Presentation to

Environment
Committee,
SP Lipa City
Ipat G. Luna
Save Lipa City Rivers
April 27, 2015

Freshwater Resources
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Habitat of 8400 known

species of fish, (40%)
are in freshwater
ecosystems (nearly
20% of all vertebrates)
Drinking water for over
6 billion people
In less than .01% of
the planets water

One gram of human feces can

contain

10,000,000 viruses
1,000,000 bacteria
1,000 parasite cysts
100 parasite eggs

58% of ground
water are
contaminated with
coliform

3 out 10 of illnesses
are caused by water
contamination like
cholera, SARS,
Typhoid fever, etc

Present Practice

Comfort
Room

Contaminated
Water
2-Chambered
Septic Tank
Digestive
Chamber

Leachate
Chamber

Leachate
Water Table

Deep well

Malarayat and you

Over

70% of our
bodies are made up
of water
Having grown up in
Lipa and drinking its
water, you may be
able to trace over half
you bodily constitution
to Mt. Malarayat and
Lipas riverbanks

Policy Background

This means the State

has to have a
volumetric return on
the resources it owns
that are taken
commercially.

Constitution Art 12 Sec. 4

provides for three types of
use
Direct exploitation by the State
Through joint, venture,
production sharing and coproduction with the State; and
Directly by small scale users.

Findings from Water Fora

Lipas

sources of groundwater include Mt.

Malarayat and the recharge areas in the
riverbanks of 4 major rivers
These drain into 4 water bodies: Taal and
Laguna lakes, Batangas Bay and Tayabas
Bay.
It was predicted in 2000 that if nothing is
done, there will not be enough water for
everyone in Lipa by 2020. Globally, the
prediction is 2025.

Watershed boundaries draw on satellite map

View Looking North

Superimposed on satellite image

Banahaw

Dalaga
Malepunyo
Macolod

Watershed Boundaries
and Mountain Features

There is enough water for everyone. The problem we face today is

largely one of governance: equitably sharing this water while
ensuring the sustainability of natural ecosystems. At this point
in time, we have not yet achieved this balance. "

The Water Code

All

water users require a water right except

for igib
NWRB issues these water rights but only
has over a hundred people for the entire
country
Heirarchy of uses (domestic use primary)
applied in instances of conflict

Philippines Strategy for Improved

Watershed Resources
Management (PSIWRM)
There should be a
demand-driven and
community-based approach involving two
parallel components:
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Firstly, one where the demand is determined by

national priorities and concerns.
Secondly, one in which the direct stakeholders can
articulate their needs and actively participate in the
conservation, planning, management and sustainable
utilization (for multiple purposes) of their local
watershed resources.

Policies on Land Ownership

and Access
Classification

of PUBLIC lands into 4:

forest, mineral, national park and
agricultural or A&D
Agricultural/A&D may be subject to private
ownership
If fraudulently titled (after est. of reserve or
with falsified documents), OSG files case
for cancellation proceedings

Policies on Land Ownership

and Access
If

tax declaration only, payments are not for the

land but for improvements only, not proof of
ownership
Claimants may still use the land through CBFM
and other tenure instruments over forest
Tax Declaration for the land MAY be used as
evidence of Open, Continuous, Exclusive and
Notorious occupation for 30 years PRIOR to
establishment of reserve and NAPOCOR
Jurisdiction but title has to be perfected in court

Policies on Land Ownership

and Access
Once

titled, still subject to zoning regulations in

local zoning ordinance
If zoning restriction constitutes a taking for
public use, expropriation proceedings possible
Other options for ensuring forest cover:
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Enforcement of easements (3 m. in urban, 20 m in

agricultural areas and 40 m in forest)
Purchasing development rights for annotation in
title
Environmental Impact Assessment system restrictions
Programs (adopt a mountain, barangay patrols, etc)

Clean Water Act

promotion of the use of

appropriate economic
instruments and control
mechanisms for the
protection of water
resources
Water quality management
areas
a comprehensive
management program for
water pollution focusing on
pollution prevention.

Top five issues to discuss

General

implementation strategy
WQMA, general institutional arrangements
Sewerage and septage management
Discharge permit and wastewater charge
system
Accountability of agencies and penalties
for violators

General implementation
strategy

Implementation (Rule 19)

National

water quality status report

Integrated water quality management
framework
10-year water quality management area
action plan
Tools: standards and guidelines,
classification of water bodies, groundwater
vulnerability map, etc.

