand for this essential commodity. This is
important so that the province can impose mitigating measures for these industries to
undertake.
In the city of Cagayan de Oro, it will be the conservation of ground water
resources that I would like to underscore. I would say that this assembly of national
educators for environmental protection and management in Cagayan de Oro is
appropriate at this time when for the sake of accommodating our expanding population
and the subsequent need for additional land, we in the city and the province neglect to
recognize what its effects are on our environment in general and to our groundwater
resources in particular. This is evident on the changing landscape of the province,
particularly the city.
A case in point is a suburban location where four pumping stations were
established within a 15-hectare area by the local water district. One pumping station
was commissioned to operate since 1992 and the rest from 1996 to 1998. Above the
ground in this location are two subdivisions and one resettlement site occupied by the
urban poor. The latter is also the site of the socialized housing program of the Habitat
for Humanity. An estimated 800 houses are in these subdivisions and resettlement site.
The pumping stations operate 24 hours a day with a combined discharge of 73 liters per
second or 4,380 liters per hour. Whereas before, one can extract water from the ground
at 8 feet, at present one has to dig several hundreds of feet to pump water in this area.
Without being a hydrologist, one can imagine its effect on the water table and
consequently, the ground subsidence where the houses sit. Already, indications of
ground subsidence are evident in the misaligned window and door jambs and the
sinking fences that one can see in some house in the subdivision. Imagine the potential
danger it will pose to the population on the surface area of shrinking water table. On the
quality of water extracted from this groundwater source, stretch your imagination further
to the volume of daily human wastes from the septic tank of these houses, some of
which are not even concretely sealed, that seeps in and will ultimately find its way to the
22
aquifers. I need not mention that a few kilometers away from this groundwater source
of the water district is the landfill of the city government.
I hope that the secretariat will consider this site as part of the educational field
trip that was planned for the participants in this assembly. It will surely provide the
participants an insight on how environmentally critical is the groundwater situation in the
city as far as safety and supply are concerned. It will also provide the participants with
an avenue to witness not only what is the best that the city and province can offer in
terms of ecologically sound settings, but also of the opposite.
In parting, let me congratulate all educators in this assembly. You have surely
chosen the right place for this gathering, one that can provide you with a little of
everything that can be found in a highly urbanized city outside Metro Manila. Your
safety and comfort is our concern and the city can provide you that even without my
mentioning it. I do hope that choosing Cagayan de Oro City as the venue of this
assembly will help our people realize how important it is to conserve our water
resources.
23
7th PATLEPAM Senior Educators' Assembly
for Environmental Protection and Management
in the Philippines
"Conserving our Water Resources: The Challenges for the Academe”
10-11 October 2002
Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
STATEMENT
by
Mr Mahesh Pradhan
Environmental Affairs Officer
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
United Nations Environment Programme
Bangkok, Thailand
First of all, I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very successful 7 th PATLEPAM
Assembly. Though I am unable to be there with all of you in person, due to some
unexpected circumstances, my thoughts are with you over the course of this important
Assembly. We at UNEP, as one of the founding supporters of PATLEPAM, are looking
forward to the outcomes of this Assembly, especially as it focuses on a very important
issue of conserving water resources, which is also one of UNEP’s priority areas.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Water is the resource that sustains all life on earth and is a key element of sustainable
development. It is essential if human beings are to enjoy healthy and safe lives or
realize social and economic development. Equally important, natural ecosystems,
which directly and indirectly provide the basis for human existence, are inextricably
linked to and dependent on adequate water resources.
Crisis with regard to water availability and quality casts a shadow on sustainable
development in Asia and the Pacific region. Unlike the energy crisis, the water crisis is
life-threatening. Unlike oil, fresh water has no viable substitute. Its depletion in quantity
and quality has profound social, economic and ecological effects. Water is a particularly
vital resource. Without water, ecosystems are destroyed. Economic activities halt.
People die. For a region which is home to about 60 percent of world’s population and
about 70 percent of the world’s poor, the conservation of and environmentally-sound
use of freshwater resources is the crucial element for socio-economic development and
poverty alleviation.
24
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Over the last three decades, there has been no shortage of international conferences
and political declarations addressing freshwater—all of which have provided ample
rhetoric and recommendations for action, but without specific targets and timeframes.
There are notable exceptions: The Development Target set by the UN Millennium
Assembly convened in September 2000 (with the endorsement of all 189 UN member
states) is to halve by 2015 the proportion of people living in extreme poverty, suffering
from hunger or unable to reach or afford safe drinking water.
This commitment was reiterated once again at the recent World Summit on Sustainable
Development held last month in Johannesburg, where it received greater priority and
urgency than ever before. In fact, Water and Sanitation was among the most successful
negotiations and in creating new partnership at this Summit with clear targets and time
frames.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Addressing water problems requires an inter-sectoral approach that recognises the
inter-linkages— for example between land and water, agriculture and water, technology
and water, health and water—that affect water management. No single mechanism or
approach will be enough. Policy packages using a mutually reinforcing mix of
institutional and policy reform, and legal, economic and management instruments will be
needed.
The UNEP water policy and strategy—- which itself is part of a broader restructuring of
UNEP that has taken the organisation away from sectoral approaches—- recognises
this need. At its core lie three components: assessment, management and coordination
of actions.
All three components stress the cross-sectoral nature of water issues. UNEP has long
been involved in the field of fresh and marine water and has developed a number of
programmes over the years. These, updated and revitalised, are being combined with
newer UNEP programmes, such as the Global International Waters Assessment
(GIWA) and the Global Programme of Action for the protection of the Marine
Environment From Land-based Activities (GPA), to produce an integrated,
comprehensive and dynamic approach to priority water issues
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Somebody once said that “politics is too important an issue to be left to the politicians”.
The same logic can be applied to the critical issue of water management. Whether
referring to the competent government ministry or department, a researcher, manager,
administrator, policy maker, service provider, financier, educator, or end consumer,
water is “everybody’s business”.
25
In conclusion, I would also like to draw your attention to ASEAN Environmental
Education Action Plan, 2000-2005, which was formulated with the assistance of the
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and with support from UNEP and the
Hanns Seidel Foundation. I understand that all of you have received a copy of this
Action Plan as part of your documentation for the Assembly. In this connection, I am
pleased to inform you that, later this year in December, a mid term review meeting of
the Action Plan is being organized in Vietnam, as well as a Roundtable for donor
agencies for potential new activities. As such, we expect some good ideas to come out
of this Assembly for possible submission and consideration of the upcoming ASEAN
Donors’ Roundtable - proposals that bring together the vital role of the academe
towards the conservation of water resources and the promotion environmental literacy.
I would like to wish all of you every success in your deliberations over the next two
days.
Thank you.
26
KEYNOTE MESSAGE*
by:
DENR Secretary Heherson Alvarez
In behalf of our DENR Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez, who could not make it
today due to a previous commitment with Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in
Baguio, I am privileged to read his keynote message to you today. Amelia Supetran of
UNDP, PATLEPAM officers, university and college presidents, and other senior officials,
faculty members, guests, participants, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
I commend the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institution on
Environmental Protection and Management or simply PATLEPAM, and my staff
members at the EMB for organizing this Seventh National Senior Educators' Assembly
in Environmental Protection and Management with this year's theme “ Conserving
Water Resources: The Challenges to the Academe” here in Country Village Hotel,
Cagayan de Oro City.
Just a few weeks ago, our country joined the World Summit on Sustainable
Development or WSSD in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss major issues and
events relating to the environment and sustainable development.
The main objective of this global conference was to review the implementation of
various participating governments to the Global Agenda 21 drawn up at the 1992 UN
Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event was
participated in by over 20,000 representatives from the government, non-government
organizations, private sector, civil society, academic and other concerned agencies from
all over the world. Despite major disagreements in environmental issues and concerns,
the WSSD was able to adopt two major documents - the Plan of Implementation - a
framework for action; and the Johannesburg Declaration - the main document of the
issues taken up at the WSSD regarding commitments to sustainable development,
emphasizing the importance of multi-lateral implementation of programs. One of the
key agreements at Johannesburg Summit was clean water and sanitation to be
accessible for about half of the world’s population by 2015.
---------------------------------* Read by Prof. Rogelio Paglumotan, DENR Assistant Secretary, during the
Seventh National Educators' Assembly on Environmental Protection and
Management last October 10, 2002 at the Country Village Hotel, Cagayan de Oro
City.
The Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources manages legislation and programs that deal with the brown
27
environmental sector - air, water, solid waste, and toxic and hazardous chemicals. Our
environmental laws are then there; primarily to address concerns on environmental
degradation, and human health and safety.
It is a common knowledge that 75% of planet Earth consists of bodies of water.
We do not even have to look far to be able to see this as a fact. Our country, for one,
being an archipelago, is a web of a thousand islands with bodies of water, large or
small, in-between. Even our biological make-up as living species demands at least 80%
of water intake to function well. On the outset, therefore, there is a seeming abundance
of water resources to sustain life here on Earth, and our country. The question is, how
long will our available water resources be able to sustain us?
With a national population of more than 75 million people, water consumption
estimates indicates that around 80-90% of sustainable groundwater and less than 20%
of surface water is utilized. Urgent action is needed to harness surface water to provide
higher sustainable yields and to reduce the overexploitation of groundwater resources.
Despite the seeming abundance of water resources, it is evident that there is a growing
concern of water crisis in our country.
Water supply shortage characterized some areas of the country, particularly in
urban areas like Metro Manila these days and even in the early 1990's, an indication of
the threats facing the country's freshwater resources. While supply still outpaces
demand, water quality had been deteriorating at a considerable rate, indicating grave
problems ahead.
Increasing pressures from population and economic activities continued to take
their toll on the country's coastal waters. While there have been noted improvements in
some areas which have been the subject of intense rehabilitation efforts by both
government and the private sector alike.
Safe water supply and environmental sanitation are two important factors in the
prevention of diseases, improvement of living conditions and enhancement of the
environment. Without these, people, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, are more
prone to infectious diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis, typhoid,
schistosomiasis and other ailments brought about by contaminated drinking water, poor
personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
Human settlements, industry and agriculture have considerable polluted both
inland and coastal wasters. Domestic sewage still contributes approximately 52% of the
pollution load while industry contributes the remaining 48%. This continuing pollution
could seriously compromise the country's water resources' potential for domestic,
agricultural and industrial uses.
To stave off this looming crisis, government passed the Water Crisis Act and held
a Water Summit in 1994. Now, pending in our Congress is the "Proposed Philippine
Clean Water Act of 2002". The same aims to help alleviate these existing water
problems we are currently facing.
28
The said proposed bill aims to pursue economic growth in a manner consistent
with the protection, preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish and
marine waters. As such, a framework for sustainable development shall be pursued
which aims to:
streamline processes and procedures in the prevention, control and
abatement of pollution of the country's water resources;
promote environmental strategies, economic instruments, and control
mechanisms;
formulate a holistic national program of water quality management that
recognizes that water quality management issues cannot be separated from
concerns about water supply, public health and ecological protection;
pursue the integrated water quality improvement framework through proper
delegation and effective coordination of functions and activities;
promote industrial processes and products that are environment-friendly and
energy- efficient;
encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizens and industries
through the application of incentives and market-based instruments and to
promote the role of private judgement of industrial enterprise in shaping its
regulatory profile within the acceptable boundaries of public health and
environment;
provide for a comprehensive management program for water pollution
focusing on pollution prevention rather than control;
promote public information and education and encourage the participation of
an informed and active public on water quality management and monitoring;
and
formulate and enforce a system of accountability for short and long-term
adverse environmental impacts of a project, program or activity.
-
-
-
-
The role of the State and the Filipino people to mitigate water pollution is equally
important as our adherence to the cause of improving our air quality or the resolve to
implement an ecologically-sound solid waste management.
Thus, a concrete action plan, especially from the academe, is being called for.
The role of the academe in this endeavor is essential in effecting a paradigm shift and
the further promotion of environmental literacy among the generation that will eventually
inherit the earth.
The proposed Clean Water Bill already enumerates various areas where the
academe that you represent , can have significant roles in the water quality
management endeavors of the country particularly in :
-
cooperating to attain the objectives of the proposed bill
helping develop, evaluate, identify and promote clean technologies /cleaner
production programs including water recycling and water-reuse in industries;
29
-
helping establish a national research and development program for the
prevention and control of water pollution
helping organize, education and motivate the people in addressing pertinent
at the local and national levels
For the next two days of your assembly and conference, I hope you will reflect on
the serious condition of our water resources, and will rally your sector to help us in this
regard.
Where there is water, there is life.
Maraming salamat po at mabuhay kayong lahat.
30
DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT: Case of Mt. Isarog Watershed
Authors: Cely S. Binoya, Ph.D. - Professor, CSSAC and Vicente Aniceto D. Rubio,
Watershed Management Officer, Metro Naga Water District
ABSTRACT
The vision for safe and sufficient water for Naga City and Camarines Sur
constituents have triggered the merging of forces and resources among government
agencies, LGUs, NGOs, private institutions and POs in Camarines Sur. These
organizations, which became the prime mover of a sustainable watershed management
program are the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Metro
Naga Water District (MNWD), Plan International-Bicol (PIB), Camarines Sur State
Agricultural College (CSSAC), the Rotary Club of Naga City (RCN), Rotary Club of Isarog
(RCI), the Local Government of Pili (LGU-Pili), the LWUA, and CARE Philippines.
The initiative started in 1993 when DENR and MNWD signed a stewardship
agreement for 317 hectares in the Anayan and Rumangrap Springs Watershed area,
within the Mt. Isarog Natural Park. The two (2) springs have a combined output of 225 lps,
about 75% of MNWD’s production. This was followed by the signing of a Tripartite
agreement among MNWD, RCN and Plan Intl. Bicol also in 1993. After this,
PARTNERSHIP with other institutions was formalized and strengthened to achieve a
common vision. To make the program more focused and to know the problems that
should be addressed, a benchmarking study was conducted by CSSAC in partnership
with PIB and the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). The result of this study
was used in coming up with the Initial Protected Area Management Plan. This was
reinforced by the conduct of participatory rapid appraisal (PRA) in the watershed site. At
this point, it was found that there were 81 park occupants undertaking intensive
agricultural cultivation, 47 of them were actually living in the protected area. Program
development and planning was conducted, which was participated in by the park settlers
and representatives from the partner organizations. In the development plan, the major
interventions identified were: 1) community organizing and institution building for people
empowerment; 2) relocation of park settlers; 3) community development and
strengthening through cooperativism; 4) alternative livelihood building; 5) continuing
education; 6) forest and watershed protection and management, including nursery
establishment; 7) research and development, including monitoring and evaluation, needs
analysis, attitudinal studies, product development, etc. and 8) community service. All of
these program components are continually being conducted following the participatory
approach to community development.
At present, 34 households were already relocated in a 1.2 ha lot. They were
organized into a cooperative in 1997, and were registered as the Rotary Village Corp
Forest Development Cooperative (RVCFDC). The relocation site was provided with
facilities like socialized housing units (34), water and electricity, Day Care Center, Chapel
/ Training Center, multi-purpose pavement, volleyball court, RVC office, staff house for
31
the MNWD Community Development Officer, and equipment for food processing, etc.
There are also communal projects like the bio-intensive garden, swine and poultry
projects (sasso chicken) and food processing project, which were mainly organized and
conducted by CSSAC in collaboration with the MNWD and the Department of Agriculture
at the LGU. Their off-farm economic activities are mostly buying and selling of agricultural
products.
Stewardship of the Anayan-Rumangrap watershed is very strong, The RVCFDC,
through the DENR Protected Area Office had trained forest guards to protect the area
from illegal activities. Cultivation in majority of the site has stopped, except in some areas
where there are still park settlers. Replanting and management of newly planted trees are
continuing activities; and above all, there is assurance of clean, safe and sufficient water
for the Camarinensis.
Currently, new institutions are getting interested in the program and are
conducting various development activities in the site. The CARE Philippines, through its
Sustainable Management of Mt. Isarog Territories (SuMMIT) project, in cooperation with
CSSAC and MNWD, is now showing interest in some institutional building works for the
cooperative. The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) for Mt. Isarog Natural Park,
likewise envisions the restoration, management and protection of Mt. Isarog, not only for
today’s generation, but also for the future.
One sustainability mechanism to enhance the partnership among the network of
institutions is the creation of the Multi- Agency Watershed Management Committee. This
group meets once every quarter or as the need arise to monitor the progress of program
implementation, assess problems and plan future interventions in the site. With strong
partnership among the major stakeholders, there’s high hope that sustainable and
effective management of the watershed will be achieved.
32
Developing Partnership for Sustainable Watershed Management:
Case of Mt. Isarog Watershed*
Dr. Cely S. Binoya
Professor, CSSAC
and
Mr. Vicente Aniceto D. Rubio
Watershed Management Officer, Metro Naga Water District
I. Introduction:
Protected area management, particularly in the watershed areas of Mt. Isarog
had been the primary concern of various government and non-government agencies in
the Bicol Region. This concern was heightened by the result of a benchmark study that
reported 81 park occupants undertaking intensive agricultural cultivation in the area,
with 47 of them actually living in the park. This situation threatens the biodiversity in the
natural park and the safety of the water that is generated in the watershed.
