(LUẬN văn THẠC sĩ) REHABILITATION OF SAN DIEGO RIVER a TRIBUTARY OF STA CRUZ RIVER SYSTEM TO IMPROVE ITS WATER QUALITY IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF NAGCARLAN, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES

CRUZ RIVER SYSTEM TO IMPROVE ITS WATER QUALITY IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF NAGCARLAN, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES BACHELOR THESIS Study Mode: Full-time Major : Environmental Science and Management

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY

ELAIZA CHARM A TIZON

REHABILITATION OF SAN DIEGO RIVER A TRIBUTARY OF STA CRUZ RIVER SYSTEM TO IMPROVE ITS WATER QUALITY IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF NAGCARLAN, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES

BACHELOR THESIS

Study Mode: Full-time Major : Environmental Science and Management Faculty : Advanced Education Program

Batch : 2014-2018 Type : On-the-Job Training (OJT)

Thai Nguyen, 23/09/2019

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT

Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry

Thesis Title

Rehabilitation of San Diego River a tributary of Sta

Cruz River System to improve its water quality in the Municipality of Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines

Supervisor (s) For Melvin L Lalican

EMS II / SMO Laguna Focal

Dr Nguyen Van Hieu

by the residential, commercial establishments and backyard farms, the water quality of the river continuously deteriorated The Rehabilitation project of San Diego River is one of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Plan which aims to identify the issues and concerns that hamper the improvement of the water quality of the river

This paper provides an overview of the current condition of the San Diego River It focuses on the overall experience of the student as a trainee, and participation in the various activities of the project The implementation is a joint undertaking of the Manila Bay – Site Management Office-Laguna (SMO-Laguna) of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) and Regional Office-IV-A under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) The project is in collaboration with the Local Government

Unit (LGU) of Nagcarlan, and the cooperation of the selected barangays Moreover, this report will serve as a baseline towards the future river water restoration and rehabilitation in the Philippines

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I thank Him for His word that keeps on reminding me that “I can

do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13, for giving this life, for the problems and challenges that built me as a person, and for the opportunities and life-changing experiences To my family (specially to Ama, Ina, Kuya and Bebe) for the endless love and support in every way possible, to my high school principal Mrs Milagros Tetangco, to LAPRISADA, to Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry (TUAF) and to the TUAF Director, Mr Duong Van Thao and Dr Nguyen The Hung for giving me the opportunity to be part of their Advance Education Program (AEP) and be one of the Bachelor

of Science in Environmental Science and Management (BSESM) students

I also want to express my deepest gratitude to Church of Christ (COC) family, to my friends “Barbie Girls” (lea, angelika, ella, nina, aly); K3 Friends and cousins who are always there for me, to Dr Nguyen Van Hieu, as my teacher/supervisor, to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) Region IV-A and Site Management Office (SMO) PENRO Laguna, to my supervisors and co-workers, for giving me a chance to be their intern, and allowing me to go on field and experience a lot of things Also, I would like to give thanks to the DENR IV-A OIC-Regional Directors Dr Sofio B Quintana, Arsenio N Tanchuling, Conservation and Development Division Forester Oliver B Viado, OIC-Human Resource Development Section Mrs Virginia Regodon, and to the Regional Executive Assistant Mr Jefferson Cruz

Great appreciation also to the Deputy Site Manager of the MBCO Forester Cynthia Rozaldo (Mam Inkyt), as my supervisor in the first month of the internship, to Ate Rona, Kuya Renzo, Kuya Maynard, Ate Wella, Ate Rika, Kuya Mon, Ate Lea, Kuya Charlie, and the whole MBCO Family, to PENRO Roberto A Oliveros (PENRO Obet) and PENRO Ronilo L Salac, Ate Anly, Ate Cherry, Allan Rey Tato, Kuya Danilo, Ate Zanne, Ate Abi, Ate Julie, Kuya Jai, Sir Michael, Ma’am Gie, Ma’am Bet and Ma’am Divine, Tita Jing, Tita Hermie, and the whole PENRO Laguna Family that whole-heartedly accept me as a family

