DA, DILG to provide solar

water systems for off-grid

barangays
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior and Local Government will team up
to provide water for irrigation as well as for drinking to far-flung barangays

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
will be signing a memorandum of agreement to launch a solar-powered water supply program for off-
grid barangays.

In a Facebook post, outgoing Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said this program will give water
to rural areas for both irrigation and drinking purposes.

The DA and the DILG will target barangays which rely on open sources of water and lack enough
power sources.

The joint program, which will be under the DA's existing solar-powered irrigation system project, will
start by August.

"The absence of water supply in the remote villages also affect the food production activities of the
residents, especially those planting vegetables and other crops for their subsistence," Piñol said.

The DILG will identify the barangays for the project, while the DA will build the system, which will
source water from springs or deep wells.

The DA will also organize farmers to be more involved in vegetable farming and other agribusiness
opportunities.

Earlier, the DA and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources also met with Aboitiz Power
Corporation to launch a floating solar farm in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi. This will power an ice-making and
cold storage facility.

Piñol said the farm will also serve as a fish convergence area for the community. The DA will provide
a P20-billion fund for the floating solar farm prototype.
Duterte gives Dito Telecommunity permit to
operate as 3rd telco
The awarding of the permit to Dennis Uy's Dito Telecommunity – formerly Mislatel – officially green-
lights its operations as the Philippines' 3rd telco player

President Rodrigo Duterte awarded a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to Dito
Telecommunity, the consortium of Davao City-based businessman Dennis Uy, allowing it to operate.

Duterte himself graced the awarding ceremony at the Malacañang Palace on Monday, July 8.
Officials of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) were also present.

The awarding of the CPCN to Dito, previously called Mislatel, officially green-lights the 3rd telco
player's operations in the country.

The consortium is composed of Uy's Udenna Corporation and publicly-listed Chelsea Logistics, with
Beijing-run China Telecom as its foreign partner.

The NTC confirmed that Dito has paid up the performance bond of P25.7 billion and the required
P10-billion paid-in capital.

"This is more than a compliance certification. It is a clear signal that we are fully committed to
providing world-class telecommunications in the country," Uy said.

"This issuance will fast-track our project rollouts as we plan to start commercial operations by 2020,"
he added.

Dito is slated to conduct a pilot user program by the end of 2019 to test its network. It will launch only
4G services and will not offer 2G and 3G systems.

Dito promised to provide internet speed of 27 megabits per second (Mbps) on average in its 1st year
of business.

It then committed to more than double that to 55 Mbps in its 2nd to 5th years.

It also pledged to provide 37% nationwide coverage in its 1st year of operations and up to 84% in its
5th year.

Duterte, in his speech, told Dito to live up to its promises to Filipinos.

"Break the prevailing duopoly in the telecommunications industry and fulfill your commitment to
provide better telco services," he said.

The President outlined the benefits of faster telecommunications.

"Let us take this entry of a 3rd telco player as a breath of fresh air in a rapidly evolving information
age where no one should be left behind in our pursuit of an inclusive and sustainable progress for all
Filipinos," said Duterte.

Dito plans to spend a total of P257 billion in 5 years. It earmarked P150 billion for its 1st year and P27
billion each for the next 4 years.

Uy has zero experience in telecommunications, but previously said he can learn the ropes and is
eager for the venture.
Local developers return to Filipino roots with 'green' buildings, designs
Taking a cue from the classic bahay kubo, property developers say the green concept is just
'revisiting what we have back then and trying to fit it with the technologies and our way of life now'

Eco-friendly buildings and infrastructure may sound like a trend that came out some odd ten years
ago, but for local property developers, this is simply going back to how the early Filipinos designed
their homes.

Take the bahay kubo for example, ProdigyAE Incorporated Principal Architect Giovanni Carino said
during the launch of the first International Built Environment Week last Wednesday, July 2.

"The Philippines started out as a green-driven community. Back then, tropical architecture –
the bahay kubo – it was always there," Cariño said.

"The green concept is revisiting what we have back then and trying to fit it with the technologies and
our way of life now. Looking at these things before, it was all about minimizing trash, recycling and
reusing materials. That's the essence of [the] green concept."