With the vision to protect the Mt. Isarog Natural Park and to generate safe and
sufficient water for the constituents of Camarines Sur, some government, nongovernment and private institutions have joined forces for sustainable watershed
management. The initiative was guided by the objective of promoting the use of natural
resources within the watershed for economically productive purposes. Florece (2002)
also reported that the development aims of watershed management, which should be
used as guide in any initiative for this purpose are as follows: a) improved rainwater
management; b) improved standard of living; c) improved maintenance, enhancement
and protection of the areas; and d) improved care and management of the natural
resources within individual watershed. He further reported that the guiding principles in
watershed management are: a) holistic, integrated and multiple-use management; b)
multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary planning; c) adoption of sustainability criteria; d)
participatory and equitable participation and e) efficiency in resource allocation.
This paper will account the processes that occurred in developing partnership
among relevant institutions and the role of the academe in the sustainable watershed
management of Mt. Isarog. It will also report the significant accomplishments and
lessons learned in the process of building partnership for effective management of the
watershed.
-------------------Paper presented during the 7th Natl. Educators’ Assembly in Environmental Protection
and Management with the theme “Conserving Our Water Resources: The Challenge for
the Academe, held in Country Village Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City on Oct. 10-11, 2002.
II. Brief Description of Mt. Isarog
33
Mt. Isarog was proclaimed as National Park in 1938 by Pres. Manuel L Quezon
under Proclamation No. 293. It has an area of 10,112.3478 hectares and peak height of
1,966 meters above sea level. It is very rich in natural resources, with many rivers,
waterfalls and endemic species of flora and fauna. It has seven (7) watershed areas,
the main source of potable water supply of Naga City, and the municipalities of
Camaligan, Canaman, Magarao, Gainza, Milaor and the various highly populated
surrounding municipalities of Pili, Calabanga, Tinambac, Goa, Tigaon and Ocampo.
III. Partnership Development for Sustainable Watershed Management in Mt. Isarog
The development of partnership among identified institutions was pursued with
the realization that no single institution can ably respond to the challenge of managing a
watershed in a sustainable manner. Also, with a network of institutions working for
watershed management, the multi-disciplinary but holistic approach to watershed
management can be achieved; there is sharing and supplementation of resources, and
there is complementation of activities, hence overlapping or duplication of activities are
avoided and waste of resources is minimized.
The initiative for a Sustainable Watershed Management Program (SWMP)
started in 1993 when the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
and the Metro Naga Water District (MNWD) signed a stewardship agreement for 317
hectares in the Anayan and Rumangrap Springs Watershed area, within the Mt. Isarog
Natural Park. The two springs have a combined output of 225 lps, about 75% of
MNWD’s production.. On the same year, a tripartite agreement among MNWD, Rotary
Cub of Naga City (RCN) and Plan International-Bicol (PI-B) was signed to aggressively
pursue the SWMP.
With the realization that the academe has a significant role to play in this task,
the Camarines Sur State Agricultural College (CSSAC), initially through the CSSAC
Development Foundation Incorporated (CSSAC-DFI) was invited to join the network of
partner institutions. Benchmarking and institution building activities were done by the
Camarines Sur State Agricultural College, which also served as the coordinating office
of the program from 1994-1997. An Integrated Area Development Plan was prepared by
the partner agencies with the following components:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Institution building and community organizing
Relocation of park settlers
Community development and strengthening through cooperativism
Alternative livelihood building / development
Continuing education
Forest and watershed protection and management, including nursery
establishment
G. Research and development
H. Community service
34
IV. Accomplishments
Institution Building and Community Organizing
Community organizing was the major responsibility of the NGO partner and
MNWD. Institution building was tasked to CSSAC in cooperation with other partners.
After identifying the park occupants, all of them were invited to a series of
consultations and conscientization meetings to make them realize the danger of
cultivating a protected area, not only to the people in the lowlands but to themselves in
particular. Making them realize that problem, the occupants agreed to find ways to solve
the problem and to develop some action plans. Part of the action plan was institution
building and community organizing.
To carry out the institution building activity, all the park occupants were invited to
a series of trainings at CSSAC. These trainings included topics on Values Formation,
Working With Others, Team Building, Leadership, Community Management, including
Project Management, Farm Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. The duration
ranged from 2-5 days, depending on the topic. After the training, the clients agreed to
form a village carrying the name Rotary Village Corp.
Relocation of Park Settlers
It was believed that unless these park settlers will not be uprooted from their
temporary residence in the park, they will not stop their agricultural activities in the area,
hence, the partners agreed to buy a relocation site for these settlers. With the resources
of the RCN and PI-B, a 1.2 ha. lot was purchased in Del Rosario, Pili as relocation site.
A land use plan was made indicating locations of residential houses, the chapel and
multi-purpose building, multi-purpose pavement, Day-Care Center, sports development
area, communal garden, etc.
Presently, there are now 34 concrete houses in the relocation site and 34
households were already relocated. There is also a staff house for the Community
Development Worker (CDW) of MNWD. These houses were built through the support of
RCN and PI-B. All the amenities / facilities, as targeted in the land use plan are already
constructed. Electricity and water facilities were also made available. The day-care
center is operational and the teacher is being paid by RCN in partnership with the LGU.
Community Development and Strengthening through Cooperativism.
To strengthen cooperativism among the constituents in the village, the group was
organized by the partners into a cooperative in 1997. They were registered as the
Rotary Village Corp Forest Development Cooperative (RVCFDC). They have a capital
build-up (CBU) of Php 13,000.00, which they use to finance coop-related economic
activities. They are headed by a cooperative chairman.
35
As a cooperative, they are enjoying the services and programs provided by the
Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the Municipal Cooperative Development
Council (MCDC), particularly training and other technical services. The cooperative,
using its CBU, conducts buy and sell and food processing activities as source of income
for the members.
Alternative Livelihood Development
Since the members are no longer allowed to cultivate in the park, they were trained
to perform alternative livelihood activities. Presently, the coop has equipment for food
processing, particularly for pili, bananas, vegetables and root crops. These equipment
were mostly provided by PIB and the RCN. Most of their produce are processed. Their
other products from agriculture are sold in the Pili and Naga markets during Thursdays
and weekends. They also have communal bio-intensive gardens, swine and poultry
projects, particularly native chicken sourced from the Department of Agriculture (DA).
CSSAC also provides seeds, technical materials and training in support to livelihood
development.
Continuing Education
To improve farm productivity of the members, the cooperative, MNWD, and RCN
entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the CSSAC Extension Division for
technical assistance. Under the Cooperative Assistance Project of the college, the
RVCFDC became the 6th adopted cooperative of the college. The benefits derived by
the cooperative through this partnership are: free trainings on various agricultural
technologies conducted on the site, scholarships for the children and members of the
coop in the college’ Dual System of Vocational Training in Agriculture held in CSSAC
every Saturday, establishment of demonstration farms, distribution of techno-guides,
seeds, etc. The college, on the other hand, benefits from the partnership since the coop
served also as the social laboratory of the graduating students of CSSAC who opted to
take Internship as a requirement for graduation. The students benefiting from the
partnership are the BSA major in Agriculture Extension, BS Agroforestry and BS in
Environmental Science.
All seminars/trainings were designed by CSSAC primarily to orient the members on
proper values for effective watershed management. There were also trainings
conducted to improve their health like preparing herbal medicines, cooking nutritious
diet, family planning, etc.
The departments in the College which were involved in the continuing education
activities on site are the Departments of Rural Development Studies, Food Technology,
Crop Science and Agroforestry, Biological and Environmental Science, Soil Science,
Teacher Education, and Animal and Veterinary Science.
Other agencies like the DA, CARE Phils. and PI-B also provide continuing education
activities for the coop members.
36
Forest and Watershed Protection and Management.
During the rehabilitation stage of the two watersheds, the members assisted in
establishing the nursery as source of planting materials for reforestation. They were
also hired to plant and manage the reforestation project. They helped the MNWD
develop the catchment area and in converting the project site to an ecological park. All
of these activities were done in partnership with the DENR. The college also
participated in tree planting activities on the watershed areas in cooperation with
MNWD, and the DENR and DA as sources of planting materials.
The activities in the nursery and replanting program are still continuing. Stewardship
of the area was strengthened among the coop members through the Bantay Bundok /
Forest guards who were trained by DENR-MNWD and other partners to protect the
area from illegal activities.
Research and Development
Several researches had been conducted in the area. The most recent was a
sociological research entitled “Community Response to Development Interventions: A
Case of RVCFDC”. This research was conducted by CSSAC as part of the learning
activities in Rural Sociology course to determine the members’ attitude towards various
development interventions conducted by various agencies in the site; how these
interventions addressed their problems / needs and why they responded in the manner
they do to these interventions. New needs were also identified.
Since the site was chosen as internship site of Extension majors of CSSAC, more
techno-demo cum research activities were and will be conducted in partnership with the
coop members to help them decide on the most appropriate technologies that they can
adopt to ensure sustainable development in the village.
Community Service
As a young village, the RVCFDC is also a favorite community of service-oriented
institutions like Ateneo de Naga and Universidad de Sta. Isabel for their gift-giving
projects. The Rotary Club of Isarog based at CSSAC also provided a Solar Lighting
System in the area. Sports fests and medical mission are also regularly conducted by
the PI-B and RCN. These are all organized and coordinated by the Multi-Agency
Watershed Management Committee who assists the village in its development
endeavors.
V. Benefits of Partnership
A. To the partners, there was complementation of activities and sharing of
resources to accomplish a common goal, that ensuring sustainable watershed
management for Mt. Isarog.
B. To CSSAC, the following are the benefits derived from the partnership:
37
1. RVCFDC, as an assisted cooperative served as social laboratory and
internship site of CSSAC students. Students in Agricultural Extension
are immersed in the community from November to February every 2 nd
semester for the students’ internship. For other major fields, the
students stay in the village during summer.
2. The village also served a s social laboratory of Rural Sociology,
Community Organizing and Cooperative Management courses.
3. The village is a good venue for social science and technology-based
researches.
C. To the Community, the continuing education activities enhanced their
productive activities, e.g. nursery management and reforestation activities,
establishment of more economic activities and organization of social
activities.
VI. Sustainability Mechanism
To ensure continuity of activities and the existence of harmonious relationships
among the partners, the Multi-Agency Watershed Management Committee was
organized. The committee regularly meets every quarter at the site to assess
accomplishments, monitor activities and plan forthcoming partnership activities.
VII. Learning Points
A. On Partnership Development
1. Each partner institution has its mandate. Partners should be aware of this and
the support services that can be provided by these institutions for maximum
utilization of manpower and material resources of the partners. For the
greater benefit of the project and its clients.
2. For an academe to be identified in the network of partner institutions, it must
establish a track record, particularly in RDE activities.
3. There must be an academic program offering which will serve as anchorage
of RDE projects and activities in the area like programs on Forestry /
Agroforestry, Environmental Science major in Natural resource Management,
Agricultural Extension, Agronomy, Crop Protection, Agribusiness, Food
Technology, Animal Science, Soil Science, etc.
4. An organized Development Foundation, an NGO arm of the academe, can
serve as entry point for programs / projects which requires infusion of budget
from outside sources.
5. There must be an institutionalized Extension Program in the college /
university for cooperative / community assistance, e.g. Adopt a Cooperative /
Community Program
38
6. Strong coordination mechanism should be established among partner
institutions for better complementation, supplementation and partnership in all
endeavors.
7. There should be no competition among partner institutions.
B. On Program Implementation
1. In the village, it was observed that despite so many development
interventions, there are indications that the cooperative members feel
discontented with some services of partner institutions. Constant dialogue
should be made between and among the coop members and partner
institutions to settle problems at the earliest possible time.
2. Continuing assessment of their training needs should be made for relevance
and responsiveness of development programs to emerging problems of the
members.
3. The comprehensive integrated area development plan was very useful in
guiding all partners in pursuing development interventions in the area.
However, a wider cultivation area near the village should be incorporated in
the plan to serve as production area for the coop members and to entice
other park settlers to go down the relocation site.
4. Research and Development as a component activity should be conducted
regularly by the partner academe to assess the quality of development that is
happening in the area and to identify emerging needs and problems that need
to be resolved by the partner institutions.
5. Forest protection and watershed management should be made integral part
of all development activities being the ultimate aim of the Protected Area
Management (PAM) program.
References:
Binoya, C.S. 2001. Community Response to Development Interventions: A Case of
RVCFDC”. Unpublished paper. Aug.
Binoya, CS and Rubio. 2001. Sustainable Watershed Management: Case of Mt. Isarog
Watershed. Paper presented during the 1st National Conference on Protected
Area Management held at Royal Mandaya Hotel, Davao City. November.
Florece, P. 2002. Status of Waterhed Management in Region V. Paper presented
during the Regional Conference Workshop on Soil and Water Resources RDE
held in CSSAC.
Rubio, V.A. 2002. Watershed Development Project. Paper presented during the
Regional
Conference Workshop on Soil and Water Resources RDE held in
CSSAC. Sept.
39
THE QUALITY OF THE PHILIPPINE SURFACE WATER RESOURCES :
ISSUES AND CONCERNS1
Michico Venus A. Adarayan-Navaluna2
Environmental Management Bureau-Central Office
I.
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines is endowed with abundant water resources considering that it is an
archipelago consisting of more than 7,107 islands. The country’s total freshwater area
is about 569,000 hectares which include freshwater swamps, natural lakes, rivers,
reservoirs and fishponds. There are 421 principal river basins and 10 major lakes in the
country. On the other hand, the Philippines’ marine territorial waters representing the
Exclusive Economic Zone cover about 2.2 million square kilometers of which 88% is
oceanic and 12% is coastal.
The population of the Philippines as of May 1, 2000 is roughly 76.5 M persons. This
represents an increase of 11.5 percent from the 1995 census count of 68.6 million
persons. The population grew at the rate of 2.36 percent annually between 1995 and
2000 which is slightly higher than the growth rate during the nineties (2.34 percent).
The Southern Tagalog is the most populated region in the country closely followed by
the National Capital Region. However, the NCR remains the most densely populated
region with 15,617 persons occupying a sq. km. of land. This man-land ratio is 61 times
the national figure of 255 persons per sq. km. The other five most densely populated
regions are Central Luzon (Region III), Central Visayas (Region VII), Ilocos (Region I),
Western Visayas (Region VI) and Bicol (Region V) (Table 1).
The country's economic profile is largely the agricultural sector with an estimated
employment of 40%. Agricultural products include rice, corn, sugarcane, coconut,
bananas, pineapples, mangoes, pork, eggs, beef and fish.
With respect to the
industries, there are about 15,000 manufacturing firms in the Philippines mostly located
in Metro Manila. The main manufacturing industries are textile mills, pharmaceuticals,
chemicals, wood products, food processing, electronics assembly and petroleum
refining.
Paper presented during the 7th National Educators’ Assembly in Environmental Protection and
Management with the theme “Conserving our Water Resources : The Challenges for the Academe”, 1011 October 2002, Country Village Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
2 Supervising Environmental Management Specialist, Water Quality Management Section, Environmental
Quality Division, Environmental Management Bureau-Central Office, Quezon City, Philippines
1
40
II.
SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION
Water pollutants generally come from five sources. These are domestic sewage,
industrial wastewater, agricultural run-off, storm-water run-off and naturally-occurring
sources. These water pollutants can either be point or non-point sources. Point
source pollution is defined as those entering the entering the environment from a fixed
source. Water pollutants of point sources are more manageable because these are
normally concentrated, limited to a few points and can be treated prior to discharge.
Non-point sources are those which continuously deposit extraneous materials into
watercourses from a widely spread area.
Domestic sewage is defined as wastewater discharged from residential, commercial,
institutional, recreational and industrial facilities where wastes are generated through
the use of dining facilities, shower rooms and toilets. Commercial sources are hotels,
restaurants and malls while institutional sources are hospitals and schools. Sewage
from industrial sources is also sources of wastewater because such facilities employ
large number of employees.
Industrial wastewater, a principal example of a point source, is discharged by industries
after water has been utilized in production processes. Industries such as canneries,
chemical plants, food and beverage plants, pulp and paper factories and textile mills
often discharge industrial wastewater laden predominantly with organic load as well as
chemicals and solids.
Agricultural and storm-water run-off are examples of non-point sources. Agricultural
run-off is wastewater from farms which often carries fecal materials, soil particles,
fertilizers (phosphates and nitrates), and pesticides. Storm-water run-off results from
rainfall and may cause turbidity and contamination of receiving water bodies.
Pollution also emanates from sources that are naturally occurring or caused by geologic
disturbances. Volcanic eruption substantially increases the sediment load and other
inorganic load of affected rivers. In areas affected by volcanic eruptions in the
Philippines, river channels are completely obliterated. Heavy rains erode denuded forest
lands, mountains, hills, plains resulting to increased turbidity, high suspended solids
concentration, and silt in the streams.
III.