member in the organization

Nevertheless, I am most thankful to Sir Melvin L Lalican, the focal person of the SMO Laguna, as well as my mentor and “tatay” (father) in the department who with all he can provides all the support I needed I humbly give thanks to Mrs Tetangco (Mam Agie),

my high school principal in the Philippines who never forget us despite of her busy schedules, for the last minute editing, grammar check, and making this study a lot easier Thank you so much po for the all the kindness and guidance you gave me I can’t express how thankful I am to Ate Rona, who also provides supervision on the making of this study, for treating me as her sister/best friend, for everything she did for me Your kindness will always be appreciated To all the people, who with all they can, helped me in making my on-the-job training a possible one To all who guided me on what I should do and what I shouldn’t, for welcoming me, give love and support that wasn’t expected, on letting me learn and experience new things, helped me answer all the questions I needed and made me realize how indeed vital my course and the environment is To all who supported me throughout this journey thank you! I hope I expressed how grateful I am with this

Author

Elaiza Charm A Tizon

TABLE OF CONTENT

DOCUMENTATION PAGE WITH ABSTRACT ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF FIGURES 1

LIST OF TABLES 2

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 3

PART I INTRODUCTION 5

1.1 Rationale 5

1.2 Objectives 13

1.2.1 General Objective 13

1.3 Contents of work 15

1.4 Profile of the cooperating agency 16

1.5 Description of activities 17

1.6 Timeline 21

PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 22

2.1 International Literature Review 22

2.2 National Literature Review 23

PART III.STATUS OF THE CONSIDERED ISSUE AT THE TRAINING

AGENCY 25

3.1 Poor Water Quality of San Diego River 25

3.1.1 Projects/Program of Activities of SMO Laguna 26

3.1.2 Other Activities 33

PART IV.DISCUSSION AND LESSONS LEARNED 46

4.1 Discussion 46

4.2 Lessons Learned 47

PART V CONCLUSION 49

REFERENCES 51

APPENDICES 54

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Sta Cruz River System 10

Figure 2 Map showing the Location of San Diego River Nagcarlan, Laguna 11

Figure 3 Drone shot of the Municipality of Nagcarlan, Laguna 12

Figure 4.Map showing the two sampling sites of the San Diego River 26

Figure 5 TWG Meeting of SMO with MENROs Representatives 28

Figure 6 Photos of FGD and CEPA in Barangay Bambang 29

Figure 7 Photos of FGD and CEPA in Barangay Poblacion 2 30

Figure 8 Photos of the Actual Clean-up and some garbage collected

in San DiegoRiver 31

Figure 9 Sample of the Information, Education and Communication

Material (IEC) 32

Figure 10 2nd Provincial Technical Working Group Meeting 33

Figure 11 Proper Animal Wastes Disposal Seminar 34

Figure 12.Site visit on the selected backyard piggeries along the San Diego River 35 Figure 13 Semi-annual Evaluation Workshop 36

Figure 14 Fermented mudballs and Sample of tossed Bokashi ball in the water 37

Figure 15 Doormat/Pot Holder (left), Paper Beads Making (right) 38

Figure 16 Installed Trash trap installed in San Diego river, Nagcarlan, Laguna 38

Figure 17 Photo-documentation of Biñan River Clean-up 39

Figure 18 Philippine Environment Month three-day exhibit at SM Calamba 40

Figure 19 Water Quality Monitoring Result Chart (Station 1- Bambang) 42

Figure 20 Water Quality Monitoring Result Chart (Station 2- Poblacion 2) 44

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.Result of water quality sampling in San Diego River 27

Table 2 Water Quality Monitoring Result (Station 1- Bambang) 41

Table 3 Water Quality Monitoring Result (Station 2- Poblacion 2) 43

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CALABARZON Calamba, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon

MBSCMO Manila Bay Site Coordinating Management Office

PART I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Water is the most significant resource to mankind and our planet The beneficial usage of water thus depends on its water quality, as contaminated water would lead to adverse environmental and health consequences Hence, rivers and other inland aquatic ecosystems are considered as the most essential natural resources which provide us with many valuable services such as public water supply, food production, and recreation purposes However, anthropogenic and natural activities caused directly or indirectly by humans gradually alter the inland waters