Italpinas Development Corporation senior advisor Giovanni Gusella pointed to climate change
and cutting costs incurred from energy and water consumption as the main motivations for shifting to
environment-friendly designs.

"We can see that the climate is changing so the way we build and design is changing. You have to
see that technology assists you," Gusella said, noting, however, that using expensive technology to
help reduce energy and water consumption is not needed.

"In the Philippines you have a lot of elements to help you implement passive green strategies to help
you reduce costs," he added.

Gusella explained that passive strategies can be employed to make eco-friendly designs more
affordable, such as simply designing windows in a way that improves ventilation and maximizes the
amount of sunlight entering a room.

JLL Philippines, Inc. Country Head Christopher Vicic during the PropertyGuru gala night last Friday,
July 5, said that the demand for sustainability as a feature in real estate ultimately stems from the
clients.

PropertyGuru last Friday recognized property developers Alveo Land and Arthaland Corporation for
their efforts in sustainable development. Arthaland's Century Pacific Tower also won the award for
Best Green Development of 2019.

"The population of the Philippines is young. [They're] online for how many hours a day, you see many
examples of smart cities, renewable energy, carbon control, and I think they want the same. Even
the older generation [wants that too]," he added.

Vicic also noted that eco-friendly designs have been used in recent townships and smart cities
launched by property developers where they make use of "neutral or green transportation,
construction, lighting, and water management."

"There's wider pavements, wider areas. It's more of building an ecosystem that respects the
individual," he added.

"You still have the offices, you still have the condominiums, and you still have the shopping malls but
it's a completely different focus: it's on the individual well-being of the people [and reducing] pollution
and wastage."
Senate bill pushes for plan to
manage rainwater
Senator Francis Pangilinan files a bill seeking to manage rainwater and have it used for irrigation,
watering of plants, and firefighting, among others

As the water shortage in Metro Manila and nearby areas drags on, a bill was filed in the Senate
seeking the management of rainwater for various uses.

Senator Francis Pangilinan's Senate Bill No. 36 aims to establish the "management, control,
regulation, and utilization of rainwater runoff," and to improve catchments "to address flooding and
water supply needs."

"It is the objective of this bill to conserve rainwater as well as reduce its runoff," Pangilinan said in a
statement on Sunday, July 7.

What would rainwater be used for? Under the bill, rainwater would be used for:

 rural irrigation
 urban irrigation such as yard irrigation
 groundwater discharge
 firefighting
 watering of plants, washing of cars, toilet flushing, fishponds
 ecological requirements

How would it be implemented? Pangilinan proposes that all land owners or developers –
whether residential, commercial, or industrial – submit a Rainwater Management Plan (RWP).

The RWP would cover the following:

 topographic map of the area

 location of natural waterways including banks and streams
 normal shoreline, coastlines, natural depression of flows
 discharge and volume of flows

The RWP would also include a proposed Rainwater Management System, for the following purposes:

 study the flood density in areas

 manage rainwater runoff onsite and offsite
 provide a facility to regulate the increased rainwater runoff

Under the bill, the Department of Public Works and Highways would also prepare a Rainwater Design
Manual. It would then be up to city or municipal engineers to inspect rainwater management facilities
in their area.

Parts of Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan have been affected by a water shortage, some
since early March 2019.

Daily water interruptions are expected to continue until the Angat Dam goes back up to its minimum
operating water level, possibly by August or September.
Drilon seeks ban on garbage
importation
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon says the passage of his proposed bill will 'send a clear
message to other countries that the Philippines is not a landfill'

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has filed a bill that seeks to ban the importation of waste to the
Philippines, with violators facing up to P15 million in fines or imprisonment for up to 12 years.

Drilon filed Senate Bill No. 18 or Waste Importation Ban Act of 2019 earlier this week as the
Philippines struggles to re-export trash from other countries following an increase in garbage
shipments to the Philippines in recent years.

“The passage of this measure will no doubt stop the waste trade in the country and send a clear
message to other countries that the Philippines is not a landfill,” he said.

Greenpeace reported a 178.88% jump in trash imports to the Philippines from 2017 to 2018.