STATUS OF THE PHILIPPINE SURFACE WATER QUALITY
The quality of our surface water is one of the significant issues the Philippines is facing
today. Many of our important river systems and coastal areas, particularly in highly
urbanized areas, are polluted to a stage of critical concern. This pollution problem is of
urgent attention because these water resources not only provide industrial water supply
but most importantly, some of these resources are major sources of drinking water.
41
Freshwater as well as coastal waters are classified by the EMB-DENR on the basis of
their designated beneficial uses. Water classifications are arranged in the order of the
degree of protection required, with Class AA and SA having generally the most stringent
water quality, respectively, for fresh surface waters and marine/coastal waters, and
Class D and SD waters have the least stringent water quality for fresh surface waters
and marine waters, respectively (Table 2). This classification system prescribes the
level of water quality criteria needed to maintain the minimum conditions necessary to
assure the suitability of water for its designated use or classification. As of 2001, of the
country’s 421 principal rivers, a total of 195 have been classified according to their best
usage (Table 3).
Based on water quality monitoring results from 1999-2001, the worst water quality is
observed in rivers located in the National Capital Region where all river systems are
considered biologically dead particularly during the dry months except for the upper
reaches of the Marikina River (Table 4). The San Juan River is one of the tributaries of
the Pasig River and can be considered the dirtiest river in Metro Manila. This river
traverses mainly Quezon City which has a population of 2.1 million persons, the highest
in Metro Manila as of 2000.
Monitoring of rivers outside Metro Manila is not being conducted on a regular basis.
However, from limited available data gathered, results of water quality monitoring in
other river systems conducted by some EMB Regional Offices in 2001 indicate that
some water bodies still conform with the water quality criteria (BOD and DO) of their
designated classification (Table 5). However, there are other water bodies that do not
anymore comply with the water quality criteria for their designated use mostly those
classified as bathing waters or those in highly urbanized/industrialized areas (Tables 6
and 7).
In Region VII, the Eastern Coast of Mactan Island which is dotted with world-class
hotels, condominiums and beach resorts, did not comply with Class SB water quality
criteria based on the 1997 water quality monitoring results. The same can be said for
the coastal areas of Liloan to Carmen which are also dotted with public beaches.
Rivers monitored within Region X can be considered relatively clean although Macajalar
Bay which can be considered as bathing water due to numerous beaches located along
its coasts already exceeded the water quality criteria for Class SB water (Table 8).
IV.
SURFACE WATER QUALITY ISSUES AND CONCERNS
In general, every body of water has the capacity to absorb or break down certain
quantities of various types of introduced materials such as natural waste products,
sewage and many forms of industrial organic wastes. It is only when the ability of these
natural systems to dissolve or degrade such materials is exceeded that pollution sets in
and becomes a concern. In the Philippines, the continuous increase in population
coupled with the corresponding advancement in industrialization and urbanization has
contributed largely to the rapid degradation of the country’s surface water quality.
42
A. Untreated Domestic Sewage : A Leading Contributor to Water Pollution
We often associate water quality problems with industry because end-of-pipe effluents
are point sources which are easily identifiable and readily seen. While it is true that
many industrial dischargers are also to blame for water quality deterioration, several
studies show that domestic sewage is the biggest water pollution problem the country is
facing today.
In 1997, the ENRAP (Environment and Natural Resources Accounting Project) of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) conducted several studies
on pollution load contributed by various sources, in particular, industrial, domestic and
surface run-off (agricultural and urban) for water pollutants. The studies showed that
the household sector is the leading source of organic water pollution (Table 9). Another
study showed that the BOD load of the household sector accounted for 40.79 of the
national total with the National Capital Region contributing the highest load followed by
Region IV (Table 10). In the Pasig River System, domestic liquid waste accounts for
60% of organic pollution (Table 11) and 68.5% in Laguna Lake.
The large contribution of wastewater coming from the household sector to the pollution
of surface water bodies especially in highly populated urban areas is compounded by
the lack or inadequate sewage treatment facilities. According to the Metropolitan
Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), the sewerage coverage of the Philippines
is very low. Only 2% of the entire Philippine household is served by a conventional
sewerage system. The biggest of this system is in Metro Manila. This covers the City
of Manila, Quezon City, Makati and Muntinlupa. Other systems are in Baguio City,
Cebu, Zamboanga and Davao.
The metropolis constructed its first sewerage system in 1911 and is originally designed
to serve the needs of about 220,000 in the central Manila area. At present, only 12% of
Metro Manila’s estimated 10 million people are efficiently served by a sewerage system.
It is estimated that each person generates about 0.05 kg. of BOD per day. With this
factor, an estimated 500 tons of BOD is generated per day in Metro Manila. With no
adequate sewerage treatment facilities, this organic pollution is practically drained into
esteros and rivers and finally to Manila Bay. It is expected that other highly urban
centers in the country have high BOD loading contributed by the household sector.
B. Industrial Wastewater Pollution
Pollution from industrial wastewater is another major contributor to surface water
pollution. This type of wastewater comes mainly from manufacturing processes. The
food and pulp and paper industries as well as agro-industries like sugar and coconut
refineries, alcohol distilleries, fish canning, piggery and poultry farming, slaughterhouses
generate discharges with high organic content. Distillery wastes reach as high as
40,000 mg/L BOD concentration. Piggery, poultry farming and slaughterhouse even
contribute substantial coliform organisms in water bodies. The other industries like
semiconductor and electroplating industries produce wastewater laden with heavy
43
metals. Further, with the tremendous amount generated by mining operations, these
industries are potential causes of siltation when mine tailings retained in earth-fill dams
are washed away during heavy rainfall.
A study by the World Bank conducted in 1993 involved a survey of 100 most water
polluting firms in Metro Manila. The study revealed the level of treatment and the
relative magnitude of water pollution problems. On the average, the 100 most polluting
industries are achieving less than 50% treatment efficiency. Many firms have some
level of wastewater treatment facilities although many facilities are in a state of
disrepair. In terms of compliance to effluent standards, based on EMB regional reports
as of the year 2000, the estimated industrial compliance is only 58%.
C. Threats from Non-point Pollution Sources
As defined, non-point sources are those which contribute extraneous materials into
watercourses from an extensively wide area thus making it much harder to control.
Examples of non-point sources are agricultural and forestry run-off and urban storm
water run-off.
Agricultural Run-off
One of the major sources of nitrogen and phosphorous is agricultural run-off. The
overabundance of nutrients such, as nitrogen and phosphorous can cause excessive
growth of nuisance algae that can block light needed by underwater vegetation which
provide food and nesting grounds for fish and other aquatic animals. Overabundance of
these algae and other aquatic plants use up dissolve oxygen when they die and
decompose thus depriving fish and other aquatic plants and animals the much-needed
oxygen for survival.
In some areas, an overload of nutrients is regarded as one of the factors causing the
red tide phenomenon. This phenomenon is characterized by a bloom of floating minute
marine plants or phytoplankton known as dinoflagellates which are orange brown or red
in color. The causative organisms of the red tide phenomenon possess toxic
substances harmless to marine animals but lethal to man when ingested. Table 11
shows the red tide outbreaks in the Philippines from 1995-1999.
Another threat from agricultural run-off comes from pesticide use.
Chemical
compounds used in farmlands and golf courses are washed into surface waters during
rain and end up in waterways. The high concentration of pesticides has been known to
cause a wide range of health problems in man and animals. As of 1991, the country
had about 10 million hectares of agricultural land representing 34.3% of the country's
total land area. The tremendous increase in agricultural production during the past two
decades and the proliferation of golf courses in the country involved the widespread use
of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides -- all of which are potential non-point pollutants.
However, monitoring pesticides has not been done regularly so that assessment on this
kind of pollutant is very difficult. However, it is very likely that most of these pesticides
have found their way into bodies of water.
44
Siltation from Forestry Run-off
Soil eroded from logged hillsides when heavy rainfall occurs has its own adverse
effects. This condition can cause several problems to waterways affecting essential
biological processes. Silt can cause abrasion in gills killing fish by directly interfering
with their respiration. It also creates a cloudy condition in water (turbidity) which inhibits
photosynthesis thus reducing productivity of aquatic plants. It can alter water depth
thereby changing the entire aquatic habitat over time. Siltation reduces the flow
capacity of water channels thus aggravating flooding. The ENRAP study (Table 9)
shows forestry run-off as the biggest contributor of suspended solids in the country.
Urban Stormwater : An Emerging Problem
During earlier times, rainwater is thought to be harmless as it connotes purity and a
refreshing environment. It may come as a surprise then to find out that rainwater in the
form of urban run-off (also known as storm water run-off) is considered a source of
water pollution. Construction is a major contributor to storm water run-off because of
the increase of impervious surfaces that block water infiltration in the soil. A variety of
pollutants (gasoline and its additives, car washings, lawn fertilizing, etc.) can enter the
surface water through run-off. It also disrupts soil and adds sediment, dust and other
particulate matter to waterways. A strong run-off can even scour stream bed removing
sediments and destroying habitat.
Managing the quality and effects of storm water may slowly become a key
environmental issue in the country. Of the so many regulations the Philippines has in
managing the water environment, there is no specific regulation pertaining to the
management of storm water. There is very little or no study conducted on the presence,
magnitude and effects of storm water pollutants and the ways by which these pollutants
contaminate storm water.
Storm water may contain several types of pollutants that
may be hazardous in nature that will eventually affect the public and the environment.
The problem is even compounded by the absence of a separate drainage system for
storm water.
In the US, several studies were conducted to determine the presence of storm water
pollutants. Results revealed that nutrients such as phosphorous and heavy metals like
copper and lead are found in storm water. One study indicated that exposure to
concentrations of some run-off as low as 10% can have detrimental effects on fish
larvae. The same study indicated that the toxicity of the storm water is directly
proportional to the level of urban development . Other studies show that water samples
collected in storm water retention ponds have dangerous toxin levels and fish caught in
these ponds have been found to have significant concentration of heavy metals.
D. Inefficient Solid Waste Management
45
A serious concern from inefficient solid waste management is its contribution to water
quality deterioration. The indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes particularly in urban
areas creates aesthetic, nuisance and health problems including clogging of already
inadequate drainage systems creating stagnant water for insect breeding and flooding
during rainy seasons. Using water polluted by solid wastes for bathing, food, irrigation
and drinking can expose individuals to disease-causing organisms.
The countrywide collection efficiency in the Philippines ranges from 40% to 70%. The
rest remained uncollected and ultimately find its way to the culverts, esteros, rivers, and
finally to bays and seas. It is a very serious problem in urban cities like Metro Manila.
Based on studies, the inefficient domestic solid wastes collection contributes to organic
water pollution accounting for 5% in the Pasig River.
V.
CONCLUSION
Water is vital to our socio-economic development, hence must be protected. However,
our surface water resources, particularly in urban areas, are beginning to be severely
degraded to a critical degree This deterioration of water quality is a pressing issue that
needs to be addressed now. Adequate and efficient water quality management efforts
must be pursued vigorously.
Unless the pollution from the household sector is addressed, it is unlikely that other
efforts at abating water pollution will improve water quality. Hence, on the aspect of
domestic sewage, the construction of sewage treatment facilities is inevitable. Further,
there is a need to adopt an environmentally sound solid waste management system in
every municipality which should include proper waste segregation and recycling as well
as systematic collection, handling, transfer and disposal of wastes. On the industrial
front, it is high time to encourage industries to adopt pollution prevention/waste
minimization/cleaner production to prevent/abate/control water pollution. Further, there
is a need to look into other ways to encourage industrial compliance. There should be a
growing openness to institute the use of market-based instruments to complement the
current command and control measures. For agricultural wastes, there is a need to
limit, if not to eliminate, the use of non-biodegradable chemicals and to promote the use
of organic fertilizers. Even the issue of deforestation must be addressed.
However, to support all these efforts, there is a need to harness the government’s
partnership with the other sectors of the society. One important sector is the education
sector. Environmental awareness is essential and public education is an important part
of environmental protection.
This undertaking can be further enhanced by
environmental research and the education sector plays a big role in this area.
VI. REFERENCES
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order No. 34 Series
of 1990.
46
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Philippine Environmental and
Natural Resources Accounting Project Main Report Phase III. December 1996.
Development Bank of the Philippines. Manuals on Pollution Abatement. 1999.
Laguna Lake Development Authority website
Lewis, Barry. Pollution and Our Waterways. From the website of the Academy of
Natural Sciences (Research/Know Your Environment).
National Statistics Office website
National Statistical Coordination Board website
National Statistical Coordination Board. Compendium of Philippine Environment
Statistics. 1990-1999.
Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission website
The World Bank. The Philippines Environment Monitor 2001.
The World Bank. The Philippines Environment Monitor 2000.
The World Bank. Philippines Environmental Sector Study Toward Improved
Environmental Policies and Management. 1993.
Wall, Ronald. Urban Stormwater : A Hidden Problem. From the website of the Academy
of Natural Sciences (Research/Know Your Environment).
Reports/Data from the EMB Regional Offices, the Metropolitan Waterworks and
Sewerage System and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
47
TABLE 1.
PHILIPPINES’ TOTAL POPULATION AND POPULATION DENSITY BY
REGION AS OF MAY 1, 2000
Total
Population
Region/Province
S
Philippines
National Capital Region
Cordillera Administrative
Region
Region I-Ilocos
Region II-Cagayan Valley
Region III-Central Luzon
Region IV-S. Tagalog
Region V-Bicol
Region VI-W. Visayas
Region VII-C. Visayas
Region VIII-E. Visayas
Region IX-W. Mindanao
Region X-N. Mindanao
Region XI-S. Mindanao
Region XII-C. Mindanao
Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao
Caraga
SSource : National Statistics Office
48
Population
Density
76,498,735
9,932,560
255
15,617
1,365,220
4,200,478
2,813,159
8,030,945
11,793,655
4,674,855
6,208,733
5,701,064
3,610,355
3,091,208
2,747,585
5,189,335
2,598,210
95
327
105
441
251
265
307
381
173
193
196
263
179
2,412,159
2,095,367
211
111
TABLE 2.
WATER USAGE AND CLASSIFICATION PER DENR
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 34 (1990)
A.
Fresh Surface Waters (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc.)
Classification
Beneficial Use
Class AA
Public Water Supply Class I. This class is intended primarily for
waters having watersheds which are uninhabited and otherwise protected
and which require only approved disinfection in order to meet the
National Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW) of the Philippines.
Class A
Public Water Supply Class II. For sources of water supply that will
require complete treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and
disinfection) in order to meet the NSDW.
Class B
Recreational Water Class I. For primary contact recreation such as
bathing, swimming, skin-diving, etc. (particularly those designated for
tourism purposes).
Class C
1)
2)
3)
Class D
1)
2)
3)
Fishery Water for the propagation and growth of fish and other
aquatic resources;
Recreational Water Class II (Boatings, etc.)
Industrial Water Supply Class I (For manufacturing processes
after treatment).
For agriculture, irrigation, livestock watering, etc.
Industrial Water Supply Class II (e.g. cooling, etc.)
Other inland waters, by their quality, belong to this classification.
B. Coastal and Marine Waters
Classification
Beneficial Use
Class SA
1)
Waters suitable for the propagation, survival and harvesting of
shellfish for commercial purposes;
2)
Tourist zones and national marine parks and reserves
established under Presidential Proclamation No. 1801; existing
laws and/or declared as such by appropriate government
agency.
3)
Coral reef parks and reserves designated by law and
concerned authorities.
Class SB
1) Recreational Water Class I (Areas regularly used by the public
for bathing, swimming, skin diving, etc.);
2) Fishery Water Class I (Spawning areas for Chanos chanos or
"Bangus" and similar species).
Class SC
1) Recreational Water Class II (e.g. boating, etc.);
2) Fishery Water Class II (Commercial and sustenance fishing);
3) Marshy and/or mangrove areas declared as fish and wildlife
sanctuaries;
Class SD
1)
Industrial Water Supply Class II (e.g. cooling, etc.);
2)
Other coastal and marine waters, by their quality, belong to this
classification.
49
TABLE 3.
Number of
Classified Principal
Total Number
Rivers
of Principal Rivers
11
15
21
31
14
18
28
96
29
30
23
35
16
19
2
34
4
29
12
16
9
29
4
27
9
29
11
11
2
2
195
421
Source : EMB-Central Office
Region
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
CARAGA
CAR
NCR
Total
TABLE 4.
STATISTICS OF CLASSIFIED PRINCIPAL RIVERS
As of December 2001
Percent
Classified
73.33
67.74
77.78
29.17
96.67
65.71
84.21
5.88
13.79
75.00
31.03
14.81
31.03
100.00
100.00
46.32
ANNUAL AVERAGE DO and BOD CONCENTRATIONS (mg/L) OF THE
FIVE RIVER SYSTEMS IN METRO MANILA , 1999-2001
(WQ Criteria for Class C : BOD - 10 mg/L ; DO - > 5mg/L)
River
Pasig River
NMTT
San Juan
Marikina
Paranaque
1999
DO
1.85
1.73
1.32
4.07
1.62
2000
BOD
6.0
10.0
31.0
7.0
17.0
DO
3.3
2.0
3.1
4.2
2.1
Source : EMB-NCR
50
BOD
8.0
19.0
19.0
6.0
19.0
2001 (as of June)
DO
BOD
3.65
13.0
2.75
14.0
1.6
26.0
3.6
7.0
0.7
21.0
TABLE 5.