Water pollution is also one of the major problems in most developing countries such as the Philippines According to the Water Environment Partnership

in Asia (undated), increased population, urbanization, agriculture and industrialization have raised concerns on the water quality of the country Moreover, many water bodies are now un-fit for their intended uses In the Philippines out of 421 rivers, 50 are now considered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as “biologically dead” It is therefore necessary to ascertain the quality of the river, evaluate its impacts and provide

measures to mitigate the problems (Mishra et al., 2009)

Manila Bay, one of the most significant bodies of water in the Philippines has been faced with serious water quality issues primarily caused by human activities such as the unabated throwing of solid waste and continuous discharge

of liquid waste to nearby water bodies, industrial effluents and leachate along the bay In January 1999, a group of concerned residents, led by UP Law student

filed an ambitious lawsuit in trial court that allegedly that the water of Manila Bay have high fecal coliform bacteria which is beyond the allowable threshold level that the water can no longer be fit for swimming The Philippine Supreme Court rendered a decision on the case on December 18, 2008 a continuing mandamus ordering 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay, restore and maintain its water quality to SB level to make them fit for swimming, skin-diving and other forms of recreational activities With the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as lead implementing agency, the implementation of the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy CY 2017-2022, using the Area-Based Management strategy was initiated

Manila Bay has a total area of 1,994 square kilometers with 190 kilometers coastline The bay area covers eight (8) provinces and 178 local government units

in three regions of the country, namely National Capital Region (NCR) Region III, and Region IV-A The On-the job training (OJT) of the student-trainee involved her in the initial implementation of the Area Based Management Plan of the Sta Cruz River system, the targeted area for rehabilitation in Laguna

This report provides an overview of the OJT site, the scope of work completed during the internship, background information necessary to understand the case and the definition of the problem and its goals

1.1.1 River Rehabilitation Program

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the lead agency together with the other Mandamus agencies, partners and stakeholders, were mandated to fully implement the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy (OPMBCS) CY 2017-2022 The 13 Mandamus agencies namely: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police- Maritime Group (PNP-MG), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), and Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)

Each mandamus agencies has their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs’) under the OPMBCS to address issues and concerns and one of the approaches is

to develop an area-based approach in order to fulfill its goals, the Area-Based Management Plan The purpose of the plan is to provide information about the current environmental issues and concerns of the specified river system to be addressed through proposed strategies and approaches The goal is to protect and preserve the river, its ecological values, water quality, productivity, and its over- all natural surroundings With this plan, the agency can concentrate on the individual state and locality of the river system contributory to Manila Bay In compliance with the implementation of Area Based Management Plan, three (3)

ABMPs that focus on river rehabilitation were targeted for the year 2018 in Region IV-A; one of the three regions comprising the Manila Bay

Laguna as one of the provinces in CALABARZON (Region 4A) is gifted with rich water resource One of its main features is the Laguna de Bay which is considered as the third largest inland bodies of water in Southeast Asia The lake

is fed by 45,000 square kilometers of catchment areas and 21 major tributaries The lake’s excess water is discharged through the Pasig River, which connects; Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay

The Sta Cruz River System was identified as the target area for rehabilitation in Laguna which is 15% of the Lake's water The Area-Based Management Plan (ABMP) of Sta Cruz River System generally aims to clean up, rehabilitate, preserve, restore and maintain the Sta Cruz River which covers the six (6) municipalities of Laguna, namely Liliw, Magdalena, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Rizal and Sta Cruz (Figure 1) The Manila Bay Coordinating Office

– Site Management Office (SMO) of PENRO Laguna chose the San Diego River

as the pilot project site for the Adopt-a-river Program in line with the continued implementation of ABMP

