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.

Additional 3 ICEB Machines Procured for Iloilo City; 2 for Digos City

The CLIFF-San Isidro housing project which involves the construction of 172 shell-housing for the affected families of the Iloilo Flood Control Project (IFCP). In this project, HPFPI and PACSII promotes an alternative building technology known as Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB).

As response to the recurring problem of inadequate supply of Interlocking Compressed Earth blocks (ICEB) blocks in CLIFF-San Isidro massive housing, the Philippine Alliance bought 5 sets of ICEB machines from Thailand. Three sets of these machines arrived in Iloilo City last November 18, 2010 while the other 2 sets will soon be delivered to Digos City as one of the next cities for CLIFF expansion nationwide.  

Newly awarded Category C houses and the ICEB production area.

The procurement of 3 more machines to be used for the massive production of ICEB responds to the greater demand of ICEB for the ongoing construction of CLIFF-supported Community-Managed Resettlement Housing Project in San Isidro, Jaro, Iloilo City.

Securing sufficient supply of raw materials (lime soil) and procurement of additional block presses were pushed through by the Alliance to ensure continuous supply of blocks for the remaining 129 shell-housing in CLIFF-San Isidro.

At present, only two (of the three old) machines are functional. With these new machines soon to be set up on site, it is anticipated to increase the number of blocks produced by the workers, thus, construction of ICEB houses would be nonstop.

“Mas mayo gid nga madugangan ang machine para madamo man ang ma-produce sang mga workers. Hindi na sila mabudlayan sa pagproduce kung magdululungan na ang construction. Isa pa gid ka bentaha para nga makahatag man obra sa iban nga gusto maka-income kay madugang man sang tinawo para sa pag-obra” suno kay Rosenie Malderama, ICEB In-charge”.

 (“It is better to have additional machines for the production so that workers could as well produce an immense number of blocks especially now that massive construction starts.  Another advantage of this, it provides employment for those who want to have an income considering the fact that it requires more workers to do the production” says Rosenie Malderama, ICEB In-charge”).

Second batch of another 40 housing units for Category B.

Forty-three ICEB houses was already awarded to the first batch of CLIFF housing participants (Category C) and another forty-eight units intended for the second batch of participants (Category B) are still under construction.

When compared to conventional way of housing construction ICEB technology is proven cheaper by 30% of the total housing cost including materials and labour costs.  

Digos City, a member city of the Philippine Alliance, intends to also provide affordable shell-housing units to its member communities, using CLIFF funds.

HPFPI Spearheads Citywide Enumeration in Iloilo and Bacolod Cities

City-wide enumeration in high-risk and/or disaster-prone areas is one of the national thrusts of the Philippine Alliance for the past several years. This initiative, which now gained funding support from Slum Dwellers International (SDI), is seen to have bigger impacts in various local and international levels/institutions (community, federation, LGU, national government, local and international network organizations) in terms of data banking, local and site development planning and future disaster intervention programs. SDI’s funding support for citywide enumeration will cover the following activities to be conducted for a maximum period of one and a half year:

a.    formulation of enumeration tools (e.g. survey questionnaires/forms and household tag numbers)

b.    orientation for enumerators

c.    actual conduct of enumeration

d.    data encoding

e.    data analysis

f.     data validation

g.    data publication

Enumeration activities will be conducted in all HPFPI regions using the same survey questionnaire and a national encoding format. Data analysis will also be generated from a national scope.

In HPFPI - Western Visayas particularly in Iloilo and Bacolod cities, citywide enumeration aimed to:

1. fill-in the apparent information gaps on the number and status of urban poor communities    living in high-risk areas

2. serve as a tool in identifying possible intervention programs and in formulating local development plans to improve the living conditions of disaster-prone communities and  those facing eviction/demolition threats;

3. serve as a tool to leverage resources from the government and other institutions for future projects targeting high-risk communities;

4. to utilize enumeration results as driving force to organize communities to demonstrate feasible actions to improve their living conditions.

The citywide enumeration targets communities living in foreshore areas, riverbanks, 

railways, dumpsite areas and those who are directly affected by ongoing city 

development/infrastructure projects. 

In Iloilo City, a total of 7,570 households spread in six barangays are targeted to be surveyed in the first phase. These barangays are Sto. Niño Sur, Sto. Niño Norte and Calaparan in Arevalo District; Calumpang, San Juan and Boulevard in Molo District.  

On the other hand, baseline information are still being gathered in Bacolod City that could eventually serve as reference in identifying barangays to be covered by the enumeration. Also, an office has been set-up in preparation for the citywide survey and anticipated expansion of CLIFF project in Bacolod City.