WQMA and institutional

arrangements

WQMA (Rule 5)
Criteria

for establishment
Procedure for establishment, interim
WQMAs
Governing Board and Secretariat
Powers and functions
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Implementing the action plan by LGUs

Management of the Area Fund

Role of government agencies

DENR

as overall lead agency (S19)

DPWH leads sewerage and septage
management program (Rule 7)
DOH on sewage; DA on agricultural use of
wastewater
LWUA and water districts (Rule 7, 8)
Local governments

Sewerage & septage

management

Sewerage system (Rule 7,8)

Identifying

priorities
Covering infrastructure costs
Promoting inexpensive alternatives
Complementary activities [sanitation,
septage management]

Discharge permit and

wastewater charge

Discharge permit (Rule 14)

Specifies

quantity and quality of effluent

Basis for computation of the wastewater
fee

Wastewater charge system

(Rule 13)

Wastewater fee = fixed fee + load based fee

Standard fixed fee for all (P8,000 for 3 years)
Discharge fee variable based on net waste load (for now, only TSS
and BOD); paid annually in advance
Computation of net waste load based on the projected load
specified in the permit
Actual pollution load may vary (based on SMR); if proved, may
serve as basis for adjustment of fee for the following year.

Non-attainment areas (Sec. 6)

Designationl

scope plus pollutant(s)

Not necessariily corresponding to WQMA

Upgrading

Water Quality
LGUs contingency planning
No new sources for pollutant unless
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Existing source discharges reduced

Total pollution load meets targets
If so, LAER for new sources

Surcharges

Accountability and
penalties

Accountability of agencies
Actions
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Citizen suits to compel agency action?

Penalties
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for violations by LGUs

Sec. 29 sanctions for non-compliance with action plan

Sec. 27 (j) criminal liability

Accountability for
non-point sources
WQMA

GB function - measures
Categorization of non-point sources (19.9)
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Guidelines for agri and aquaculture by DENR,

DA, etc - no deadline
LGU ordinances to regulate sale and disposal,
erosion control

Penalties for violations

(Rule 28)
PAB

jurisdiction; administrative fines

Criminal liability: imprisonment and fines
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Elements of the crimes (Rule 27)

Clean
Civil

up (Sec. 15, 16)

Code on damages

Problems that CWA can

address
Future

liability due to poisoning

Costs for clean up of water source
Health problems
Waste water, domestic toxics
Finding who is responsible for what
Funding conservation and watershed
protection mechanisms, e.g. WQMA
Governing Board

Citizen monitoring

Why?
Motivating

sectors
to act require
relevant and
current information
provided to them
about matters that
affect what they eat
and drink

Industry shifts - organic piggeries:

Less pollution/odor, premium price

Incentives for ECOSAN - low cost,

small scale and biological clean
water systems

Wastewater system in Bayawa

City serving 700 households

Dry Toilet Systems

BADC Narra

The Dumaguete Model

WWTP
3.7M cost of construction
Converts 400-800 mg/l
BOD to 10-40 mg/l BOD
600 sq m land

Septage TP
Cost Recovery by
partnership : WD collects,
City treats sludge
2 hectares
6 deslludging trucks for
116,000 residents

WWTP

STP

Why wait?
Scarcity

breeds conflict
Regulation can prevent
scarcity or contamination
Just because we have not
had an incident does not
mean we wont have one
When the incident is felt, it
would already be too late
The real disaster is
contamination, once that
happens clean up will cost
hundreds of times more

Underground pipes
that would collect
outflow from different
sources
(e.g. floodwater,
domestic, industrial)

Outflow would go
through sequence
batch reactors on the
banks before
discharge to the river

Balintawak River as
Ecopark, batch
reactors under a bike
path or bridges

Balintawak River as
Ecopark with much of
the sides kept natural

Balintawak River as
Ecopark with aerators
in the river itself

In some river sectors,

gardens like this
maintained by the
community for food

Grow healthy food

Leafy

vegetables

Grains

Fruits

Vines

Roots

Legumes

flowers

That would attract birds and

pollinators

Recommended contents of
Sewage and septage ordinance
Septic

tank inspections and regular desludging

ordinance (required by district, service will be WD supplied)
Closure of all septic tanks that reach water table.
Incentives for ECOSAN - low cost, mini- and biological
clean water systems
City verification process for Sewage TP of new
establishments
Specific provisions on LGU role in Enforcement of the
sanitation code
Legislate Industry shifts, e.g. piggeries, building by
rivers, etc
Penalties for executive inaction

Requirements for
Budget Process for Tasks for
the Executive
Funds

for delimiting and marking ground

boundaries for aquifer recharge areas including
river banks and Mt. Malarayat Forest Reserve
WQMA and securing all documents from DENR
for PAB cases, EIA requirements
Implementation of ESWM RA 9003 beginning
with urgent segragated collection of
compostable and residual waste as well as
hazardous wastes
Oversight procedures

We cannot leave our rivers to

chance. We have to revive them
We

see our dead

rivers as opportunities
Population and
housing reform has a
huge impact on
access to water
resources
When we decide to
add trees, they can
only give new water
after 10 to 30 years