Originally Written: September 13, 2013
Cresencio and Clarita Canono of Lebanon village, Montevista municipality in Compostela Valley province spend most of their time “growing old together” in their contour farm. They are among the most vulnerable households affected by Typhoon Bopha who are, with support from CARE, trying to shift from many years of mono-cropping to diversified, sustainable farming that will contribute to making their livelihoods more resilient.
In late 2012, a region in southern Philippine rarely visited by tropical cyclones was devastated by Typhoon Bopha. Some 6.3 million people were affected, with about 217,000 families having their houses either partially damaged or completely destroyed. Direct damage to agriculture was estimated at EUR482 million. Many of the vulnerable populations most affected by Bopha are still recovering from the adverse effects of the typhoon. 
CARE has responded to the emergency by providing food, WASH services, shelter repair kits and NFIs to affected households in remote areas, which are home to indigenous peoples. At present, CARE is providing livelihood support and activity-linked cash transfers to help speed up the recovery of the most vulnerable households. As in previous responses to the disasters that frequently hit the Philippines, disaster risk reduction is incorporated in the response to Bopha. In providing the shelter repair kits, for example, information was also provided on how to rebuild houses that will be more resistant to typhoons. Those whose houses were in high-risk zones were also assisted to rebuild their houses in safer areas. CARE’s responses to Bopha have been supported by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO).
In helping households rebuild their livelihoods, relay cropping combined contour farming was introduced as a strategy to make livelihoods more resilient. Relay cropping is a form of multiple cropping that allows farmers to grow different crops of different maturation periods. Mono-cropping was extensive in the Bopha-affetced areas and has been pointed to as one of the factors for the magnitude of the disaster.
One of the benefits of relay cropping is that it allows for diet diversification of the household. It also includes growing disaster-resilient crops such as sweet potatoes and cassava. Relay cropping and contour farmingare also effective erosion control measures and are environmentally sustainable.
The vulnerable households targeted by CARE have already planted their relay crops and have established model contour farms. While waiting for their crops to mature, household members are going to participate in community-based trainings on sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and community-based disaster risk reduction that incorporates climate change adaptation and ecosystem management and restoration.
The strategy for more sustainable and resilient livelihoods has been embraced with enthusiasm by targeted beneficiaires. The elderly Canono couple are very proud of the contour farm they established on their own. They insisted on the monitoring team to see their farm during a recent ECHO monitoring mission. The Canonos are demonstrating to other community members that with correct motivation, making livelihoods more resilient is possible.
View and download a PDF version of this article here.
In 2016, the world generated approximately 2.01 billion tons of waste (World Bank, 2018), or the equivalent in weight of one billion average-size cars. In the Philippines, solid waste generation was estimated at 13.48 million tons in 2010 and is expected to reach 18.05 million tons by 2020 (DENR, 2018).
As populations grow, so will the amount of waste. Proper solid waste management (SWM), thus, is an urgent undertaking.
This is a critical issue in disaster-prone countries like the Philippines – ranked third most at-risk to disasters in the 2018 World Risk Index – and where poverty levels are high. This is because ecosystem degradation and disasters disproportionately affect the poor. They will also bear the brunt of climate change impacts, which may be aggravated by increased greenhouse gas emissions brought about by improper disposal of waste. In the context of waste management, they are “often unserved or have little influence on the waste being disposed of formally or informally near their homes” (World Bank, 2018). Many also work in the informal waste sector, relying on meager, volatile incomes, and exposed to unsafe working conditions.
However, urban poor communities and informal settler families are typically characterized as polluters and waste generators, citing their tendency to buy products in sachets, i.e., in smaller, cheaper quantities. These claims are made despite the fact that, around the world, consumption patterns point to higher spending capacity being positively correlated with higher waste generation. Still, they are usually seen as part of the problem. This study argues that they are also a vital part of the solution.
Good Practice:The Waste Warriors of Barangay Potrero
Barangay Potrero’s Waste Warriors is a good example of an SWM practice that supports the case for increased community participation.