WATER QUALITY STATUS OF MAJOR RIVERS MONITORED
BY EMB REGIONAL OFFICES IN 2001
REGION Water Body
Class
DO
BOD
Laoag River
1
A
Average
6.27
1.12
Minimum
5
1
Maximum
8.2
2
DENR WQ Criteria
5
5
Pampanga River
3
A/C
Average
5.29
5.22
Minimum
1.26
1
Maximum
7.5
24
DENR WQ Criteria
5
5/7
Bicol River
5
A
Average
5.24
1.81
Minimum
6.4
3.00
Maximum
7.5
3.00
6
11
11
CARAGA
CARAGA
CAR
DENR WQ Criteria
Jalaur River
Average
Minimum
Maximum
5
5
A/C
7.49
6
9
DENR WQ Criteria
Davao River
Average
Minimum
Maximum
DENR WQ Criteria
Tagum River
Average
Minimum
Maximum
DENR WQ Criteria
Agusan River
Average
Minimum
Maximum
DENR WQ Criteria
Magallanes River
Average
Minimum
Maximum
DENR WQ Criteria
Amburayan River
Average
Minimum
5
2.23
1
13
5/7
A/B
7.48
5.8
8.6
5
1.07
0.50
1.41
5
D
6.44
4.8
7.8
0.93
0.30
2.40
10(15)
6.12
0.57
6.8
0.60
0.23
5.8
7(10)
5.75
5.10
5.90
0.44
0.20
0.60
7(10)
3
C
5
C
5
B
8.13
6.81
Maximum
DENR WQ Criteria
10.2
5
51
5
TABLE 6.
ANNUAL AVERAGE DO AND BOD CONCENTRATION (mg/L) OF
RIVERS MONITORED BY EMB-REGION VII, 2000 and 2001
River
Classification
2000
Mananga River
Guadalupe
River
2001
Butuanon River
WQ Criteria
A
B (upper reach)
C (lower reach)
DO
mg/L
5.0
5.0
5.0
BOD
mg/L
5.0
5.0
10.0
D
3.0
15.0
Location
DO
mg/L
BOD
mg/L
Talisay, Cebu
Cebu City
7.56
1.0
1.18
66.19
Mandaue City
2.5
45.4
Source : EMB-Region VII
TABLE 7.
WATER QUALITY MONITORING RESULTS FOR COASTAL WATERS
IN REGION VII
(WQ Criteria for Class SB : TC-1,000 MPN/100ml ; DO- >5.0mg/L)
Name/Location of
Water Body
Beaches in Talisay ,
Cebu
Coastal Waters along
Cebu City to Mandaue
City
Eastern Coast of
Mactan Island (from
Punta Engano to
Subabasbas)
Bacong to Amlan,
Negros Oriental
Eastern Coast of Cebu
Province (from Liloan to
Carmen)
Year
Monitored
2000
Total Coliform
(MPN/100ml)
376
DO
(mg/L)
9.6
1998
230,000,000
6.9
1997
2,400
11.8
1996
24,000,000
9.4
1995
2,000,000
10.6
Source : EMB-Region VII
52
TABLE 8.
ANNUAL DO AND BOD AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS OF
MAJOR WATER BODIES IN REGION X, 2001
Name of
River
Classification
Gingoog Bay
Tagoloan
River
Cagayan de
Oro River
Iponan River
Alubijid River
Macajalar Bay
WQ Criteria
BOD
(mg/L)
DO
(mg/L)
SC
A
BOD
(mg/L)
10
5
DO
(mg/L)
5
5
1.2
1.4
7.7
7.9
A
5
5
1.35
8.0
5
5
5
5
1.75
2
7.51
7.26
Fecal
Coliform
Count : 1563
MPN/100ml
6.52
A
5
A (upper reach)
5
C (lower reach)
10
“SB”
Fecal
Coliform
Count : 200
MPN/100ml
Source : EMB-Region X
TABLE 9. TOP FIVE WATER POLLUTIVE SECTORS : 1992
Sector
Volume (mt)
1. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5)
Household
Forestry (run-off)
Sanitary and similar services
Agricultural crops production (run-off)
Livestock production
TOTAL
2. Suspended Solids
Agricultural crops production
Livestock production
Forestry (run-off)
Metallic ore mining
Non-metallic ore mining
TOTAL
Source : ENRAP III Main Report, December 1996.
53
% share to total
load
3,809.520
1,563.840
1,421,571
770,249
738,118
8,393,298
44.26
18.17
16.51
8.95
8.57
96.46
152,858,963
5,312,138
310,350,015
38,123,377
198,014
506,842,507
29.99
1.04
60.88
7.48
0.04
99.43
TABLE 10. BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND OF THE HOUSEHOLD SECTOR,
1992 (IN MT)
Region
Volume
Percent to Sectoral
Total
NCR
479,774
13.57
IV
381,705
10.79
III
357,458
10.11
VIII
343,449
9.71
VI
312,358
8.83
XI
297,710
8.42
I
229,422
6.49
V
225,444
6.38
X
207,958
5.88
VII
195,584
5.53
IX
176,114
4.98
XII
120,849
3.42
II
113,926
3.22
94,211
2.66
3,535,962
100.00
CAR
TOTAL
Sectoral
Share
National Total
to
40.79
Source : ENRAP III Main Report, December 1996.
54
TABLE 11. ESTIMATED (%) CONTRIBUTION OF 3 MAJOR SOURCES OF
POLLUTION TO THE PASIG RIVER SYSTEM, 1991 AND 1998
1991
1998
Liquid domestic waste
45%
60%
Solid domestic waste
10%
5%
Commercial & industrial waste
45%
35%
Source : Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission Website (http://www.prrc.gov.ph)
Type of waste
TABLE 12.
Year
1995
TOXIC RED TIDE OCCURRENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES
1990 –1999
Place
Manila Bay
Ticao Pass, Masbate
1996
Camiguin
Dumanquilas/Sibuguey
Manila Bay
1997
Dumanquilas/Sibuguey
Illana Bay
Surigao del Sur
1998
Surigao del Sur
Manila Bay
Malampaya
Sound,
Palawan
1999
Dumanquilas Bay
Sorsogon Bay
2000
No red tide occurrence
2001
Mati, Davao
Source : Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
Reported Cases of
Paralytic Shellfish
Poisoning
110
11
5
27
125
56
5
31
10
Deaths
56
1
3
7
1
0
55
None
8
0
0
1
7
4
0
0
0
Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
12th Congress
Second Regular Session
House Bill No. ________
( In substitution of House Bill Nos. 199, 215, 443, 522 and 1025)
___________________________________________________________________________
Introduced by Reps. Acosta, Zubiri, Reyes (E), Defensor (M) and Cojuangco (C)
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR COMPREHENSIVE WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled.
CHAPTER 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
Declaration Of Principles And Policies
SECTION 1. Short Title - This Act shall be known as the Ò Philippine Clean Water Act of 2002 Ó.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall pursue a policy of economic growth in a manner
consistent with the protection, preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish and marine
waters. To achieve this end, the framework for sustainable development shall be pursued. As such, it
shall be the policy of the State:
a. To streamline processes and procedures in the prevention, control and abatement of pollution
of the country's water resources;
b. To promote environmental strategies, economic instrument, and control mechanisms;
c. To formulate a holistic national program of water quality management that recognizes that
water quality management issues cannot be separated from concerns about water supply,
public health and ecological protection;
d. To pursue the integrated water quality improvement framework through proper delegation and
effective coordination of functions and activities;
e. To promote industrial processes and products that are environment friendly and energy
efficient;
f. To encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizens and industries through the
application of incentives and market-based instruments and to promote the role of private
judgment of industrial enterprise in shaping its regulatory profile within the acceptable
boundaries of public health and environment;
g. To provide for a comprehensive management program for water pollution focusing on pollution
prevention rather than control;
56
h. To promote public information and education and to encourage the participation of an informed
and active public in water quality management and monitoring; and
i.
To formulate and enforce a system of accountability for short and long-term adverse
environmental impact of a project, program or activity.
SEC. 3. Coverage of the Act. Ð This Act shall apply to water quality management in all water bodies.
Provided, that, it shall primarily apply to the abatement and control of pollution from land based
sources. Provided, further, that the water quality standards and regulations and the civil liability and
penal provisions under this Act shall be enforced irrespective of sources of pollution.
Article 2
Definition Of Terms
SEC. 4. Definition of terms Ð As used in this Act:
a. Aquifer means a layer of water-bearing rock located underground that transmits water to supply
pumping wells or natural springs;
b. Aquatic life means all organisms living in freshwater, brackish and marine environments;
c. Beneficial use means the use of water conducive to the environment, in general, and public or
private welfare, safety and health, and shall include, but not be limited to, the use of water for
domestic, municipal, irrigation, power generation, fisheries, livestock raising, industrial,
recreational and other purposes.
d. Civil Society means non-government organizations (NGOs) and peopleÕs organizations (POs);
e. Cleaner production means the application of an integrated, preventive environmental strategy
to processes, products, services to increase efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the
environment;
f. Clean-up operations means activities involving the removal of pollutants discharged or spilled
into a water body and its surrounding areas, and the restoration of the affected areas to their
former physical, chemical and biological state or conditions;
g. Coastal water means an open body of water along the countryÕs coastline starting within a
landward limit of three (3) kilometers from the shoreline at high tide to include mangrove
swamps, brackish water ponds, nipa swamps, estuarine rivers and other areas within a
seaward limit of 200-meter isobath to include coral reefs, algal flats, seagrass beds and other
soft-bottom areas;
h. Contamination means the introduction of substances not found in water that make the water
less desirable or unfit for intended use;
i. Department means the Department of Environment and Natural Resources;
j. Discharge includes, but is not limited to, the act of spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting,
emptying, releasing or dumping of any material into a water body or onto land from which it
might flow or drain into said water;
k. Drinking water means water intended for human consumption or for use in food preparation;
l. Effluent means a general term denoting any wastewater, partially or completely treated flowing
out of a manufacturing, industrial, commercial, domestic, institutional or treatment plant;
m. Effluent standard means any legal restriction or limitation on quantities, rates, and/or
concentrations or any combination thereof, of physical, chemical or biological parameters of
effluent which a person or point source is allowed to discharge into a body of water or land;
n. Environmental management means the management of activities within tolerable constraints
imposed by the environment itself, and with full consideration of ecological factors;
o. Environmental management system means the part of the overall management system that
includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures,
57
processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining
the environmental policy;
p. Groundwater means a subsurface water that occurs beneath a water table in soils and rocks,
or in geological formations;
q. Groundwater vulnerability means relative ease with which a contaminant located at or near the
land surface can migrate to the aquifer or deep well;
r.
Groundwater vulnerability mapping means identification of areas of the land surface where
groundwater quality is most at risk from human activities;
s. Hazardous waste refer to by-products, side-products, process residues, spent reaction media,
contaminated plant or equipment or other substances from manufacturing operation and as
consumer discards of manufactured products which present unreasonable risk and/or injury to
health and safety and to the environment;
t. Non-point source means any source of pollution not identifiable as point source to include, but
not be limited to, runoff from irrigation or rainwater which picks up pollutants from farms and
urban areas;
u. Point source means any identifiable source of pollution with specific point of discharge into a
particular waterbody;
v. Pollutant shall refer to any substance, whether solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive, which
directly or indirectly:
i)
alters the quality of any segment of the receiving water body so as to affect or tend to affect
adversely any beneficial use thereof;
ii) is hazardous or potentially hazardous to health;
iii) imparts objectionable odor, temperature change, or physical, chemical or biological change to
any segment of the water body; or
iv) is in excess of the allowable limits or concentrations or quality standards specified, or in
contravention of the condition, limitation or restriction prescribed in this Act;
a. Pollution control technology means pollution control devices or apparatus, processes, or other
means that effectively prevent, control or reduce pollution;
b. Septage means the sludge produced on individual onsite wastewater-disposal systems,
principally septic tanks and cesspools;
c. Sewage means water-borne human or animal wastes from residences, buildings, institutions,
industrial and commercial establishments together with such groundwater, surface water and
storm water as may be present including such waste from vessels, offshore structures, other
receptacles intended to receive or retain wastes, or other places or the combination thereof;
d. Sewerage include, but not be limited to, any system or network of pipelines, ditches, channels,
or conduits including pumping stations, lift stations and force mains, service connections
including other constructions, devices, and appurtenances thereto, which involves the
collection, transport, pumping and treatment of sewage to a point of disposal;
e. Sludge means any solid, semi-solid or liquid waste or residue generated from a wastewater
treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or water pollution control facility, septic tank or
any other such waste having similar characteristics and effects;
f. Surface water means all water which is open to the atmosphere and subject to surface runoff;
g. Treatment means any method, technique, or process designed to alter the physical, chemical
or biological and radiological character or composition of any waste or wastewater to reduce or
prevent pollution;
58
h. Wastewater means waste in liquid state containing pollutants;
i. Waterbody means both natural and man-made bodies of fresh, brackish, and saline waters,
and includes, but is not limited to, aquifers, groundwater, springs, creeks, streams, rivers,
ponds, lagoons, water reservoirs, lakes, bays, estuarine, coastal and marine waters;
j. Water pollution means any alteration of the physical, chemical or biological or radiological
properties of a water body resulting in the impairment of its purity or quality;
k. Water quality means the characteristics of water which define its use in terms of physical,
chemical, biological, bacteriological or radiological characteristics by which the acceptability of
water is evaluated;
l. Water quality guidelines means the level for a water constituent or numerical values of
physical, chemical, biological and bacteriological or radiological parameters which are used to
classify water resources and their use, which does not result in significant health risk and which
are not intended for direct enforcement but only for water quality management purposes, such
as determining time trends, evaluating stages of deterioration or enhancement of the water
quality, and as basis for taking positive action in preventing, controlling or abating water
pollution.
CHAPTER 2
WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Article 1
General Provisions
SEC. 5. National Water Quality Status Report. - Within twelve (12) months from the effectivity of this
Act, the Department, in coordination with the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and other
appropriate agencies and entities, shall prepare and publish a national water quality status report
which shall identify:
a. the location of water bodies, their water quality, taking into account seasonal, tidal, and other
variations, existing and potential uses and sources of pollution per specific pollutant and
pollution load assessment;
b. water quality management areas pursuant to Section 9 of this Act; and
c. water classification.
The Department shall thereafter review or revise and publish annually, or as the need arises, a
national water quality status report incorporating therein groundwater vulnerability map, pursuant to
Sec. 11 of this Act.
SEC. 6. Integrated Water Quality Improvement Framework. Ð Within eighteen (18) months from the
effectivity of this Act, the Department, in coordination with appropriate agencies, and in consultation
with stakeholders, shall prepare an integrated water quality improvement framework, herein referred to
as the framework, that shall embody policies and objectives established pursuant to this Act. It shall
integrate all the existing frameworks prepared by other government agencies on water quality
involving pollution from all sources. It shall likewise consider the national water quality status report
established hereof. Specifically, the framework shall contain the following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
water quality goals and targets;
period of compliance;
water pollution control strategies and techniques;
water quality information and education program;
59
e. human resources development program.
The integrated water quality improvement framework shall be adopted as the official blueprint with
which all government agencies must comply with to attain and maintain water quality standards.
SEC. 7. Water Quality Management Area Action Plan. Ð For each designated water quality
management area established in Section 9 of this Act, the Department through its regional offices, in
coordination with NWRB, member local government units (LGUs) and other concerned sectors, shall,
within twelve (12) months following the completion of the framework, formulate a ten (10) year water
quality management area action plan, herein referred to as the action plan, for the purpose of
translating the framework into action plans at the local level. Such action plan shall be reviewed by the
water quality management area governing board every five (5) years or as the need arises. The action
plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
a. goals and targets including sewerage or septage program;
b. schedule of compliance to meet the applicable requirements of this Act;
c) water pollution control strategies or techniques;
d) water quality information and education program;
e) resource requirement and possible sources;
f) enforcement procedures of the plan; and
g) rewards and incentives under Chapter 4 of this Act.
SEC. 8. Local Government Unit Water Quality Compliance Scheme. Ð Within six (6) months after the
establishment of the action plan, each LGU shall prepare its action plan in accordance with Section 7.
Such action plan shall be subject to review and approval by the governing board.
SEC. 9. Water Quality Management Area. - The Department, in coordination with NWRB, shall
designate certain areas as water quality management areas. Said management areas shall be
composed of LGUs with similar hydrological, hydro-geological, meteorological or geographic
conditions which affect the physicochemical, biological and bacteriological reactions and diffusion of
pollutants in the water bodies, or otherwise share common interest or face similar development
programs, prospects, or problems. Within each management area, a system of cooperation and
coordination for a more effective water quality management among member LGUs shall be promoted.
Said management area shall be governed by a governing board composed of representative mayors
and governors of member LGUs, and representatives of relevant national government agencies, civil
society, water utility sector and business sector. The Department representative shall chair the
governing board.
