INTRODUCTION

In 2012, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in partnership with the United Nations
Development Program in the Philippines (UNDP) completed the rights-based sector planning in the initial
target municipalities in five regions thru the program entitled “Enhancing Access to and Provision of Water
Services with the Active Participation of the Poor.” As a result of this intervention, 36 municipalities were
provided with technical and advisory assistance in the development of their Municipal Water Supply and
Sanitation Master Plan (MWSSMP), where infrastructure and institutional investment requirements for
the provision of water supply and sanitation services on water supply and sanitation were identified.

In the documentation of program results conducted in 2013, it was reported that a number of the
recipient LGUs have utilized the plan in terms of expanding water supply coverage in their barangays
based on data gathered on potential water source and waterless areas that need to be prioritized. The
MWSSMP in the 36 municipalities were used as reference for the development of infrastructure projects
on water and sanitation under the Salintubig and BUB programs. Municipality of Urbiztondo was able to
source external funding for the construction of nine (3) water facilities in covering fourteen (14) barangays
identified as waterless in the MWSSMP.

In the same report, it was gathered that Local Chief Executives (LCEs) have renewed their priorities on
watsan, evident in their support for expansion of coverage and up-scaling. It has served as an eye opener
for many LCEs on the real and existing watsan situation of their locality. This enabled them to better plan
for watsan projects i.e. identify and prioritize areas where funds should be allocated for the development
and/or rehabilitation of water systems. These are manifested in the medium and long-term investment
targets established in the sector plans. Likewise, communities were also re-educated on the importance
of water and its proper use, the roles and responsibility as consumers and providers, and the need to
practice proper hygiene and sanitation thru the conduct of orientation-trainings, technical assessments
and consultations that involved not only LGU officials but also the community. It has also proven that the
development of the municipal sector plans can be replicated and scaled up in other municipalities through
the time-tested tools and approaches employed and the local capacities created, as a result of the
technical and advisory support provided during its development.

To ensure that local capacities are further developed and maximized for scaling-up and replication, the
regional watsan hubs organized during the MDGF 1919 program shall be trained by consultants engaged
in the MWSSMP project to facilitate in the training and mentoring of the LGUs. In the near future, given
their capacity and immense reach at the local level, it is expected that the regional water supply and
sanitation (watsan) hubs shall be the core provider of technical and advisory assistance not only for sector
planning and development, but also in other services relating to water supply and sanitation
management, operations, and capacity development.