Prior to 2015, Barangay Potrero’s solid waste was unsegregated, and collection was mostly uncoordinated and conducted only twice a week, using trucks that would pick up bags of trash discarded by residents by the side of the road. Because of this collection schedule, and because some roads are too narrow for the trucks to pass through and some areas are only accessible by foot, piles of garbage would often accumulate by the curbside.
It was only in 2015 that their SWM practice took on a more formal, structured process. The Waste Warriors is a group of waste collectors and waste monitors from the local community in Barangay Potrero, Malabon City, whose participation in SWM was made official by the barangay in 2015. Currently, it is composed of 40 waste collectors and 15 waste monitors. The group receives an allowance from the local government – PHP 120 a day for 3-4 hours of work, Mondays through Saturdays – and waste collectors get all the profits from selling the recyclables they collect – which can range from PHP 400 to PHP 2,000.
To date, Barangay Potrero’s compliance with R.A. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, is at 95%, according to Potrero Councilor Khate Nolasco. The barangay is a recognized leader in SWM, having won the Best in Solid Waste Management Award at the 2015 Barangay Power contest hosted by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). In the same year, Potrero also received the Gawad Kalasag Award for Best Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Committee from the Office of Civil Defense.
Findings: The Benefits of Engaging Communities in Solid Waste Management
By presenting the good practices of Barangay Potrero in the area of SWM, as embodied by the Waste Warriors, this study highlights how engaging, capacitating, and mobilizing local communities to participate in SWM benefits the environment, the individuals, and the community as a whole. This study found that several interrelated factors contributed to the success of Barangay Potrero’s SWM.
1. Their noteworthy SWM practice is a good illustration of what concerted, well-coordinated action between the government, civil society organizations, and communities can achieve. Because there was proper coordination, the process of managing the barangay’s solid waste became more efficient.
2. It shows that strong LGU support and prioritization is an important factor in the success of any program.
3. It highlights how enabling community participation in SWM creates a sense of ownership among community members, which in turn contributes to the sustainability of SWM programs and lets the barangay widen its reach as community members become advocates for proper SWM themselves.
4. It not only leads to improvements in environmental conditions but also improves the livelihoods and social positions of communities who have traditionally been excluded from formal programs and processes. This, in turn, makes their community a more just, inclusive, and resilient one overall.
Particularly for those who have been historically disadvantaged, the formalization of community members’ participation in SWM facilitates social inclusion, or the process of “improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society – improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity” (World Bank, 2018). The program does so by giving them improved livelihoods and thus better access to basic services, opportunities for participation and integration into the formal sector, and an overall higher chance of living a more dignified life. Community members get a sense of accomplishment and improved self-worth, and a sense that they have a voice in their community. Through the related capacity building opportunities, they also become more aware of their rights and are able to assert them, especiallywhen faced with discrimination.
Barangay Potrero’s approach is consistent with the principles of Integrated Risk Management (IRM). Because IRM stresses that people are a vital part of ecosystems, protecting the environment must also mean protecting people. In the area of SWM, as the case of Barangay Potrero shows, this could mean tapping and enriching local capacities and allowing for the formal participation of the most vulnerable. This not only ensures the protection of the environment but also increases the resilience of the community members individually and their community as a whole.
However, in the MBSDMP, there is scant mention of programs, activities, or projects that involve tapping and strengthening the capacities of local communities, particularly the urban poor and informal waste workers, or even of consultations with communities in order to arrive at problem definitions and solutions that are grounded in the reality of the targeted localities. But as the case of Barangay Potrero illustrates, there are many benefits to encouraging the participation of community members in SWM initiatives. Moreover, increased community participation in SWM respects the vital role that people play within ecosystems and recognizes them as a crucial part of the solution. Thus, this study argues that the MBSDMP would do well to draw from the good practices of Barangay Potrero and incorporate SWM programs that enable community participation and maximize their capacities.