The governing board shall formulate strategies to coordinate policies necessary for the effective
implementation of the Act in accordance with those established in the framework and monitor the
compliance with the action plan. It shall also manage the water quality management fund for the said
management area.
A technical secretariat for each management area is hereby created which shall provide technical
support to the governing board. It shall be composed of at least four (4) members who shall be
appointed by the Board, and a Department representative who shall serve as the head of the
secretariat . The members shall have the following minimum qualifications:
a. One (1) member shall be a member of the Philippine Bar;
b. One (1) member shall be a chemical engineer, chemist or have significant training and
experience in chemistry ;
60
c. One (1) member shall be a sanitary engineer, environmental engineer, ecologist,
biologist or have significant training and experience in closely related fields;
d. One (1) member shall be a hydrologist, geologist or have significant training and
experience in closely related fields.
Other members of the technical secretariat may be added depending on the need of the area
concerned; Provided, that such members shall possess the qualifications indicated in items a) to d) in
the preceding paragraph. Additional personnel support shall be provided by the Department regional
office. Provided, further, that areas within the jurisdiction of the Laguna Lake Development Authority
(LLDA) shall be designated as one management area under the administration of LLDA in accordance
with R.A. No. 4850, as amended. Provided, however, that the standards and water pollution charge
system established pursuant to Chapter 2 hereof shall be enforced in said area.
SEC. 10. Management of Non-attainment Areas. - The Department shall designate as non-attainment
areas water bodies, or portions thereof, where specific pollutants from either natural or man-made
source have already exceeded water quality guidelines. Provided, that for non-attainment areas of
man-made source, the Department shall prepare and implement a program that will not allow new
sources of exceeded water pollutant without a corresponding reduction in discharges from existing
sources; Provided, however, that for non-attainment areas of natural source, e.g. naturally high boron
and other elements in geothermal areas, discharge of such pollutant may be allowed; Provided,
further, that the effluent concentration of discharge shall not exceed the naturally occurring level of
such pollutant in the area; Provided, finally, that the effluent concentration and volume of discharge
shall not adversely affect water supply, public health and ecological protection.
The Department shall, in coordination with NWRB, Department of Health (DOH), Department of
Agriculture (DA), governing board and other concerned government agencies and private sectors shall
take such measures as may be necessary to upgrade the quality of such water in non-attainment
areas to meet the standards under which it has been classified.
Upgrading of water quality shall likewise include undertakings which shall improve the water quality of
a water body to a classification that will meet its projected or potential use.
The LGUs shall prepare and implement contingency plans and other measures including relocation,
whenever necessary, for the protection of health and welfare of the residents within potentially affected
areas.
SEC. 11. National Groundwater Vulnerability Mapping. Ð Within three (3) years after the effectivity of
the Act, the Department, in coordination with the NWRB, shall progressively publish a national
baseline groundwater vulnerability map series on a scale of 1:250,000 which will reflect the different
degrees of groundwater vulnerability based on a range of soil properties and hydrogeological criteria
to serve as guide in the protection of the groundwater from contamination.
Provided, that groundwater vulnerability map for highly urbanized cities (HUCs) shall be prepared
within the first twelve (12) months after synthesizing the following existing data: nature of confining soil
and rock layer above the aquifer, aquifer permeability, recharge areas and topography. Together with
the maps, the mines and geosciences bureau of the department shall publish a standard
guide/methodology to groundwater vulnerability mapping and ranking of relative vulnerability of
groundwater to contamination.
Environmentally critical projects or activities within high vulnerability areas may be required a site
specific and detailed groundwater vulnerability map on a minimum scale of 1:50,000, subject to the
61
guidelines promulgated by the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau of the Department and subject to P.D.
No. 1586 and its implementing rules and regulations.
For this purpose, the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau shall have the following functions:
a. assessment and mitigation of water-related geo-hazards including groundwater contamination;
b. water resource data bank establishment and maintenance; and
c. exercise such other duties and functions as may be necessary to carry out the objectives of
this Act.
SEC. 12. Water Pollution Control Technologies. - Within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act,
the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in coordination with the Department and other
concerned agencies, organizations or academic research institutions, shall constitute and head an
Inter-agency Technical Assistance Committee (IATAC) with the following functions:
a) evaluate and identify water pollution control technologies to the industries which the latter may
deem appropriate for the purpose of compliance with water quality standards;
b) develop an environmental technology verification (ETV) program for the verification of technologies
prior to its introduction in the Philippines. ETV will serve as basis for verifying the performance of the
technology under local conditions;
c) promote the development of clean technologies (CT)/cleaner production(CP) programs including
water recycling and water re-use in industries;
d) provide and disseminate information on water pollution control technologies including the best
available and practicable technology which will result in the reduction or prevention of pollution in
compliance with the standards pursuant to this Act. Such information shall include technical and other
data, including costs, where available, and these shall be accessible to the public; and
e) evaluate and endorse technology, machinery, equipment, spare parts and the like that are eligible
for incentives, subject to approval by the Board of Investment (BOI) pursuant to Section 35 hereof.
SEC. 13. Guidelines for Test Procedures. - The Department, in coordination with other government
agencies and private sectors, shall, within two (2) years from the effectivity of this Act, adopt
alternative internationally accepted test procedures for the sampling and analysis of pollutants.
Provided, that continuous evaluation of emerging test procedures shall be conducted to broaden the
list of available test procedures. Provided, further, that such procedures shall be prescribed as the
acceptable system of sampling and analysis.
The Department, in coordination with DOST, DTI, DOH and other concerned agencies, academe,
professional associations, and the private sector shall likewise, within one (1) year after the adoption
of the test procedures, formulate, maintain and manage a system of accreditation for laboratories and
new testing procedures based on internationally accepted standards.
SEC. 14. Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance. - Each management area shall create a multisectoral group composed of civil society, academe and other private sectors to establish and effect, in
coordination with the governing board, water quality surveillance and monitoring network including
sampling schedules and other similar activities. The group shall submit its report and
recommendations to the governing board.
SEC. 15. National Sewerage and Septage Management Program. Ð The Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) through its relevant attached agencies, in coordination with the Department,
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DOH and other concerned agencies, shall, as soon as possible, but in no case exceeding a period of
twelve (12) months from the effectivity of this Act, prepare a national program on sewerage and
septage management pursuant to Section 16 of this Act.
Such program shall include a priority listing of sewerage, septage and combined sewerage-septage
projects for LGUs based on population density and growth, degradation of water resources,
topography, geology, vegetation, programs/projects for the rehabilitation of existing facilities and such
other factors that the Secretary may deem relevant to the protection of water quality. On the basis of
such national listing, the national government may allot, on an annual basis, funds for the construction
and rehabilitation of required facilities. LGUs may also enter into Build-Operate-and-Transfer (BOT) or
joint venture agreement with private sector for the construction, rehabilitation and/or operation of
sewerage and sewage treatment or septage facilities in accordance with existing laws, rules and
regulations.
Each LGU may raise funds to subsidize necessary expenses for the operation and maintenance of
sewerage and sewage treatment or septage facility servicing their area of jurisdiction through local
property taxes and or enforcement of a service fee system.
SEC. 16. Domestic Sewage Collection, Treatment and Disposal. Ð Within five (5) years following the
effectivity of this Act, all subdivisions, condominiums, commercial centers, hotels, sports and
recreational facilities, hospitals, market places, public buildings and other similar establishments
including households situated in Metro Manila and other Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) as defined in
Republic Act No. 7160 shall be required to connect their sewage line to available sewerage system
either through an agency vested to provide water supply and sewerage facilities or through the
concessionaire/s subject to sewerage services charge/fees in accordance with existing laws, rules or
regulations unless such sources had already utilized their own sewerage system.
In areas not considered as HUCs , the DPWH in coordination with the Department and the DOH shall
employ septage or combined sewerage-septage management system.
For the purpose of this Section, the DOH, in coordination with other government agencies, shall
formulate guidelines and standards for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage including
guidelines for the establishment and operation of centralized sewage treatment system.
SEC. 17. Water Quality Management Fund. Ð A water quality management fund is hereby established
to finance containment and clean-up operations of the government in water pollution cases, guarantee
restoration of ecosystems and rehabilitation of affected areas, to support research, enforcement and
monitoring activities and capabilities of relevant agencies, as well as to provide technical assistance to
the relevant agencies, rewards and incentives, information and educational campaign and for the
prevention, control or abatement of water pollution and management and administration of the
management areas. Except in areas under the jurisdiction of the LLDA, such fund shall be
administered by the Department as a special account in the National Treasury.
The fund shall be sourced from the fines imposed and damages awarded to the Republic of the
Philippines relative to the violations of the provision of this Act, discharge fees, proceeds of permits
issued pursuant to this Act, donations, endowments and grants in the form of contributions to the
national government, specifically for water quality management.
Disbursements from the fund shall be subject to the usual accounting and budgeting rules and
regulations.
All donations, endowments and grants accruing to the fund shall be exempt from donor taxes and shall
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be deductible from the gross income of the donor for income tax purposes.
Article 2
Water Quality Standards and Regulations
SEC. 18. Classification and Reclassification of Philippine Waters.
For the purpose of this Act, all water bodies shall be classified according to their beneficial usage.
Water classification are arranged in the order of the degree of protection required. Groundwater
classification shall be provided by the Department within twelve (12) months from effectivity of this Act.
Five (5) years after the effectivity of the IRR and every ten (10) years thereafter, the Department, in
coordination with appropriate government agencies, and upon prior public hearing, shall review and/or
revise and publish classification or reclassification of Philippine waters according to their potential
beneficial use, taking into account, among others, the following:
a. existing quality of the body of water;
b. size, depth, surface area covered, volume, direction, rate of flow, and gradient of stream;
c. most beneficial existing and future use of said bodies of water and lands bordering them, such
as for residential, agricultural, aquacultural, commercial, industrial, navigational, recreational,
wildlife conservation, and aesthetic purposes; and
d. vulnerability of surface and groundwater to contamination from pollutive and hazardous wastes,
agricultural chemicals, and underground storage tanks of petroleum products.
The Department shall give high priority to the protection of existing and potential future sources of
drinking water supply.
All reclassifications of water shall be adopted upon affirmative findings by the DepartmentÕs regional
office concerned that:
a. The proposed reclassification will establish the present and future most beneficial use
of the waters;
b. Such reclassification is clearly in the public interest, and,
c. The proposed designated use is attainable, upon consideration of environmental,
technological, social, economic, institutional and climate change factors.
For purposes of classification or reclassification, the following minimum water quality guidelines should
be considered but shall not be limited to dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total coliform organisms, trace metals, trace chemicals
nutrients, surfactants, phyloplankton, algae, suspended solids, heat, turbidity and radioactivity.
Any person regulated under this Act or having a substantial interest in this chapter may seek
reclassification of waters by filing a petition with the Department giving all necessary information to
support the petition. Provided, that within sixty (60) days after the receipt of the petition, the
Department shall forward said petition to the regional office concerned for the affirmative findings of
the reclassification of waterbody.
SEC. 19. Water Quality Guidelines Ð Within twelve (12) months from the effectivity of this Act, the
Department, in coordination with the DOH, DA and other government agencies, private sectors and
academic research institutions, shall review and/or revise and publish water quality guidelines
accurately reflecting the latest scientific knowledge on the following matters:
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a) effects Êof Êpollutants Êon public health, biological diversity, aquatic life, productivity, and stability,
Êincluding information Êon Êthe factors Êaffecting Êrates Êof eutrophication and rates of organic
and Êinorganic sedimentation for varying types of waterways, bio-accumulation of chemicals;
b) concentration and dispersal of Êpollutants, or ÊÊtheir ÊÊby-products, ÊÊthrough Ê physical,
chemical and biological processes; pollution loading may also be used together with the
concentration scheme;
b) beneficial uses of the receiving water body; and
c) best available and practicable technology for water pollution prevention and abatement.
The Department, in coordination with concerned government agencies, and upon prior consultation
with the private sector, shall review and/or revise every five (5) years or as the need arises the water
quality guidelines set pursuant to this Act.
SEC. 20. Effluent Standards. - Within two (2) years from the effectivity of this Act and every five (5)
years thereafter or as the need arises, the Department shall review and publish effluent standards for
categories of industry sector. The effluent standards shall take into consideration the protection of
public health and welfare as well as protection and propagation of balanced ecosystem.
Effluent standards shall also take into account the normal water temperatures, flow rates, seasonal
variations, existing sources of heat input, and the dissipative capacity of the identified waterbodies or
parts thereof. The standards shall likewise include a calculation of the maximum heat input that can be
made into each body of water and shall include a margin of safety which takes into account any lack of
knowledge concerning the development of thermal water quality guidelines for protection and
propagation in the identified waterbodies or parts thereof.
Industries existing at the time this Act took effect, and which fail to comply with new effluent standards
promulgated within five (5) years following the effectivity of this Act shall be allowed a grace period.
Such grace period, which shall not exceed five (5) years after the promulgation of said new standards,
shall only be issued whenever it would require significant retooling, upgrading or as may be necessary
for the establishment of an environmental management system to include, but not be limited to,
installation of water pollution device, shift to less pollutive materials, or modification or shift to cleaner
production, and after a thorough and transparent evaluation as may be prescribed by the rules and
regulations promulgated therefor by the Department. Covered industries are required to submit
periodic report to the Department on steps taken for the establishment of an environmental
management system including compliance schedule within the prescribed grace period.
For purposes mentioned in the immediately preceding paragraph, a grace period of not exceeding
three (3) years shall also be applied in cases of violation of effluent standards committed for the first
time after the effectivity of this Act.
For purposes of this Section, grace period shall only cover moratorium on the issuance of cease and
desist and/or closure order. Provided, however, that in the event that the industryÕs operation poses
serious and grave threat to the environment, the Department may order immediate cessation of
company operations.
For this purpose, the Department may establish total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) to set the pollution
reduction goals for waterbodies or portions thereof.
SEC. 21. Water Quality Variance for Geothermal Exploration. - The Department may provide variance
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in water quality criteria and standards for geothermal exploration that encounters re-injection
constraints but with provision for adequate protection of beneficial use of water bodies downstream of
the geothermal project.
SEC. 22. Categories of Industry Sector. - Within twenty-four (24) months from the effectivity of this Act,
and every two (2) years thereafter, the Department shall, through due public consultation, revise and
publish a list of categories of industry sector for which effluent standards will be provided for each
significant wastewater parameter per industry sector.
The Department shall provide additional classification based on other parameters specifically
associated to discharge of a particular industry which shall be included in the revised listing of
categories prescribed in the preceding paragraph.
SEC. 23. Non-point Sources and other Causes of Water Pollution. - The Department shall issue and
publish, within twelve (12) months from the effectivity of this Act, guidelines on the following:
a. identification and evaluation of the nature and extent of non-point sources of pollution; and
b. processes, procedures and methods to control pollution resulting therefrom.
In case of pollution coming from agricultural and aquaculture activities, the Department in coordination
with the DA, shall set guidelines for the prevention, control and abatement of said pollution. Provided,
that discharges coming from non-point sources shall be subject to the effluent standards promulgated
pursuant to this Act.
Article 3
Wastewater Discharge Permit And Charges
SEC. 24. Wastewater Charge System. Ð The Department shall implement a wastewater charge
system in all management areas including the Laguna Lake region and Regional Industrial Centers
through the collection of wastewater charges/fees. The system shall be established on the basis of
payment to the government for use of water bodies as waste receptors. Wastewater charges shall be
established taking into consideration the following:
a. To provide strong economic inducement for polluters to modify their production or management
processes or to invest in pollution control technology in order to reduce the amount of water
pollutants generated;
b. To cover the cost of administering water quality management or improvement programs,
including the cost of administering the discharge permitting and water pollution charge system;
c. Reflect damages caused by water pollution on the surrounding environment, including the cost
of rehabilitation;
d. Type of pollutant;
e. Classification of the receiving water body; and
f. Other special attributes of the water body.
The fee shall be based on the waste load depending on the wastewater pollution charge formula that
will be established with due public consultation within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act.
Provided, that net waste load shall refer to the difference of the initial waste load of the abstracted
water from the gross waste load, and that the industry shall pay only for the added pollution; Provided,
further, that no net waste load shall be lower than the initial waste load.
Provided, furthermore, that such collections which will be used to pay for the cost of monitoring and
management of water quality shall accrue to the water quality management fund.
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Provided, finally, that wastewater charge system shall not apply to waste water from geothermal
exploration.
SEC. 25. Discharge Permits. - The Department shall require owners or operators of facilities that
discharge regulated effluents as defined under Section 20 of this Act to secure a permit to discharge.
The discharge permit shall be the legal authorization granted by the Department to discharge
wastewater. Provided, that the discharge permit shall specify among others, the quantity and quality of
effluent that said facilities are allowed to discharge into a particular water body, compliance schedule
and monitoring requirement. Such discharge permit shall be valid for a period of three (3) years
subject to renewal every three (3) years thereafter.
As part of the permitting procedure, the Department shall encourage the adoption of waste
minimization and waste treatment technologies when such technologies are deemed cost effective.