Linking with the Academe and LGU for the Conduct of Citywide Enumeration

Mr. Ramon Robles, ICUPAO's detailed personnel assists

 in structural mapping of households in high risk-areas

As a proof of its continued partnership with the Iloilo City government, HPFPI-Iloilo is jointly undertaking the citywide enumeration with Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO). Four personnel (4 enumerators and 1 spot mapper) were detailed by ICUPAO to assist in enumeration and structural mapping in priority areas. 

Recognizing also the long-term gains from the citywide survey implementation, Bacolod Housing Authority (BHA) assured the Alliance of its commitment and full support to this first citywide initiative and to its  upcoming undertakings in Bacolod City. Various logistical support have been extended by the local government of Bacolod City in preparation for the citywide survey. These include drafting and approval of endorsement letter allowing the federation to conduct survey in Bacolod, provision of directory of contact persons, list and profiles of prospective barangays to be surveyed, assignment of local officials to assist and guide in ocular inspection, structural mapping and actual conduct of survey. 

The Alliance also linked with reputable academic institutions to assist in research and documentation of survey experiences. The University of the Philippines Visayas sends students yearly for their field-based requirement or practicum under the Community Development Program. This semester, three Community Development Majors will assist the federation in validation, editing, encoding of surveyed data and in documentation of learnings and experiences of enumerators while doing the survey. UP Visayas Computer Science majors were tapped as well in setting-up a local database for the community survey. Having this database is not merely for documentation purposes but could also be utilized in identifying and prioritizing communities who need immediate program intervention.

The Alliance is also on the process of formalizing its partnership with West Negros University particularly with the College of Engineering (COE) and Research Development and Extension Office (RDEO). A memorandum of Agreement between HPFPI and the West Negros University was already drafted and reviewed for final approval of both parties.

Community volunteers were mobilized as enumerators and were given series of orientation and trainings to help them familiarize survey questionnaires and learn the ethics of dealing with survey respondents.

Surveyed Communities

A community enumerator interviews a respondent
of Barangay Sto. Nino. Norte, Arevalo, Iloilo City

As of November, two barangays were already surveyed in Iloilo City namely Barangay Sto. Niño Sur, with 850 households surveyed, and Barangay Sto. Niño Norte with 387 households surveyed respectively. 

In Bacolod City, actual survey and structural mapping was started last November 15, 2010 in Barangay 35. Eighteen (18) enumerators, 4 of which were community workers (3 Barangay Health Workers and 1 Barangay Nutrition Scholar) were mobilized. A total of 238 households in foreshore areas were surveyed, with 6 refusals, and 3 households recorded as out during the actual survey. 

HPFPI conducts regular feedbacking on enumerators'survey
experiences and difficulties in filling-up survey questionnaires

Presently, editing, validation and encoding of surveyed data using a national SPSS encoding template is ongoing.  While waiting for the approval of informed consent letters for Barangay Captains of next target barangays, reproduction of survey forms, household tag numbers, and feedbacking activity are being done simultaneously.  

Given the wide scope of this enumeration initiative, HPFP Western Visayas is now exploring the feasibility of using the GIS to map-out priority high-risk areas to generate accurate data on informal settlements and at the same time speed-up the enumeration process.

18 Families Moved In To CLIFF Houses

ILOILO CITY - Following the turn-over ceremony in CLIFF- San Isidro, Jaro in August this year , 18 of the 43 community members already moved in while others are still doing house improvements prior to actual transfer. This first batch of housing participants classified as Category C partly comprised the 172 member-families of the Riverview Homeowners Association, Inc. (RVHOA).  It obtained its legal personality from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) just this year.

"It is comfortable and secure here compared to our previous living condition. When it rains even a little I couldn’t sleep the whole night. I need to be vigilant and vacate our house when riverwater touches our floor". says Gina Yarra, the first to occupy the unit in San Isidro.

Members prioritized improving the basic parts of a house at their own expense including labor and materials. Some members utilized recycled the materials they got from their old house while the others really set aside a portion of their income for house improvements. Incremental developments done so far include installation of windows (19 units), doors (17), stairs (20), ceiling (3), beautification of comfort room (15), floor tiling (4), setback improvement (13), perimeter wall fencing, set-up of individual water system (9) and internal wall partition (1). Improvement costs shelled out from members’ own pocket ranges from Php140,000 to Php1,000 or Php22,000 average.

The community seems so busy each day. You can see how people invest their time, money and effort and explore different means just to make their houses beautiful. More and more members are getting inspired to clean and beautify their houses on weekends and they eventually occupy the unit.

“It is easier to call for a meeting now because they’re already here in the site unlike before it was really difficult to get a quorum. When we beautify our houses, we also think about beautifying the whole community” says Richie Jacusalem, member of Category C.

CLIFF is an international programme which supports organized urban poor communities using a strategic venture capital facility. It is funded by the UK-Department for International Development (DFID), managed by UK-based NGO Homeless International.

CLIFF Philippines was made possible through HPFPI's international affiliate Slum Dwellers International (SDI).