View and download the full document here.
Story by CARE Philippines
Rose (24 years old) is a resident of Sapa, Barangay Panghulo, Malabon City. Her household is composed of eight individuals which include her five children, her mother, father, aunt who is a senior citizen. Her family’s main source of income is distributing and selling Sampaguita flower garlands.
Most members of her community lost their employment. Rose revealed that since most men in the community work at construction sites, all of them lost their jobs during the lockdown enforced by the government to control the pandemic. Women while primarily responsible for caring for the children, also sold Sampaguita garlands on the side to augment household incomes. Due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown, they were unable to sell the garlands and had no sustainable source of income.
“Bawal kasi talaga lumabas. Halimbawa, nakita ka ng barangay sa labas, huhulihin ka kaagad lalo na pag wala kang mask” (Rose, female, 24 years old, Malabon City)
“We were not allowed to go out at all. If the barangay officials see you outside of your house, they would arrest you immediately especially if you do not have a face mask.”(Rose, female, 24 years old, Malabon City)
Rose also mentioned that the quarantine protocols in their barangay are extremely strict. For each household, throughout the ECQ, only one person is allowed to go out and do errands. They did not have curfew hours since residents were not allowed to go out if they do not have a quarantine pass. If apprehended, curfew violators are taken to the barangay office. Rose also mentioned that those who guard and enforce quarantine protocols in their community are all men.
When asked whether they had access to face masks during the ECQ, Rose shared that they could not afford a box of face masks. It was too expensive, so they used cloths and handkerchiefs as an alternative for protective gear. She also mentioned that practicing social distancing was difficult and almost impossible for them since their house is small and all of them were forced to stay inside.
Rose shared that they received food aid four times during the lockdown. However, this was insufficient to meet the foods needs of the whole household. Most of the time they were eating only twice or once a day in order to make food supply last longer. As for the cash aid, she mentioned that there were a lot of households in the community that did not receive cash assistance even though they lost their jobs and applied for the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).
“Kulang po talaga ang binibigay ng barangay. Minsan sabi ko sa anak ko pag humihingi ng pagkain, inom na lang siya tubig para ma-survive ang gutom.” (Mary (Rose’s mother), female, 49 years-old, Malabon City)
“The food aid given by the barangay is insufficient. Sometimes when my children ask for food, I just tell them to drink lots of water so that they can endure their hunger and survive.” (Mary (rose’s mother) female, 49 years-old, Malabon City)
Since the implementation of General Community Quarantine (GCQ), Rose and her family were able to go back to selling and distributing Sampaguita garlands. However, it would take them 8 to 9 hours of walking every day since there is no public transportation. They also mentioned that as of now there is little profit from selling since the pandemic has caused the closure of many business establishments.
You may also read this story on the CARE Philippines website by clicking here.
In the third installment of the Move Up Project vlog series, let’s get to know more about the journey of the Community Savings Groups (CSGs) in Cebu City. In one of the project training sessions, some key members of the groups were able to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats which are crucial to their enterprises.
Through the said exercise, the groups were able to plan ahead the mitigating measures and how to maximize solutions available given the existing threats to their businesses’ success.
CSGs are the entry point of the project’s Resilient Livelihood intervention. Using this social group, capacity building activities are made to diversify their livelihood options and help the existing ones become more resilient and sustainable.
The MOVE UP Project is funded by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid and run by a consortium of Plan International Philippines, CARE Philippines, Action Against Hunger Philippines, and ACCORD Incorporated.
MOVE UP Philippines conducted a two-week seminar on Community-based Enterprise Development and Financial Literacy in Cebu City last January 20-24 and 24-27, 2020 which aimed to build the participants’ capacity for business management.
In attendance were 32 members of five different Community Savings Groups (CSGs) members from different sitios of Barangay Apas and Barangay Basak Pardo. All participants were small business owners and workers who are also members of barangay councils, sitio leaders, and active members of various women’s organizations.