The Department shall also develop procedures to relate the current water quality guideline or the
projected water quality guideline of the receiving water body/ies with total pollution loadings from
various sources, so that effluent quotas can be properly allocated in the discharge permits. For
industries without any discharge permit, they may be given a period of twelve (12) months after the
effectivity of the implementing rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act, to secure a
discharge permit.
Effluent trading may be allowed per management areas.
SEC. 26. Financial Liability for Environmental Rehabilitation. Ð The Department shall require program
and project proponents to put up environmental guarantee fund (EGF) as part of the environmental
management plan attached to the environmental compliance certificate pursuant to Presidential
Decree No. 1586 and its implementing rules and regulations. The EGF shall finance the needs of
emergency response, clean-up or rehabilitation of areas that may be damaged during the programÕs
or projectÕs actual implementation. Liability for damage shall continue even after the termination of a
program or project and, until the lapse of a given period indicated in the environmental compliance
certificate, as determined by the Department.
The EGF may be in the form of a trust fund, environmental insurance, surety bonds, letters of credit,
self-insurance, and any other instrument which may be identified by the Department. The choice of the
guarantee instrument or combinations thereof shall depend, among others, on the assessment of the
risks involved. Proponents required to put up guarantee instruments shall furnish the Department with
evidence of availment of such instruments.
SEC. 27. Clean-Up Operations. - Any person who causes pollution in or pollutes water bodies shall be
responsible to contain, remove and clean-up any pollution incident at his own expense. Provided, that
in the event emergency clean-up operations are necessary and the polluter fails to immediately
undertake the same, the Department in coordination with other government agencies concerned, shall
conduct containment, removal and clean-up operations. Expenses incurred in said operations shall be
reimbursed by the persons found to have caused such pollution upon proper administrative
determination in accordance with this Act. Reimbursements of the cost incurred shall be made to the
Water Quality Management Fund or to such other funds where said disbursements were sourced.
SEC. 28. Programmatic Environmental Impact Assessment. - The Department may implement
programmatic compliance with the environmental impact assessment system, as in the following types
of development:
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a. development consisting of a series of similar projects, or a project subdivided into several
phases and/or stages whether situated in a contiguous area or geographically dispersed; and
b. development consisting of several components or a cluster of projects co-located in an area
such as an industrial estate, an export processing zone, or a development zone identified in a
local land use plan.
Programmatic compliance with the environmental impact assessment system shall be guided by
carrying capacity assessments determined from ecological profiles. Ecological profiles shall identify
environmental constraints and opportunities in programmatic areas. Programmatic assessment shall
also take into account cumulative impacts and risks.
Consistent with the provisions of the Local Government Code, the Department may enter into
agreement with LGUs to incorporate programmatic environmental impact assessment into the
preparation, updating, or revision of local land use plans and area development plans.
SEC. 29. Environmental Impact Assessment System Programmatic Compliance with Water Quality
Standards. - The Department may allow each regional industrial center established pursuant to R.A.
7916 (PEZA law) to allocate effluent quotas to pollution sources within its jurisdiction that qualify under
an environmental impact assessment system programmatic compliance program in accordance with
P.D. No. 1586 and its implementing rules and regulations.
CHAPTER 3 - INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM
SEC. 30. Lead Agency. - The Department shall be the primary government agency responsible for the
implementation and enforcement of this Act unless otherwise provided herein. As such, it shall have
the following functions, powers and responsibilities:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
prepare a National Water Status Report;
prepare an Integrated Water Quality Improvement Framework;
prepare a Water Quality Management Area Action Plan;
enforce, review and revise water quality standards after due consultation with the
concerned sectors;
exercise jurisdiction over all aspects of water pollution, determine its location,
magnitude, extent, severity, causes, effects and other pertinent information on pollution,
and to take measures, using available methods and technologies to prevent and abate
such pollution;
exercise supervision and control over all aspects of water quality management;
establish a cooperative effort among the national government, LGUs, academic
institutions, civil society and the private sector to attain the objectives of this Act;
disseminate information and conduct educational awareness campaigns on the effects
of water pollution on health and environment, water quality management, and resource
conservation and recovery to encourage an environmentally action-oriented society;
annually report to Congress the quality status of water bodies and other pertinent
information, and recommend necessary matters for legislative action;
issue rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the provisions of this Act;
issue order against any person or entity and impose fines, penalties and other
administrative sanctions to compel compliance with water quality regulations and the
provisions of this Act;
undertake appropriate protocol with other concerned agencies for immediate
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m.
coordinated responses to water related emergency incidents; and
exercise such powers and perform such other functions as may be necessary to carry
out the objectives of this Act.
The Department may gradually devolve to the LGUs and the governing board the authority to
administer some aspects of water quality management and regulation, including, but not to be limited
to, permit issuance, monitoring and imposition of administrative penalties, when, upon the
DepartmentÕs determination, the LGU or the governing board has demonstrated readiness and
technical capability to undertake such functions.
SEC. 31. Role of Local Government Units. - Local government units shall share the responsibility in
the management and improvement of water quality within their territorial jurisdictions.
Each local government unit shall prepare a compliance scheme in accordance with the water quality
management area action plan.
Each local government unit shall, through its Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO)
established in Republic Act No. 7160, have the following powers and functions:
a) emergency response;
b) compliance with the framework of the Water Quality Management Action Plan;
c) to take active participation in all efforts concerning water quality protection and rehabilitation;
and
d) to coordinate with other government agencies and civil society and the concerned sectors in
the implementation of measures to prevent and control water pollution.
Provided, however, that in provinces/cities/municipalities where there are no environment and natural
resources officers, the local executive concerned may designate any of his official and/or chief of office
preferably the provincial, city or municipal agriculturist, or any of his employee; Provided, finally, That
in case an employee is designated as such, he must have sufficient experience in environmental and
natural resources management, conservation and utilization.
SEC. 32. Linkage Mechanism - The Department and its concerned attached agencies including LLDA
may coordinate and enter into agreement with other government agencies, or civil society, industrial
sector and other concerned sectors in the furtherance of the objectives of this Act. The following
agencies shall have the primary responsibility for the enforcement of water quality standards:
a. Philippine Coast Guard in coordination with DA and the Department for the enforcement of
water quality standards in marine waters, set pursuant to this act, specifically from offshore
sources;
b. DPWH through its attached agencies, such as the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage
System (MWSS), Local Waterworks and Utilities Administration (LWUA), and the NWRB; and
including other urban water utilities for the provision of sewerage and sanitation facilities and
the efficient and safe collection, treatment and disposal of sewage within their area of
jurisdiction;
c. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for the prevention and control of water
pollution for the development management and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic
resources;
d. DOH for the revision and updating of drinking water quality standards.
SEC. 33. Record-keeping, Inspection, Monitoring, and Entry by the Department. Ð The Department or
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its duly authorized representative shall, after proper consultation and notice, require any person who
owns or operates any pollution source or who is subject to any requirement of this Act to:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
a.
b.
c.
establish and maintain relevant records;
make relevant reports;
install, use and maintain monitoring equipment or methods;
sample and analyze discharges, in accordance with the test procedures prescribed by the
Department;
keep records on water abstraction, raw material consumption or production control equipment
parameters, production variables or other indirect data when direct monitoring of water
pollution discharge is impractical;
submit documents showing the location of oil depots and underground storage tanks, and to
install a monitoring system in the said locations/premises and other industries which may be
identified by the Department; and
provide such other information as the Department may reasonably require.
Pursuant to this Act, the Department, through its authorized representatives, shall have the
right to:
enter or to have access to any premises including documents and relevant materials as
referred to in the herein preceding paragraph;
inspect any pollution or waste source, control device, monitoring equipment or method
required; and
test any discharge.
Any record, report or information obtained under this section shall be made available to the public,
except upon a satisfactory showing to the Department by the entity concerned that the record, report,
or information or parts thereof, if made public, would divulge secret methods or processes entitled to
protection as intellectual property. Such record, report or information shall likewise be incorporated in
the DepartmentÕs industrial rating system.
In cases of fish kill incidence, the Bureau of Fisheries of the DA, in the course of its investigation, may
enter the premises of an establishment reported to have caused said incident.
CHAPTER 4
INCENTIVES AND REWARDS
SEC. 34. Rewards. - Rewards, monetary or otherwise, shall be provided to individuals, private
organizations and entities, including civil society, that have undertaken outstanding and innovative
projects, technologies, processes and techniques or activities in water quality management. Said
rewards shall be sourced from the Water Quality Management Fund herein created.
SEC. 35. Incentives Scheme. Ð An incentive scheme is hereby provided for the purpose of
encouraging LGUs, water districts (WDs), enterprises, or private entities, and individuals, to develop or
undertake an effective water quality management, or actively participate in any program geared
towards the promotion thereof, consistent with the objectives of this Act.
a. Inclusion in the Investments Priority Plan (IPP).Ð Subject to the rules and regulations of the
BOI, industrial wastewater treatment and/or adoption of water pollution control technology,
70
cleaner production and waste minimization technology shall be classified as preferred areas of
investment under its annual priority plan and shall enjoy the applicable fiscal and non-fiscal
incentives as may be provided for under the Omnibus Investment Code, as amended.
The BOI may seek the technical assistance of the IATAC constituted under Section 12 hereof for the
validation of the eligibility for incentives of technology, machinery, equipment, and spare parts, and the
like.
a. Tax Exemption of Donations, Legacies and Gifts. Ð All donations, legacies and gifts to LGUs,
WDs, for the support and maintenance of the program for effective water quality management
shall, subject to the limitations and conditions under the National Internal Revenue Code of
1997, as amended, be exempt from donorÕs tax and shall be deductible from the gross
income of the donor for income tax purposes.
b. Financial Assistance Program Ð Government financial institutions such as the Development
Bank of the Philippines, Landbank of the Philippines, Government Service Insurance System,
and such other government institutions providing financial services shall, in accordance with
and to the extent allowed by the enabling provisions of their respective charters or applicable
laws, accord high priority to extend financial services to LGUs, WDs, enterprises, or private
entities engaged in sewage treatment facilities.
c. Extension of Grants to LGUs Ð Cities and municipalities which will establish or operate
sewerage facilities may be entitled to receive grants for the purpose of developing technical
capacities.
CHAPTER 5
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
SEC. 36. Pollution Research and Development Programs. Ð The Department, in coordination with the
DOST, other concerned agencies and academic research institutions, shall establish a national
research and development program for the prevention and control of water pollution. As part of said
program, the DOST shall conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research,
investigation, experiments, training, surveys and studies relating to the causes, extent, prevention and
control of pollution among concerned government agencies and research institutions. Findings and
results of studies conducted under this program shall be utilized by the inter-agency technical
assistance team constituted under this Act.
SEC. 37. Public Education and Information. - The DepartmentÊand Êthe local government units shall,
in coordination Êwith the Department of Education, Êthe Department of Interior and Local
Government, and Êthe Philippine ÊInformation Agency, conduct a Êcontinuing education and
information campaign against water pollution. Said campaign shall:
a.
b.
c.
aim Êat Êdeveloping public awareness of Êthe Êill-effects of water pollution and demonstrating
what the public can do to minimize the problem;
concentrate Êon activities which are feasible Êand effective in addressing the problem of
Êwater pollution; and
encourage Êparticipation of private sectors Êby involving civil society.
SEC. 38. Business and Industry Role in Environmental Management. Ê- The Department and the
LGUs, Êin coordination with the appropriate government agencies, and in consultation with the
business and industrial sectors, shall formulate appropriate incentives for the adoption of Êprocedures
that Êwill preserve and protect our waterways Êthrough Êthe introduction Êof innovative equipment
Êand processes Êthat reduce if not totally eliminate the discharge of Êpollutants into our waterways.
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SEC. 39. Multi-Sectoral Participation in Environmental Protection and Pollution Prevention and
Control. - The right of the people to a healthy environment shall also vest upon the people the duty to
engage in activities to protect the environment and to prevent pollution. The civil society and other
sectors, particularly labor, the academe and business, undertaking environment-related activities shall
be encouraged in their efforts to organize, educate and motivate the people in addressing pertinent
environmental issues and problems at the local and national levels.
CHAPTER 6
CIVIL LIABILITY/PENAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 40. Prohibited Acts. - The following acts are hereby prohibited:
a) discharging, depositing or causing to be deposited material of any kind directly or indirectly into the
water bodies or along the margins of any surface water, where, the same shall be liable to be
washed into such surface water, either by tide action or by storm, floods or otherwise, which could
cause water pollution in the water body;
b) discharging, injecting or allowing to seep into the soil or sub-soil any substance in any form that
would pollute groundwater. In the case of geothermal projects, and subject to the approval of the
Department, regulated discharge for short-term activities (e.g. well testing, flushing,
commissioning, venting) and deep re-injection of geothermal fluids may be allowed; provided, that
safety measures are adopted to prevent the contamination of the groundwater;
c) facilities that discharge regulated water pollutants without the valid required discharge permit
pursuant to Sec. 25 hereof or after the permit was revoked for any violation of any condition therein;
d) non-compliance of the LGU with the Water Quality Management Action Plan. In such a case,
sanctions shall be imposed on the local government officials concerned; or
d) direct use of booster pumps in the distribution system or tampering with the water supply in such a
way as to alter or impair the water quality.
Provided, that occupation or settlement in areas along water supply lines that were acquired as right of
way by the MWSS and other water distributor entities is likewise prohibited subject to civil liabilities
imposed under existing laws.
SEC. 41. Fines, Damages and Penalties. Ð Unless otherwise provided herein, any person who
commits any of the prohibited acts provided in the immediately preceding Section or violates any of
the provision of this Act or its implementing rules and regulations, shall be fined by the PAB in the
amount not more than one hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) for every day of violation.
For purposes of the application of the fines, the PAB shall prepare a fine rating system to adjust the
maximum fine based on the degree of willfulness, degree of negligence, history of non-compliance,
degree of recalcitrance and violatorÕs ability to pay.
The fines herein prescribed shall be increased by ten percent (10%) every three (3) years to
compensate for inflation and to maintain the deterrent function of such fines.
Provided, that the PAB may order the closure, suspension of development or construction, or
cessation of operations or, where appropriate disconnection of water supply, until such time that
proper environmental safeguards are put in place and/or compliance with the Act or its rules and
regulations are undertaken. This paragraph shall be without prejudice to the issuance of an ex parte
order for such closure, suspension of development or construction, or cessation of operations during
the pendency of the case.
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Provided, further, that if the water bodies require clean-up and rehabilitation, the offender shall also be
required to restore or compensate for the restoration of the area. The PAB may also award such
damages as it may deem just under the circumstances in favor of the private complainant in the
pollution case.
In case of gross violation of this Act, the PAB shall issue a resolution recommending that the proper
government agencies file criminal charges against the violators. Gross violation shall mean any of the
following:
a. deliberate discharge of toxic pollutants identified pursuant to R.A. 6969;
b. ten (10) or more violations within a period of twenty-four (24) months; or
c. blatant disregard of the orders of the PAB, such as the non-payment of fines, breaking of seals
or operating despite the existence of an order for closure, discontinuance or cessation of
operation, or unjustified refusal for the entry or access to any premises of an authorized
Department representative.
In which case, offenders shall be punished a fine of not less than One million pesos (P1,000,000.00)
but not more than Five million pesos (P5,000,000,000.00) and/or with imprisonment of not less than
six (6) years but not more than ten (10) years at the discretion of the court. If the offender is a juridical
person, the president and the pollution control officer or the environmental management
representative (EMR) shall suffer the penalty herein provided. The decision of the PAB shall be final
and executory.
Provided, finally, that water pollution cases involving acts or omissions committed within the Laguna
Lake region shall be dealt with in accordance with R.A. No. 4850 as amended.
SEC. 42. Administrative Sanctions Against Non-compliance with the Water Quality Management Area
Action Plan Ð Local government officials concerned shall be subject to administrative sanctions in
case of failure to comply with their action plan in accordance with the relevant provisions of R.A. No.
7160.
CHAPTER 7
ACTIONS
SEC. 43. Administrative Action Ð Without prejudice to the right of any affected person to file an
administrative action, the Department shall, on its own instance or upon verified complaint by any
person, institute administrative proceedings in the proper forum against any person who violates:
a.
b.
standards or limitations provided by this Act; or
any such order, rule or regulation issued by the Department with respect to such standard or
limitation.
SEC. 44. Citizen's Suit. Ð For purposes of enforcing the provisions of this Act or its implementing rules
and regulations, any citizen may file an appropriate civil, criminal or administrative action in the proper
forum against:
a. any person who violates or fails to comply with the provisions of this Act or its implementing
rules and regulations; or
b. the Department or other agency with respect to orders, rules and regulations issued
73
inconsistent with this Act;
c. the Department or other agency with respect to the non-promulgation of relevant orders, rules
and regulations pursuant to this Act; and/or
d. any public officer for willful and gross neglect of the performance of an act specifically enjoined
as a duty by this Act or its implementing rules and regulations; or abuses his authority in the
performance of his duty.
Provided, however, that the public officer shall be given a thirty day (30) notice within which to take
appropriate action before the complaint shall be given due course.