Figure 1 Sta Cruz River System

1.1.2 The San Diego River

San Diego River is one of the tributaries of Sta Cruz River System located

in the Municipality of Nagcarlan, Laguna (Figure 2) The river has an actual length

of 13.30 kilometers Nagcarlan has a land consisting of rolling hills extending from the base of Mt Banahaw-San Cristobal downward north towards Laguna de Bay Most of the areas in Nagcarlan have a low susceptibility to landslide but some of the upper and lower portions of the municipality are prone Furthermore, the river

is one of the sources of water for the irrigation of rice fields in the Nagcarlan (Figure 3)

Figure 2 Map showing the Location of San Diego River Nagcarlan, Laguna

San Diego River directly traverses the built-up areas in Nagcarlan Among the barangays the covered areas are Barangay Buboy, Bambang, Poblacion 2, and Poblacion 3 The residential and commercial establishments in these barangays could directly affect the water quality of the river by producing solid and liquid wastes Industries in the municipality are predominantly food-based dominated by micro-enterprises producing flour-based products, rice/cassava-based products and candies wherein some of the establishments can be found in these barangays Livestock-raising such as piggeries and poultry is also a source of income in Nagcarlan Due to the wastes produced by these residential, commercial establishments, and backyard farms, its waters continue to deteriorate

Figure 3 Drone shot of the Municipality of Nagcarlan, Laguna

Coliform bacteria are organism present in the environment and in the feces

of all warm-blooded animals and humans These coliform bacteria will not

likely to cause illness However, their presence in drinking water indicates the possible presence of disease-causing organisms (pathogens) in the water system According to the Department of Health (2016), there are three (3) groups of coliform bacteria Thus, each is an indicator of drinking quality and each has a different level of risk Total coliform is a large collection of different kinds of bacteria, while fecal coliform are types of total coliform that exist in feces High fecal concentration is an indicator that possible health risk exists for individuals when exposed to this water

Increase in population, economic development, urbanization and industrialization have all resulted in the increase of solid waste generation The amount of both quantitative and qualitative nature of the wastes being produced and the improper solid waste disposal practices such as open dumping has accumulated increasing concerns and damages Therefore, immediate actions and efforts are indeed needed to understand the importance of the environment with regards to waste management

1.2 Objectives

1.2.1 General Objective

The main objective is to conduct a wide range of activities for the rehabilitation of San Diego River in the Municipality of Nagcarlan in line with the continued implementation of the Area-Based Management Plan of Sta Cruz River System It also aims to address the issues of solid and liquid waste management and the high level of coliform around the area

The four barangays situated along the river namely Buboy, Bambang, Poblacion 2, and Poblacion 3 are the focus study areas of the various activities

1.2.2 Specific Objectives

(1) Conduct of river clean-ups to remove or reduce solid wastes from waterways;

(2) To stop untreated wastewater discharge of backyard and commercial pig farms, residential and commercial establishments along the river

(3) To educate the residents through the conduct of Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Communication Education and Public Awareness (CEPA), and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Materials;

(4) Introduction and application of appropriate technology

(5) Introduction of alternative livelihood for possible generating income

1.2.3 Objectives of the On-the Job Training (OJT)

The purpose of the internship is to provide the trainee with the aptitude, competence, awareness in the real workplace, and to develop skills relevant to the trainee’s chosen field of study The said program will give the trainee sufficient time to be familiar with the regular work setting and to be trained as regular employee The program will also make her aware of the status of the country’s environment, as well as on the government’s programs on the protection, conservation and preservation of environment and natural resources However, given the limited time of the internship, the trainee was able to participate in most

of the field activities but will not see the completion of the project which is targeted for one year

 Would the river be more beneficial to the communities and stakeholders?

 What are the recommendations for further improvements and development of the river?

 Will it serves as a guideline for future recovery of water quality of the rivers in the Philippines?