In his explanatory note, Drilon cited the 103 shipping containers of garbage from Canada that was re-
exported after being on Philippine soil for 6 years, as well as shipments of toxic waste from Australia,
South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.

“These incidents indicate that we have become a dumping ground for waste generated by other
nations. We must fix our laws that allowed that to happen,” Drilon said.

Under SB No. 18, all waste, including recyclable materials, may not enter the Philippines, in order to
prevent misdeclared recyclables from being shipped to the country.

Republic Act No. (RA) 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990,
monitors and regulates the importation and disposal of chemical substances that may have adverse
health and environmental impacts, while RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of
2000, prohibits the “importation of toxic wastes misrepresented as ‘recyclable’ or ‘with recyclable
content.’”

SB No. 18 also stipulates that imported waste will be brought back to its country of origin at the
expense of the importer.

Under the bill, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Bureau of Customs will
be the agencies assigned to monitor imports and strictly enforce the regulations.

Violators will be fined P8 million to P15 million and face 8 to 12 years in jail. Foreigners caught
violating the law will be deported after serving the sentence.
Thirsting for water: The
challenge for the Philippines
This World Water Day is serving as a wake-up-call that the Philippines has a long way to go until it is
sustainably managing its water resources

It's World Water Day today. Maybe this reminder comes to you as you experience water shortage in
your own home. The reality is that this World Water Day is serving as a wake-up-call that the
Philippines has a long way to go until it is sustainably managing its water resources. Take a closer
look around the country, and you'll find that water shortage is a recurring theme.

El Niño, a natural phenomenon that causes increased temperatures and decreased rainfall, has been
blamed for the water shortage in Metro Manila and Rizal. That is true to some
extent. PAGASA reported decreased rainfall in parts of the country during the last 3 months. For
areas that rely solely on surface water such as rivers, lakes, and springs, the lack of rain has been
observed through dwindling supply.

However, El Niño is only a contributing factor to the problem. If water management plans are properly
executed, water rationing should not be necessary. The challenge is that often, these management
plans are not executed as they should be. Lack of coordination among local government units is one
of the key culprits, delaying projects months, years, or even indefinitely.

PAGASA's report recommends that "concerned agencies and the general public...take precautionary
measures to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of El Niño." Regardless of what, or who, is to blame for the
water shortage, what do precautionary measures even mean? To me, they mean infrastructure both
centralized and decentralized, as well as water resources education.

An undeniable component of the current water shortage is lack of adequate centralized infrastructure such as
dams and piping networks. Urban areas such as Metro Cebu are struggling to build the infrastructure needed
to support quickly growing populations. This is a challenge because large-scale infrastructure is in theory the
most effective way to manage water resources. If a metro area can navigate the politics and costs of major
infrastructure updates such as dams, modern pipe networks, and even a desalination plant (a process for
turning saltwater into freshwater), a large population can be sustainably served with a few projects.

However, going big is not the only path to success – the country needs solutions at the local level,
even at the household level. I propose rainwater harvesting as one technology to mitigate future
shortages. Rainwater harvesting can take on many forms – a bucket placed outside to directly
capture water droplets, a small (check) dam on private land, a modern building system with gutters
and filters to use for potable and non-potable uses.

With its origins in Asia, rainwater harvesting has long been used in the Philippines, though not
recently, it seems. This simple technology can easily solve water shortage problems by diverting
water captured via roofs to storage containers. With simple bacterial treatment of rainwater with clean
fixtures and a first flush filter system, water can even be used for human consumption.

Now think back to the last rainy season. If you are from any metro area in the country, you likely
cringe as you recall flooded streets and unnavigable traffic. The ironic challenge of the nations'
concrete cities is that water can be both too scarce and too plentiful. However, with water resources
education and harvesting infrastructure designed to ease the ebb and flow of water supply, both
problems can be reduced.

