LGU & Public-Private Partnership and Knowledge Exchange on Earth-Based Technology

ILOILO CITY-Inspired by the aesthetic and economical gains of Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks (ICEB),  an alternative building technology  used in Community-Managed Housing initiatives of HPFP-PACSII, Iloilo City government  visited San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last October 28-29, 2010 for a knowledge exchange on ICEB’s design and construction application. This learning exchange was facilitated by JF Ledesma Foundation, Inc. in collaboration with the local government of San Carlos City. 

Among the LGU participants were Honorable City Councilor and acting Chairman of the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO), Edward Yee; Mr. Wilfredo Jurilla, Co-Chairman of ICUPAO; Mr. Alfred Villanueva, Head Officer, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO); Engr. Llane Opinion and Engr. Liza Castillo of City Engineering Office; and Engr. Joefry Camarista, ICUPAO’s detailed CLIFF Project Site Engineer. Along with them were Mr. Benfred Tacuyan from the Iloilo City Urban Poor Network (ICUPN); Regie Ruego and Sonia Cadornigara of HPFPI-PACSII Iloilo.

Full of optimism to start a fruitful engagement with Iloilo City, Honorable City Vice Mayor Edgardo Quisumbing warmly welcomed the Iloilo participants in a luncheon meeting hosted by the City government of San Carlos. Senior Officers of JF Ledesma Foundation, Inc. (JFLFI) and Asian Rural-Urban Development and Peace Institute (ARDEP) also facilitated a short programme to share with Iloilo City the current operational framework of JFLFI’s partnership with the local government of San Carlos City in citywide mainstreaming of earth-based technology particularly the ICEB. Here, mainstreaming connotes the application of ICEB in almost all public infrastructures, not only in San Carlos, but to other cities as well. Dr. Nestor Abdon, ARDEP Managing Director stressed that in order to move to such technology replication, there is a need for an inter-LGU alliance or collaboration, and the best way to promote this technology to other cities is through knowledge exchange.

The application of ICEB in socialized housing programme was already shared by JFLFI to HPFPI and PACSII with the implementation of the Community-led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF). This time, upscaling ICEB to the local government level, will not only benefit San Carlos City by making it as a national capital or pilot institute of earth-based technology but will also help other cities in terms of creating social enterprises or livelihood targeting the poorest sector. Employment could be generated from production, construction to design processes in the utilization of ICEB. Aside from this, other cities which are investing on low-cost housing projects for the poor could benefit because this technology is very cost-effective. In fact, the Iloilo City government and HPFPI-PACSII are now looking into the feasibility of applying ICEB on the proposed medium-rise housing project.

Engr. Misael Hibionada, JFLFI, Deputy Executive Director for Social Housing and Building also gave a very brief presentation on the evolution of earth-based technology, its advantages and disadvantages, how their partnership with the LGU of San Carlos help them in upscaling technology replication, and the basic construction and design guidelines for ICEB. More enriching discussions between JFLFI and Iloilo LGU representatives regarding the application of ICEB technology came-out during the project field visits. Among the sites visited were St. Charles Homeowners Association, St. John Homeowners Association, St. Luke Homeowners Association, Gawad Kalinga Housing Project, JF Ledesma ICEB production site with the Philippine ICEB Resource and Reference Center and the Agricultural Productivity Training Center (APTC).  

“I hope that after this knowledge exchange, there will be a more tangible way of expressing our collaboration with the Iloilo City government, perhaps through a memorandum of agreement, trainings and further knowledge exchange”, says Dr. Abdon. 

Leaving San Carlos City with this challenge, Iloilo City LGU representatives expressed their willingness to work hand-in-hand with ICUPN, HPFPI and PACSII  in undertaking concrete steps that could help them materialize their common purpose which is to make Iloilo City an investment-friendly and environmentally sustainable city through the promotion of earth-based technology.