1.3 Contents of work

Program of Activities of SMO Laguna

F Development and Dissemination of Information, Education and

Other Program and Activities

A Workshop on the preparation and introduction of appropriate

1.4 Profile of the cooperating agency

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is the primary government agency responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies, guidelines, rules and regulations related to environmental management,

as well as the management and conservation of the country’s natural resources and biological diversity The Manila Bay Coordinating Office was created to fully implement the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy, The MBCO – Site Management Offices of each provinces prepared Area-Based Management Plans for major river systems contributory to Manila Bay The department mission

is to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay, restore and maintain its SB level to make them fit for swimming, skin diving and other forms of contact recreation with its vision of the “Manila Bay – a reflective God’s glory – is a clean, wholesome, and productive ecosystem, a center for socio-economic development, and natural heritage nurtured by Filipino values towards a better quality of life for present and future generations”

This study was daily focused and conducted through the help of Site Management Office of Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office(PENRO) Laguna under its PENR Officers Roberto Oliveros and Ronilo L Salac, under the supervision of SMO Laguna Focal Forester Melvin L Lalican

D Conduct of capacity building on alternative livelihood for the

Conduct of Environmental Events

of the water quality of the river with the results of water sampling analysis provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) The SMO

Laguna staff also discussed the basic provisions of R.A 9275 “Clean Water Act

of 2004” and R.A 9003 “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000”

during the conduct of FGD/CEPA in the involved barangays Further, the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns was done in the community to add information on the Manila Bay Rehabilitation and the Solid and Liquid Waste Management solutions of the government

Some activities of the program including the introduction of appropriate technology on the backyard and commercial farms along the river such as biogas technology, has been recognized as a suitable technology for improving energy access, waste management and sanitation (Wijetunga, 2009) Bokashi mudballs is also a technology that uses Effective Microorganisms (EM) that filter out the bad bacteria in bodies of water which will help the state of the river

The introduction of alternative livelihood generates extra income for the people These kinds of activities will be beneficial on the people as well on the

river Regular river clean-up will help to reduce wastes from waterways and indeed

vital in the program Environmental events such as Month of the Ocean and

Philippine Environment Month also provided awareness and information to the

public Environmentally-themed community activities were created to remind of

the importance of caring for the environment, and an initiative attempt to

effectively combat problems of environmental degradation

1.5.1 Activity Gantt chart of the OJT

Activities

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Orientation/Familiarization (MBCO Site

Management Office IV-A)

Updating Directory (Departments/Agencies

and Mayor's offices of Region IV-A)

Coordinated with the participants of

Refresher Course and SCC Meeting

Encode the 2017 Summary of Water Quality

Monitoring

Encode the Accomplishment Report of

Manila Bay Unit

Activities March April May June

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Attended the Refresher Course on

Environmental Laws

Attended the 1st Site Coordinating

Committee Meeting (SCC)

Canvass suppliers on the Development and

Dissemination of IEC Materials (IV-A)

Identify and Map some easement areas along

waterways of Laguna de Bay (Region IV-A)

Orientation/Familiarization (Site

Management Office (SMO) Laguna

Participated on the conduct of FGD/CEPA

in Brgy Bambang

Assisted staff’s and participants on the

conduct of FGD/CEPA in Brgy Poblacion 2

Coordinated with the participants of TWG

Meeting in line with the ABMP

Participated on the ABMP TWG Meeting

Designing and development of IEC

Materials (SMO Laguna)

Canvass suppliers for the production of IEC

Materials (SMO Laguna)

Activities March April May June

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Assisted the MBCO Region staff in the

conduct of ocular inspection of

commercial/backyard piggeries in Nagcarlan,

Laguna (Surveyed four (4)

barangays along San Diego River)

Participated on the conduct of lakeshore

clean-up in Binan, Laguna in celebration

of the Month of the Ocean

Attended the Proper Animal Wastes

Disposal seminar and workshop organized by

the MBSCMO (Region IV-A)

Coordinated with five barangays re

continuation of clean-up of San Diego River

Participated on the conduct of DENR PENRO

Laguna Exhibit in celebration of Philippine

Environment Month at SM

Calamba City, Laguna

Participated on the conduct of river clean-up

in San Diego River

Attended in the Provincial Technical

Working Group (PTWG) of SMO Laguna

1.6 Timeline

The trainee was required three (3) to four (4) months of On-the-Job training (OJT) for the completion of her bachelor’s degree The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was the chosen department of the trainee She was assigned at the Manila Bay Site Coordinating Management Office- Region IV-A (MBSCMO-4) or the regional office located in Calamba, Laguna with eight (8) working hours per day and completed 160 working hours in the office at the first month of her internship from March 1, 2018 up to March 28, 2018