The Court shall exempt such action from the payment of filing fees, except fees for actions not capable
of pecuniary estimation, and shall, likewise, upon prima facie showing of the truth or commission of the
act complained of, exempt the plaintiff from the posting of an injunction bond for the issuance of a
preliminary injunction.
Within thirty (30) days from the filing of the complaint, the Court shall make a determination if the
complaint herein is malicious and/or baseless and shall accordingly dismiss the action and award
attorneyÕs fees and damages.
SEC. 45. Independence of Action Ð The filing of an administrative action against any person or entity
does not preclude the right of any other person to file any criminal or civil action. Such actions shall
proceed independently.
SEC. 46. Suits and Strategic Legal Actions Against Public Participation and the Enforcement of this
Act Ð Where a suit is brought against a person who filed an action as provided in Section 44 of this
Act, or against any person, institution or government agency that implements this Act, it shall be the
duty of the investigating prosecutor or the court, as the case may be, to immediately make a
determination not exceeding thirty (30) days whether said legal action has been filed to harass, vex,
exert undue pressure or stifle such legal recourses of the person complaining of or enforcing the
provisions of this Act. Upon determination thereof, evidence warranting the same, the court shall
dismiss the case and award attorneyÕs fees and double damages.
This provision shall also apply and benefit public officers who are sued for acts committed in their
official capacity, there being no grave abuse of authority, and done in the course of enforcing this Act.
SEC. 47. Lien Upon Personal and Immovable Properties of Violators. - Fines and penalties imposed
pursuant to this Act shall be liens upon personal and immovable properties of the violator. Such lien
shall, in case of insolvency of the respondent violator, enjoy preference subsequent to laborer's wages
under Article 2241 and 2242 of Republic Act No. 386, otherwise known as the New Civil Code of the
Philippines.
CHAPTER 8
FINAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 48. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. Ð There is hereby created a joint congressional
oversight committee to monitor the implementation of this Act and to review the implementing rules
and regulations promulgated by the Department. The committee shall be composed of five (5)
senators and five (5) representatives to be appointed by the Senate President and the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, respectively. The oversight committee shall be co-chaired by a senator and
a representative designated by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of
74
Representatives, respectively.
The mandate given to the joint congressional oversight committee under this Act shall be without
prejudice to the performance of the duties and functions by the respective existing oversight
committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
SEC. 49. Appropriations. - The Secretaries of Environment and Natural Resources, Science and
Technology and Public Works and Highways shall immediately include in the DepartmentsÕ programs
the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.
SEC. 50. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Ð The Department, in coordination with the
Committees on Environment and Ecology of the Senate and the House of Representatives,
respectively and other concerned agencies and sectors, shall promulgate the implementing rules and
regulations for this Act, within one (1) year after the enactment of this Act: Provided, that rules and
regulations issued by other government agencies and instrumentalities for the prevention and/or
abatement of water pollution not inconsistent with this Act shall supplement the rules and regulations
issued by the Department, pursuant to the provisions of this Act.
The draft of the implementing rules and regulations shall be published and be the subject of public
consultations with affected sectors.
There shall be a mandatory review of the implementing rules and regulations and standards set
pursuant to the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 51. Transitory Provision. Ð Pending the establishment of the framework under Sec. 6 hereof,
plans under Sec. 7 and promulgation of the implementing rules and regulations under Sec. 49 of this
Act, Department Order Nos. 34 and 35, and Memorandum Circular No. 2000-03, and other regulations
on water pollution shall be enforced. Provided, that the Environmental Users Fee System as enforced
by the LLDA shall be applicable only to the LLDA area.
SEC. 52. Repealing clause. - Presidential Decree No. 984 is hereby repealed. Republic Act Nos. 6969
and 4850 as amended, Presidential Decree Nos. 1586, 1152 and 856 are partly modified. All other
laws, orders, issuance, rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
SEC. 53. Separability of Clause. - If any provision of this Act or the application of such provision to any
person or circumstances is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act or the application of
such provision to other person or circumstances shall not be affected by such declaration.
SEC. 54. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,
75
Quality of Ground and Surface Waters, and Pollution
and Subsidence of Our Water Tables
By:
Fr. Hermann Vann Engelen, SVD
Director, Water Resources Center-University of San Carlos
Ladies and Gentlemen, today we have in one hour to cover much material, so I will try
to be short and direct.
There are problems with our drinking water supply. In some places, the problems have
reached a critical level. Luckily, not everybody realizes how critical the situation is, so
we can still act rationally.
People need potable water 24/7 as information technology people formulate it. Simply
stated: “We need water 24 hours a day, and seven days a week." Technically speaking:
a certain volume of good quality water must be always available.
In our country, we receive on the average some 1.8m of good quality rain water – on a
yearly basis. Although nature takes 50% back for its own purpose and people cannot
retrieve the rest with 100% efficiency, Cebu Island could supply 30 million people.
Imagine on Cebu, 10 people for every person you see there today. Long before we
reach 30 million, people have been pushing people off this island; you can count on
that. The quality of rain water is excellent. Thus, when there are problems, then they
are related to the availability. Or they are caused by man-made pollution. The third
item (volume) is beyond our powers; volume depends on area and rainfall.
The availability.
In our climate, we seldom experience a steady rain. Rain nearly always comes in
showers. In this way, we have twice as much rain and twice the hours of sunshine than
in Europe. We even have a dry season, very much expressed in Ilocos, not so extreme
anymore. But, according to our memory, the river that we had known from our
childhood, we always had water. With such irregular rain, how is it possible that the
river always had water? The answer is simple. Nature had draped a spongy layer over
our hills and mountains. That porous material quickly absorbed much water and very
slowly released it again. So the river had water, even days or weeks after the last rain.
We know the absorbing layer and we even may have seen it: loose soil covered with
thick forest.
76
What part of the absorbing layer is responsible for that availability of water, the tree or
the soil?
For lack of time, I give you the answer straight. The soil is essential. The tree keeps
the soil in place. Keeping the soil may be done without trees. Hydrometry has shown
us that water in the soil (that is, ground water) moves a few meters per day, while rivers
(surface water) flow with about one kilometer per hour. In conversational language, we
say that in Cebu, the rainwater is in less than one day back in the sea unless it goes to
the underground. When underground, it takes a year or more to reach the soil. We
may say that ground water is available, certainly when compared with surface water.
We measured in Cebu, on one spot, an extremely low level of the water table in 1998
(after a bad El Nino in 1997), but in December 2001, we were back at the level of 1980!
The theory behind the numbers is the warehouse theory of the soft drink bottlers: make
your storage large enough so that you can clean or repair the factory on Saturday and
have a free Sunday.
Groundwater is our storage for the dry season. This storage is made and maintained by
nature.
Its proximity? Cebu Island contains enough water to supply 7 million people a whole
year long, even without a drop of rain. The reason is that it has such an enormous
area, that natural storage reservoir.
At this point, I got lost. I was invited by the DENR (that is clear to me) and PATLEPAM
(what apparently stands for Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational
Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management). I understand that one
searches for an abbreviation of such long name of the association. But the abbreviation
contains only one E. What is left out: education or environment? Please? It is
important for me to know. Perhaps, I solve the problem by pronouncing the
abbreviation as “patlEEpam’.
Why is it so important? Simply, because my statement about groundwater is based on
actual hydrometry that is a part of hydrology. Hydrology is the science of water in the
environment and hydrometry is the observation (measurement) of water in the
environment. To understand hydrology, one has to practice hydrometry. This is the
education part. And once we know, we may conclude that we have to protect the
environment against abuse. And so we have Education and Environment.
Thus ‘PATLEPAM’, education and environment. That means that you and I speak the
same language. These are no hollow words. In 1975, USC started the foundation. In
2003, the USC department opened a Master of Science course, specializing in
hydrology. The Chemical Engineering Master course is running already and specializes
in waste water treatment.
We are able to destroy our storage. I give two common examples.
77
One is about wells close to the sea.
The meaning of “close” pertains to the location. It can be any distance up to several
kilometers. When water is extracted, the water level in the well is lowered so that new
water flows to the well. The sea has plenty of water. Thus the sea can be very
generous. So when one pumps more water than the inland side can supply, the sea will
supply. There is one very big problem: it may take ages to flush out that seawater. In
Cebu, hundreds of wells had to be abandoned already. The Water District lost a dozen
wells in the 1960s. Last year, it lost the first of its new wells. It cannot drill wells any
farther inland. You understand the consequence.
Another is about sand and gravel digging.
Sand and gravel is needed for construction. Sand and gravel can be taken from the
hillsides. The quality of hillside quarries can be better controlled: riverbed sand and
gravel is a mixture of all geologic formations that are found upstream. Some contain
30% rotten mudstone. Environmentally, the damage, caused by quarrying, can be
limited to the few hectares of the quarry. And the restoration can be done so that
environmentally, no permanent damage remains.
Digging sand and gravel from the riverbed seems simple. But the slope of the riverbed
has been established by the river over a period of 10,000 or 100,000 years. It is the
result of a dynamic equilibrium. Disturb this equilibrium in one location and the level of
the riverbed is lowered over its full length, both downstream and upstream of the
digging. Groundwater at both sides of the river finds its way to the sea. When the
riverbed is lowered, groundwater is drained to the river and in a short time lost in the
sea.
You say digging sand and gravel in the river is cheaper than quarrying it from the hillside? In
Cebu, the over-diggers permanently drain a natural reservoir of several millions cubic meters.
They destroyed a bridge and drowned the people. Now Cebu has to build a dam; it has rebuilt
the bridge; it can only mourn the dead. Costs? 6 to 7 billion pesos plus lives.
The conclusion of today’s presentation:
-
-
-
acquire a deeper understanding of what nature is doing; concentrate
eventually on potable water, because we need it, or concentrate on waster
water, because we produce it.
use the deeper understanding to assist the people out there to control erosion
by sustainable agriculture or forestry.
critically monitor your own work to learn from your mistakes (conserve the
data and consolidate the reports after 5 to 10 years. Very interesting
experience!)
78
About the Author. The author, a Dutch missionary priest, finished the standard college
philosophy and theology course in the Netherlands. After ordination, he received an
assignment as high school teacher in Belgium. It was also in Belgium (at a Catholic
University of Leuven) where he finished an eight-year college course in Physics with a
Doctor of Sciences. As a faculty of the University of San Carlos since 1964, he was
engaged in Graduate Physics teaching and in research on the acoustics of buildings. In
1975, potable water, from rain to faucet, became the focus of his work. At present he is
the director of the Water Resources Center (WRC) of the University of Carlos, Cebu.
WRC is a research unit that practices Integrated Water Resources Management.
79
DEGRADATION OF WATER SOURCES 3
Guillermo Q. Tabios III 4
INTRODUCTION
Degradation of water sources refers to degradation of quantity of water as well as quality
of water. The sources could be atmospheric (rain) water, surface water or groundwater. This
paper discusses the causes and mechanisms of degradation of water quantity and quality of
surface water and groundwater. Water source from atmospheric water (e.g., direct rain
harvesting) is usually not degraded in general compared to surface water and groundwater. The
causes and mechanisms of water sources degradation discussed below are the following:
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
logging of forest
kaingin (slash and burn) farming
mining activities
transportation routes
accidental leaks or spills of chemicals
cattle grazing, piggery and poultry farming
pesticide and fertilizers from agricultural lands
human settlements and sewage disposal systems
garbage open dumpsite and sanitary landfills
underground storage tanks
salinity intrusion into coastal aquifers
recreation in stream and lake areas
At the end of this paper, some general remarks to protect water sources are given.
CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF WATER SOURCES DEGRADATION
3
Paper presented at the 7th National Educators= Assembly in Environmental Protection
and Management, EMB-DENR and Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational
Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management, Cagayan de Oro City, October 10-11,
2002.
4
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Research Fellow of the National
Hydraulic Research Center, University of the Philippines,Diliman,Quezon City.
(email:gtabios@up.edu.ph)
80
Logging of Forest
Logging of forest and subsequent denudation of the forest cover increases surface runoff
since there is less opportunity for rainwater to infiltrate into the ground. Retarded or suppressed
infiltration accelerates overland flow production, hastening delivery of rainwater into streams
and rivers, and oftentimes water end up as floodwaters into the oceans especially for an
archipelagic country like the Philippines. Although surface water is a significant water source,
the quality of water from denudated forest become highly turbid and silted as it picks ample
amounts of sediments as it undergoes through overland flow and sediment-laden channel flow.
Forest denudation also deprives recharge of groundwater aquifers since there is less
opportunity for water to linger in the ground surface to infiltrate according to the infiltration
capacity of the soil. The availability of groundwater as a resource is therefore degraded from a
quantity point of view. In fact, the groundwater aquifer in the sense of being a natural filtration
device is likewise degraded as a source of good quality water.
There are secondary factors in logging activities that can degrade water sources. The
construction of roads in logging areas can cause sediment production from earthwork and the
movement of sediments into water sources especially surface waters. Logging also modifies the
terrain and soil conditions that may cause landslides in the worst case and soil erosion in the least
case, thus another opportunity for sediment production.
Kaingin (Slash and Burn) Farming
The kaingin farming practice refers to burning and clearing (by slashing) of wild shrubs
or trees to give way to crop farming in the upland, forest area. The clearing of the area likewise
promotes soil erosion and thus sediment production due to lost forest or vegetal cover especially
in hilly, steep slope areas. Sediments and debris of burned plants or trees could reach surface
waters causing turbidity.
When these areas are planted with crops, soil erosion can stop if not minimized.
Unfortunately, a lot of kaingin farmers do not necessary own these lands so only during planting
season they come and randomly select areas to farm. A previously kaingin farmed area may be
permanently abandoned so it does not recover easily from vegetal or forest denudation.
81
Typical slash and burn farming on hilly, steep slopes. (from Reed, 2002)
Mining Activities
Mining involves the movement of large amounts of earth, soil or rocks; the release of
acids, heavy metals or other chemicals being mined or incidentally mined; the use and handling
of chemicals in the mining process; and, the use of large quantities of water in the mining
operations and subsequent return or recycling of these wastewater to water sources. Improper
mining operations and management can have potential risks to water quality degradation. For
instance, the movement of large amounts of soils increase sediment production that can reach
streams and rivers and thus causing turbidity in water sources. The release of chemicals
especially acids and heavy metals, and such mine tailings reach the water source, can render the
water resource totally undrinkable.
82
River valley filled with mine tailing after a containment failure, Philippines (from Pickup, 2002)
Calancan Bay with tailings from Marinduque Mining Corporation (from ENS, 2001)
Transportation Routes
The most common water source degradation factor due to roads and vehicular movement
is the production of sediments (dust or large particles). These sediment materials when they
reach surface water sources or groundwater aquifer causes turbidity in the water. Fuel or oil
leaks from vehicles that are eventually washed by runoff into water sources are also major causes
of water quality degradation.
83
Contaminants released from vehicles also include trace metals and vehicle emissions.
Trace metals include lead, copper, zinc and manganese. Roadways along streams and lakes are
essentially sinks to these trace metals and they pose potential risks to the health of fishing
resources.
Vehicle emissions release gases and particulates containing compounds of nitrogen and
sulphur that could settle in the ground surface as dust or through acid rain or precipitation. Acid
rain in particular could directly fall in surface waters or could percolate into the groundwater
aquifer and gradually acidify the groundwater.
On the degradation of water quantity, asphalt or concrete roads which
are covering of impervious materials entirely changes the absorptive
ability of water into the ground surface where it is filtered and
recharged to aquifers. Even the presence of ditches alongside roads
alter the natural way of disposing floodwaters by collecting and
channeling these waters directly into surface waters thus bypassing or
skipping nature’s way of cleansing and breakdown of contaminants
especially when it goes to groundwater flow.
Typical roadway besides a large water body (from Reed, 2002)
Accidental Leaks or Spills of Chemicals
Accidental leaks or spills of large amounts of chemicals into the ground can either reach
surface water sources or groundwater aquifers. This could be a one time, point source chemical
spill but can be extremely hazardous and toxic. This accidental spills may be due to trucks
overturning in a highway or derailment of trains in a railway, carrying hazardous materials. This
is distinguished from small-scale, occasional fuel or oil leaks from inadequately maintained
vehicles regularly traveling in the highways.
84
Since hazardous materials can indeed be toxic, even small amounts of spills can have
lasting and widespread effects. Spills of hazardous material especially into groundwater aquifer
can be very damaging since it would be difficult to clean or remedy the groundwater resource.
The cleanup could take several years and clean-up costs could be very high.
Cattle Grazing, Piggery and Poultry Farming
Cattle grazing in particular if not properly managed can degrade the quality of water
sources with the release of parasites and harmful bacteria from animal manure. Grazing can also
promote sediment production through disturbance of soil and subsequent movement and washing
of these sediments into the streams by overland flows.
Cattle grazing must be located far away from streams to prevent damaging of stream
banks and stream beds. Ideally, cattle grazing must be confined in dry upland, non-riparian
areas. Unfortunately, cattles prefer riparian areas where they can drink and cool down, thus this
poses a more serious threat to water quality. The movement of bacteria and parasites really
depends on whether the cattle is allowed near the stream or into the stream, unless they are
carried by overland flows. The vegetal cover can sometimes provide a barrier to movement of
these bacteria or parasites.