Is there an immediate, low-cost solution to the Philippines' water shortage? Unfortunately not during
this El Niño season. However, there are steps individuals and the nation must take to move toward a
more secure water future.
Manila Water, Maynilad to still
get limited supply from Angat
Dam
The Angat Dam's water level inches up, but the reduced allocation for concessionaires will remain
until the dam is back to its minimum operating water level

Though the water level of the Angat Dam slightly rose in the past few days due to rain, the National
Water Resources Board (NWRB) will still maintain a reduced allocation for Manila Water and
Maynilad Water Services.

This is because the Angat Dam remains far from its minimum operating water level (MOWL) of 180
meters,

As of 6 am on Wednesday, July 3, it was at 161.08 meters – only slightly higher than the critical
low of 160 meters.

The reduced allocation for the concessionaires is currently 36 cubic meters per second (CMS), while
the normal allocation is 48 CMS.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr said the allocation will
return to normal only when the Angat Dam is back to its MOWL. This could happen by August.

In the meantime, customers of Manila Water and Maynilad will continue to experience daily service
interruptions.

"Maynilad will only be able to lift the daily water service interruptions once it receives the appropriate
raw water allocation from Angat Dam," said Maynilad in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Manila Water handles the East Zone or parts of Metro Manila and Rizal, while Maynilad handles the
West Zone or parts of Metro Manila and Cavite.

Authorities are counting on heavy rain in the coming months to speed up the replenishment of water
supply.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is

expecting 2 or 3 tropical cyclones in July and 2 to 4 in August.

"Sabi naman ng PAGASA, may bagyong darating. Kung bagyo, we're expecting na mas maraming
tubig ang dadalhin sa Angat Dam, so puwede umakyat ng mas mataas 'yan (water level)," David
said.

(PAGASA said there will be tropical cyclones coming. If we have tropical cyclones, we’re expecting
that there would be more water going to the Angat Dam, so the water level may even go higher.)

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Chairman Reynaldo Velasco said they are expecting
the Angat Dam to reach its normal high water level of 212 meters by December.
DENR eyes total ban on waste
imports
The government has had enough of misdeclared shipment carrying garbage entering the country's
ports

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is currently crafting a policy which would ban
all waste imports amid the rise in arrivals through the country’s ports of misdeclared shipments
carrying garbage.

Environment Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones on Friday,
May 24, said that, together with the Environment Management Bureau, they will come out with a
department order within the year.

“Yan ang tanging paraan dyan kasi nagkakaroon ng window eh. Sasabihin lang nila, scrap plastic,
because these are the things allowed for importation. Pero pagdating pala dyan, may misdeclaration,”
he added.

While a department order does not totally assure a stop to the future arrival of shipments containing
hazardous waste, the policy will however, at least flag as illegal the importation of all forms of
waste, Leones said.

Leones clarified though that the DENR could not easily ban all waste imports, given that this could
affect industries that derive their businesses from garbage.

“We have already directed the EMB to make an inventory on the industries relying on these
recyclable materials. We also have to provide them an alternative livelihood once we implement the
policy,” he added.

The first hot-button case of tons of trash entering the country happened in 2013 when 50 container
vans from Canada arrived at the Manila International Container Port. Reports said total of 103
containers entered the port, but only 69 will finally be shipped back to Canada by June.

In July 2018, shipment supposedly carrying synthetic flakes from South Korea arrived at a Mindanao
Container Port in Misamis Oriental. These containers are expected to be shipped back this year.

Last February, a container from Hong Kong claiming to be carrying assorted electronic parts arrived
at the Mindanao Container Port in Cagayan de Oro.

However, port authorities found electronic waste and residue inside the shipment instead.

The Republic Act No. 6969, or an act to control toxic substances and hazardous and nuclear wastes,
allows the importation of recyclable waste, such as scrap plastic and scrap metal

The Philippines is also a member of the Basel Convention, which means that any country, especially
development nations, bringing in toxic trash must get the receiving country’s permission first.

Environment groups also called for the total ban of waste imports such as EcoWaste Coalition. The
coalition's national coordinator, Aileen Lucero, called the entry of residual waste in the Philippines
through misdeclaration as "devious."

Lucero, in a statement also released on Friday, was referring to Australia shipping municipal
waste labelled as "processed engineered fuel" arriving at Cagayan de Oro earlier this month. The law
does not allow importation of municipal waste.