After the one month internship in DENR Regional Office, the trainee was transferred to the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO)-Site Management Office (SMO) PENRO Laguna at Brgy Lalakay Los Banos, Laguna to continue her internship and do field work activities that are related to the trainee’s chosen field of

study The trainee was assigned to participate in the activities of the “Rehabilitation

of San Diego River a tributary of Sta Cruz River System to improve its water quality

in the Municipality of Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines” Actual tasks or target every

week has to be accomplished within definite time with maximum supervision When there was no scheduled field activity, the trainee was exposed to office work such as encoding, editing, printing and other administrative works The trainee assisted and participated in almost half of the activities needed to be accomplished by the year

2018 of SMO Laguna The trainee did not have any difficulties during her internship except for the limited time of the internship A total of 400 hours of internship rendered in the said office covering the period of April 2, 2018 up to June 28, 2018 was completed

PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 International Literature Review

Clean water, fresh air and pristine environment are very rare in most developing nations Yu & Sajor (2007), these are generally affected by point and non-point sources of pollution including climate change, poverty, lack of awareness and education among users and poor governance Developing countries are constantly struggling to rehabilitate their rivers in the context of a limited resources base, absence of appropriate public institutions, legal framework, and regulatory capacity

One of these underdeveloped nations’ particular problems is that environmental restoration activities compete with other priorities such as poverty alleviation, basic education and health care Hence, it is critical that strategies which minimize or remediate environmental impacts while still promoting economic development be employed

River restoration plans in developing countries, conditioned by social and economic limitations, are mainly focused on single approaches applying short- term strategies However, in the long run these strategies tend to fail due to integral solutions that they do not include that address the interconnected factors contributing to river degradation

River rehabilitation and restoration embraces a great variety of measures having in common significance on natural functions of rivers, which may have been lost or degraded by human intervention River revitalization plans,

particularly those implemented in urban areas can provide a big improvement in the quality of life of the communities they are planned for

The implementation of river restoration measures can have a negative effect

on navigation, and varying effects (+/-) on tourism, agriculture and drainage, and

in general it is intended to have positive effects on biodiversity However, it is not always feasible to implement because restoration of the river is not possible as can

be allowed by the river margins Therefore, success factors generally include strong cooperation among public administrations and other stakeholders, raising support and creating public awareness Since the specific measures are very much case specific it is impossible to say something about the efficiency or the effectiveness of the measure

2.2 National Literature Review

2.2.1 Rehabilitation efforts of the government in the Philippines

The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific According to the United Nations (2016), the country is faced by problems among uncontrolled rapid population growth that contributes to extreme poverty, environmental degradation and pollution These problems have all reduced the water quality of the country according to the Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEPA) While the government continues to try to clean up the problem, implementing fines to polluters as well as imposing environmental taxes, many problems still have not been addressed Green Peace (2016) reported

that out of 421 rivers in the Philippines, as many as 50 are considered dead and unable to support any but the most robust life

In the recent years there were coordinated efforts of government agencies

to improve the quality of the environment including air and water quality With the DENR as the lead implementing agency, the implementation of the Environmental Protection Programs and Projects was intensified The programs is implemented based on the established environmental laws specifically RA 9275 known as Clean Water Act of 2004 The law mandates the agency “to formulate and implement policies and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders to improve water quality in all parts of the country” (RA 9275) The program aims to improve water quality of priority rivers and other critical water bodies including lakes and bays through continuous massive clean-up, monitoring of industries and rehabilitation of esteros/rivers through partnership agreements

The intensified efforts to clean up and rehabilitated Manila Bay together with the river systems within the three regions- NCR, Region III, and Region IV-