If disposal of animal wastes from piggery and poultry farms is not properly managed, the
bacteria and parasites from these wastes can also find its way into water sources. There are city
or municipal zoning ordinances to locate these farms to minimize the risk of water sources from
being contaminated from piggery and poultry wastes. However, there are still a lot of instances
in the Philippines where these ordinances are not observed thus you can find farms that are
located near water sources thus the danger of being contaminated.
Groundwater aquifers are equally vulnerable to degradation or contamination from cattle
grazing, piggery and poultry farms like surface waters. However, the slow movement of
groundwater through the soils may reduce or attenuate the harmfulness or toxicity of bacteria and
parasites. This is because the groundwater serves as a natural filtration system whereby wastes
may undergo biological transformation in the process as well as the soils can sorb or assimilate
some of these wastes. There is no assurance however in the effectiveness of this filtration
process so that the danger of contaminating and degrading the quality of the groundwater source
is not eliminated.
85
Piggery farm right beside a stream (from Reed, 2002)
Pesticide and Fertilizers From Agricultural Lands
Pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural drainage can find its way to surface waters and
groundwaters. Pesticides or herbicides in particular can have long-term effects on the quality of
these water and definitely a serious threat to the health of humans and animals. On the other
hand, fertilizers and other nutrient loadings when they exceed the absorptive capacity of plants
and also the soils can drain into surface water and groundwater. The excess nutrients especially
nitrates and phosphorus can be conducive to algal growth in surface waters and even to
groundwaters. The presence of algae in water supplies is undesirable which affect taste, color
and odor.
86
Pesticide applied on cabbage crops which has taken toll on adjacent river (from Broad and Cavanagh, 1993)
Human Settlements and Sewage Disposal Systems
Generally, the presence of human settlements and human activities has potential and
damaging impacts on water source areas. Impacts of urbanization such as development of
subdivisions and commercial centers can alter natural waterways and recharge areas and rates of
aquifers by construction of roadways or pavements thus degrading the quantity of water supplies.
Human wastes from bathroom, garbage and sewerage is directly proportional to human
population or settlements. These wastes can be safely disposed through municipal sewage
treatment plants or on-site sewage disposal systems, especially septic tanks.
The disposal of treated waste from municipal sewage treatment plants if not properly
planned and controlled can ruin the drinking water supplies.
Septic tanks contain concentrated amounts of harmful pathogens and
other organic chemicals. Leachate from faulty or leaky septic tanks
could seep into the groundwater aquifer and seriously contaminate
the groundwater supply. A one-time leak from a septic tank could be
more than enough to pose serious health threat to groundwater users.
87
Squatter settlement in makeshift homes that lack both running water and sewers (from Reed, 2002)
Garbage Open Dumpsite and Sanitary Landfills
Municipal garbage may be disposed in open dumpsites or landfills. Open dumpsites are
typically unlined, open areas to simply dump garbage. In contrast, sanitary landfills are lined so
that its bottom bed is relatively impervious. Garbage dumps can contain harmful pathogens,
chemicals and other toxic materials so that leakage of leachate could seriously ruin water
supplies. Open dumpsites in particular when located near water bodies could easily contaminate
water sources through surface runoff and groundwater flow. There is lesser risk of leachate
escaping from sanitary landfills because of bed linings normally made of clay layer or
geotextiles.
88
Raw waste that ending up in a river (from Reed, 2002)
Underground Storage Tanks
Underground storage tanks made from metal or steel has been commonly used to store
gasoline in the past. However, with age and corrosion, a lot of these storage tanks leak thus
releasing gasoline that can seep through the groundwater aquifer. In urban areas such as Metro
Manila, there are so many reported cases of leaking underground storage tanks that have been
installed in the 1950's and 1960's. Underground storage tanks may have a life of 20 to 30 years
so that they can be corroded and leaking after this useful life. Clean-up of groundwaters
contaminated with gasoline is fairly difficult and expensive.
Salinity Intrusion into Coastal Aquifers
Excessive pumping of groundwater supplies near the coastal areas can lead to salinity
intrusion into the groundwater aquifer. Saline waters contain chlorides and other minerals that
can render the water unfit for human consumption. Treatment of saline water is prohibitively
costly and require a major investment. Salinity intrusion of coastal aquifers is not only
degradation of water quantity but quality as well.
89
land surface
groundwater table
sea
freshwater
seabed
freshwatersaline water
interface
saline water
freshwater over freshwater-saline
water interface
Case with no salinity intrusion.
land surface
groundwater table way below
due to overpumping
sea
freshwater-saline
water interface
(way inland)
freshwater
seabed
saline water
freshwater-saline water interface
way inland due to groundwater overpumping
Case with salinity intrusion.
Recreation In Stream and Lake Areas
Outdoor recreation especially near centers of population or urban areas can degrade water
sources associated to such stream or lake areas. The significant causes of degradation of water
quality due to recreation are associated to roads (in land areas) and use of motorized recreation
vehicles (in water areas). The presence of roads can cause dust and soil erosion that can possibly
find its way to stream and lake areas thus increasing turbidity. The use of motorized vehicles in
water poses risk of fuel and oil spills directly into the water source. Bacteria or parasites from
90
humans that may be released by swimming or windsurfing is almost unimportant except in rare
cases.
GENERAL REMARKS ON PROTECTING WATER SOURCES
There are several tools that are available today to protect and ensure clean water sources.
Some of the key tools are the following:
$
$
$
$
$
regulatory tools
non-regulatory tools and education
economic incentives
water resource stewardship
research and monitoring
A brief explanation on how the above tools can be used to protect water sources and
achieve our clean water goals are given below.
Regulatory Tools
The national and local governments have powers to protect water resources through
regulations or ordinances. Regulations and ordinances related to protect water sources include:
1) zoning ordinances to direct land uses such as limiting radius where piggery farm can be
located and to declare and protect groundwater recharge areas from development; 2) regulations
on use and disposal of toxic materials including paints and used oils; 3) environmental fees
impose on developers or industries for impacts of their projects on water sources; and, 4) water
quality standards requirements. The Philippines may have adequate laws and legislations but
proper implementing rules and regulations are needed. Also, what is important is the ability of
government agencies to be able to implement these rules and regulations.
Non-Regulatory Tools and Education
There are various non-regulatory measures or tools that are effective as well to protect
water resources. The government can for instance purchase lands to protect environmentally
sensitive lands such as groundwater recharge areas, coordinate transportation planners to build
roads that do not pollute water bodies from vehicle emissions, creation of greenways such as
planting of native vegetation along riverbanks, and to provide safety disposal of used oils, paints
and toxic chemicals.
Education through schools, mass media, advocacy and information exchange networks is
needed for everyone to know the existing laws and regulations as well as the science, technology
and practice on how to protect, conserve and ensure clean water resources. Well informed and
knowledgeable citizens, especially government officials can make better decisions related to the
protection, conservation and utilization of water resources.
91
Economic Incentives
Water has a significant economic value and must be viewed as a commodity. The
economy is in fact strongly dependent on water to support crop and livestock production in
agriculture, fish production in fisheries, manufacturing of goods from textile to car industries,
wafer and chip making in the silicon or electronic industries, and the ever increasing water needs
of commercial complexes such as shopping malls, parks and resorts. These water uses should be
more-than-enough economic incentive to protect water sources. It may noted also that it is
actually cheaper to maintain clean water rather than to clean up polluted water.
Natural Resource Stewardship
Over half of the Philippines land area is utilized for agriculture, mining, forestry and
industrial production. The precipitation that falls in these lands and into rivers, lakes and
groundwater aquifers are modified in quantity or quality depending on the man-made activities
in these lands. Thus proper management and utilization of these croplands, forests and
rangelands is key to protecting the water resources. In order to accomplish this, the farmers,
loggers and ranchers must play the role of natural resource stewards realizing that there
livelihood and well-being strongly depends on the proper management and protection of water
resources.
Research and Monitoring
Technological advances in protecting water sources are derived from research. Local and
foreign universities and research institutes may already have a catalog of prescriptions and
solutions to various problems in water management. However, specific research investigations
may still be needed to address local problems and concerns.
Data monitoring is either for research purposes or for regulation. For research
needs, monitoring may be conducted on project or periodic basis depending on budget
available. On the other hand, monitoring for regulation is for purposes of surveillance and
detection of polluters or violators of water standards. This may require continuous
monitoring since pollution violations may be easily settled by paying the penalty fees and
there is no assurance that polluters will not repeat violating the water standards. In the
Philippines, the lack of budget of government agencies to properly monitor water quality
from agricultural and industrial wastes has oftentimes prevented these agencies from
effectively performing their regulatory functions.
Acknowledgment: The author thanks the Environmental Management Bureau of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources as well as the Philippine Association of
Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management for
this opportunity.
REFERENCES
92
Broad, R. and Cavanagh, J., 1993, Plundering paradise,: the struggle for the environment in
the Philippines, University of California Press, Berkeley.
Environment News Service, 2001, International ban on submarine mine tailings disposal
urged, May.
Pickup, G. ,2002, The Other Extreme, Dryland Rivers, Website: www.abdn.ac.uk.
National Association of Counties, 2001, Protecting Water Resources: Local Government
Roles and Options for the Rocky Mountains and Northern Great Plains, Washington,
DC.
Reed, Robert, 2002, Images of Southeast Asia, In Geo-Images Project, Website:
www.geoimages.berkeley.edu.
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USDAUSEPA), 2002, Clean Water Action Plan, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2002, Cleaner Water through
Conservation, U.S. Government
93
ANNEX 5
Selected Photographs/
PATLEPAM Annual
Report/Tally of Evaluation
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
PATLEPAM’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2002
The second year of the two-year administration of PATLEPAM Board of Directors
(BOD) Chair Dr. Ruth Guzman formerly of the Isabela State University (ISU), who is
now with Rizal Technological University (RTU), is considered to be busy and actionoriented. Upon the assumption to duty of Dr. Guzman as RTU-Vice-President for
Research, Extension and Information Services, the two and a half months (August
to October 11, 2002) of Dr. Guzman’s term as chairperson of the PATLEPAM BOD
had been assumed by Dr. Edmundo Gumpal, dean of the College of Forestry and
Environmental Management of ISU. The PATLEPAM has conducted several joint
meetings-workshops with its BOD, Management Committee (ManCom) and
Regional Coordinating Centers (RCCs) all year round, notwithstanding the
simultaneous hosting of the RCCs in their own regional areas. This year-end
report presents major undertaking and projects for the year to include the following:
1.
Official representation of PATLEPAM through the EMB-DENR in seeking
participation and recommendation on the “phase-out of environmentunfriendly materials” which is included as one main components on the RA
9003’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR-DENR Administrative.
Order No. 2001-34) of Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act)
-
Specifically, Rule XII, Sections 1 to 4 of DENR Administrative Order
no. 2001-34 directed that the National Solid Waste Management
Commission, through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)/
Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) shall pursue activities on ecolabeling, environmentally- preferable purchasing, and reformulation
of standards on quality, to include environmental criteria.
-
Active participation of PATLEPAM through Dr. Roger Guzman, and
Dr. Crescencia Joaquin, on two Technical Working Groups on the
eco-labeling project on tissue paper and detergents (product and
packaging), respectively spearheaded by the Clean and Green
Foundation – a DTI/BPS- sanctioned program.
2.
Creation of a PATLEPAM “e-group” initiated by Mr. Felizardo Colambo of
the AMA Computer University with the following address Patlepam@yahoo
group.com
3.
Initiated discussions and presentation of the sets of training module
materials from the DTI-PRIME Project c/o Ms. Georgina Sison on “Industrial
Ecology” and Philippine Climate Change Mitigation Program-Department of
Energy c/o Mr. Rey Goco, in which the latter, proposed capacity-building
projects in the future with PATLEPAM.
4.
PATLEPAM, represented by Dr. Ruth Guzman participated in the
preparation and drafting of a “Communication and Education Plan ” for
Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act) at the
Century Imperial Place Suites last April 2002.
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5.
PATLEPAM Regional Coordinating Centers and member-institution,
conducted seminars on the Clean Air Act as follows, with the assistance of
the Environmental Management Bureau and the Public Affairs Office of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, under the Public
Awareness Component of the Metro Manila Air Quality Improvement Sector
Development Program:
5.1 Philippine Women’s University –last May 10, 2002, for around 70
universities and colleges in Metro Manila.
5.2 University of Philippines –Diliman – last May 28, 2002, for about 60
science and mathematics teachers in selected elementary and high schools
nationwide.
5.3 Mindanao State University –Iligan Institute of Technology, with the
DENR Region 10 Public Affairs Office last June 21, 2002, for around 100
participants from various sectors.
5.4 Rizal Technological University (RTU) – last September 26, 2002 for
about 250 participants (coming from vehicle operators and drivers, barangay
officials in and around Mandaluyong, and faculty members and
environmental engineering students of RTU).
6.
Participation of PATLEPAM to the Technical Working Group of the Project
ECO-CORPS – on the development of module for an environmental option
course proposed under the National Service Training Program law in lieu of
the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in the Civic Welfare Training
Service course.
-
PATLEPAM also serves as a signatory to a Memorandum of Agreement
of the Project ECO-CORPS between and among the DENR,
Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority, Department of National Defense, and
Department of Interior and Local Government, and PATELPAM memberinstitutions will serve as “pilot areas” for the course.
7.
Drafting and adoption of a new set of guidelines/criteria for establishing and
strengthening PATLEPAM RCCs. As a result, a new RCC in Region II with
ISU serving as the new RCC, was created.
8.
Attended the three-day Visayas and Mindanao Educators’ Training on
Environmental Management Systems /Pollution Prevention/Cleaner
Production sponsored by EMB-Industrial Initiatives for a Sustainable
Environment project held in Quantum Hotel, Cebu on August 27-29, 2002.
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9.
Completion of a nationwide contest on “Teaching for the Environment: Best
Lessons and Practices for Higher Education”, with winners adjudged as
follows:
FIRST PRIZE – Dela Salle University-Dasmarinas
(=P= 10,000.00)
SECOND PRIZE – Ateneo de Zamboanga
(=P= 8,000.00) - Ms. Rosario Espinosa
THIRD PRIZE – Central Luzon State University
(=P= 6,000.00) – Dr. Annie Melinda Alberto and Ms. Jane Guzman
The members of the Board of Judges for this contest were:



Dr. Lilia Rabago of UP Diliman College of Education (chair)
De. Amelia Biglete, Commission on Higher Education, Director for NCR
Ms. Victoria Segovia – Miriam College – Environmental Studies Institute,
Program Manager
10.
Expansion of PATLEPAM institutional membership for the year 2002.
11.
Collaboration with EMB-DENR and other support organizations like the
United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment
Programme-Bangkok in hosting the 7th Annual National Senior Educators’
Assembly in Environmental Protection and Management at the Country
Village Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City on October 10-11, 2002.
Eeid/7thassembly3.disk/patlepamchairpesonreport2002/berna
105
TALLY OF EVALUATION SHEETS’ RESULTS
OF THE 7th NATIONAL SENIOR EDUCATORS' ASSEMBLY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT
OCTOBER 10-11, 2002,
COUNTRY VILLAGE HOTEL, CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY
I.
TRAINING PROPER
1.Workshop duration
2. Program of Activities
Too Long
1
Too Many
Just Right
23
Just Right
Too Short
3
Insufficient
3. Training Objectives
6
No
18
Yes
-------Irrelevant
23
18
Relevant
-----Generally
Excellent
27
Generally
Satisfactory
3
To some
extent
4
9
Applicable
to Some
Extent
---Generally
Poor
1ST Speaker on Water Quality Status of
Surface Waters in the Philippines: Issues
and Concerns
3
23
1
2ND Speaker on Quality of Ground and
Surface Waters and Pollution and
Subsidence of our Water Tables
3
23
1
3RD Speaker on Water Sources'
Degradation
8
19
22
5
Irrelevant
Relevant
----
23
- Clearly presented
- Were they met?
4. Topics’ relevance to school and
profession
5. Delivery of Resource Persons
4TH Speaker on The Proposed Water Bill
6. Conduct of the Assembly
7. Educational Tour
8. Workshop
II.
23
25
Applicable
to Some
Extent
4
4
2
PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENTS
Poor
1. Venue
2. Training Facilities
3. Information kits and hand-outs
4. Food
5. Secretariat’s delivery of services
6. Accommodation
3
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Satisfactory
Excellent
17
18
10
12
12
10
19
18
15
15
12
12
III. OTHER COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS FROM THE RESPONDENTS

Speakers should be given enough time to lecture;
Serve more fish and fruits;
Have a break or open forum after every speaker;
Give more emphasis on the workshop;
Keep up the good work;
Congratulations! Thanks a lot!
Better time management;
Invite someone from National Water Resources Board;
Too many in a room (10);
Too many presentors in day.
Note : The aforecited results were based on the 27 evaluation sheets submitted to the
Secretariat during the training.
Eeid/tallycagayanevaluation/tinadisk2002-18/mcgaf
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