This activity is very helpful to us because we were provided with useful ideas on how to manage a business, how to manage our finances, and how to prevent possible losses.
– Aiza Marie Gimpayan, CSG Member, Brgy. Apas, Cebu City
At the end of the sessions, the participants were asked to produce a comprehensive business plan for CSGs.
Check out the video to watch vlog number 2 of the MOVE UP Philippines Vlog Series.
Barangay La Flora in the municipality of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur is fully submerged in water three months out of every year. Farming activities are stalled until after the water subsides, and clean drinking water becomes scarce.
But a lot has changed in La Flora since then. They eventually found a clean water source, and with the aid of a cash-for-work program for indigenous people implemented by the DSWD, the laying of water hoses as part of the water system was completed in 10 days through the efforts of 68 people. Recognizing the link between water quality and the state of their environment, the project implementation also required the creation of a village-protected forest park.
“With the cooperation of various government agencies, NGOs, and the ‘Proud of My Purok’ Project, we were able to implement the whole project. The people became active [participants]. Whenever I call for a meeting or a village assembly, they diligently attend because they want to be informed. Before all this… not many would come,” says Romeo Otacan, La Flora barangay captain,
The projects of CARE and ACCORD in Talacogon covered La Flora, along with San Nicolas, Maharlika, Sabang Gibong, and Buena Gracia.
In 2013, Haiyan barreled across the Philippines and left destruction and massive loss on its path. Millions of people were affected, particularly poor communities, farmers, older persons, and persons with disabilities — those most vulnerable to extreme events such as Haiyan — and many have yet to fully recover and strengthen resilience.
Barangay Bayabas in the municipality of Dagami, Leyte, was almost flattened by strong winds. Apart from houses and structures, their livelihoods were wiped out as well.
But through humanitarian actions after Haiyan, followed by development projects, Barangay Bayabas was able to bounce back. Collective action played a big role: members of the community came together to form the Bayabas Farmers Association, which today has 64 members and four
different types of farms: communal, group, individual, and an organic learning farm. Members say their products are becoming popular.
Through these collaborative efforts, Barangay Bayabas is a community on its way to achieving a protected, diversified, and strengthened livelihood.
Disability inclusion is key in building truly inclusive and resilient communities. It requires addressing barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from engaging in community life, recognizing that these members can be active partners for meaningful change, and fostering an environment that empowers them to do just that.
In Dagami, Leyte, several locals with disabilities participated in ACCORD’s resilient livelihood program and ended up playing important roles in their communities.
Roger Ubaldo, 45 years old, a stroke survivor, had no other sources of livelihood after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed coconut trees. The different trainings on farming techniques and business management; however, helped him find alternative sources of income and he was eventually chosen to become their group’s sales distributor.
Adelaida Madalena Garsilaso, 50 years old, visually impaired since childhood, did not let her disability stop her from contributing to her community and is now a beloved teacher at Barangay Camono-an’s daycare center.
With their tenacity and strength of spirit, they broke barriers for themselves and helped their villages become more sensitive to the needs of persons with disabilities and their role in resilience building.
Disasters cause substantial losses not only in lives but also in livelihoods. Chronic disasters cause the adverse impacts of these losses to accumulate by not allowing affected households to rebuild their livelihoods and recover. The accumulated negative impacts of recurring disasters on household livelihoods have long-term effects, reinforcing intergenerational transmission of poverty and pushing poor households further into greater vulnerability.
Years of work on reducing disaster risks among high-risk communities in the Philippines are bearing fruit in terms of saving lives. Equal attention must be given to saving livelihoods in order to achieve household and community resilience. This study documents the various experiences of households and communities that, sustaining serious losses particularly from the Bopha disaster in 2012 and Haiyan in 2013, have emerged successful in adopting strategies that would protect their livelihood assets and capacities from anticipated recurring disasters. From the lessons and good practices, in the context of
largely rural and agricultural communities, the strategies in achieving resilience in livelihoods are identified.