A that are comprising and contributory to Manila Bay have had positive results However, clean-up and rehabilitation activities are still continuing because the level of fecal coliform remains to be unfit for fishing and recreation such as swimming

PART III STATUS OF THE CONSIDERED ISSUE AT THE

TRAINING AGENCY 3.1 Poor Water Quality of San Diego River

Due to the wastes produced by the residential, commercial establishments, and backyard farms, along the San Diego River its water condition cause to deterioration Based on the water quality monitoring results, the levels of total and fecal coliform found in the river is very high The first water sampling was done

on February 28, 2018, which served as the based data (Table 1)

The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in aquatic environments indicates that the water has been contaminated with the fecal material of human or other animals These can be attributed to the direct discharge of wastewater (secretion) from the houses’ septic tank situated along the river and the backyard piggeries/poultries that directly discharge the feces of the animals into the water However, having a high fecal concentration is an indicator that possible health risk exists for individuals when exposed to this water It may also lead to water quality deterioration and eventually biodiversity loss

To address these concerns and rehabilitate the San Diego River, the Manila Bay Site Management Office (SMO) Laguna conducted several activities in partnership with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Nagcarlan and in cooperation with the concerned barangays

3.1.1 Projects/Program of Activities of SMO Laguna

3.1.1.1 Water Quality Sampling

As the basis of the study, the SMO Laguna conducted water quality sampling with assistance from concerned barangays along San Diego River on February 28, 2018 The sampling stations were located in (1) Barangay Bambang and (2) in Barangay Poblacion 1 with a distance of 637.611m (Figure 4), in the Municipality of Nagcarlan, Laguna

Figure 4 Map showing the two sampling sites of the San Diego River

(Sources: PhilGIS Municipalities Nagcarlan, Laguna)

The collected water samples were brought to DOST IV-A for analysis (Table 1) The result of the analysis was based on the Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards for freshwater of the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No 2016-08:

Table 1.Result of water quality sampling in San Diego River

3.1.1.2 ABMP Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting

Technical Working Group was created to oversee and give updates on the implementation of the Area Based Management Plan (ABMP) The created TWG were composed of the MENROs’ of the six municipalities under the Sta Cruz River System The TWG meets every quarter to give update of the status of their respective rivers During the internship period, the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the Area-Based Management Plan of Sta Cruz River System was held

on April 19, 10AM at Aurora Restaurant, Sta Cruz Laguna (Figure 5) It was attended by MENROs of Liliw, Rizal, Majayjay and MENRO representatives from Nagcarlan and Sta Cruz The meeting serves as a forum for monitoring, discussion and resolution of problems/concerns and issues that pertain to the ABMP-related matters and activities

Figure 5 TWG Meeting of SMO with MENROs Representatives

3.1.1.3 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) / Communication, Education, and

Public Awareness (CEPA)

Focus Group Discussion (FGD) involves gathering of people from similar backgrounds or experiences to discuss a specific topic of interest It involves perceptions, attitude, beliefs, opinions or ideas

The SMO Laguna conducted four (4) FGDs in the selected barangays in the municipality of Nagcarlan The FGDs and CEPAs were part of the adopt-a- river program for the San Diego River in Nagcarlan The program covers four (4) barangays located along the river, namely Buboy, Bambang, Poblacion 2, and Poblacion 3 The trainee was able to attend two FGDs and CEPAs of the selected barangays

 FGD/CEPA in Barangay Bambang, Nagcarlan, Laguna (Station 1)

The FGD and CEPA in Barangay Bambang was held on April 5, 2018 at their respective Barangay Hall (Figure 6) The water sampling site (Station 1) is located in the said barangay A total of 32 participants who raised their issues and concerns attended the activity

Figure 6 Photos of FGD and CEPA in Barangay Bambang

 FGD/CEPA in Barangay Poblacion 2, Nagcarlan, Laguna (Station 2)

The FGD/CEPA in Poblacion 2 was held on April 5, 2018 at the municipal DRRM building (Figure 7) A total of 27 participants who raised their issues and concerns attended the activity Participants were joint of SMO staff, barangay officials, personnel and residents in the barangay