PUERTO PRINCESA CITY IWRM SWOT Analysis

Strengths

S1; UPDATED LOCAL WATER POLICY AND WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES

- Aside from the various water Policies legislated nationally legislated ahead of time, local water
policies have been constantly evolving to adapt to the inevitable changes. When the water supplies
are abundant, policies and laws are far more simple compared to present-day situations, when
scarcity and water quality deterioration are uncontrollable requiring more rational and sophisticated
laws and strategies for sustainable water resources (Inc., 2004).

S2; ENHANCED AND WELL COORDINATED INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIP FOR

IWRM IMPLEMENTATION

- Water relevant Institutions pioneered by DENR, subsequently by NWRB are governing the water
resources management to effectively implement the IWRM Principles from the National down to the
Sub-national levels. Local Water Utilities Administration where PPCWD is subordinated
promotes/finances and regulates water supply operations outside Metro Manila (Brief, 2011).

S3; SEPARATION OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENTS AND WATER SERVICE

PROVISION IN IMPLEMENTING IWRM

- Although management institutions (DENR, LWUA etc.) are well coordinated with water service
provider (PPCWD), there is a distinct separations and limitations of jurisdictions between agencies
that they are both aware of, to avoid overlapping of responsibilities and policies.

S4; ADEQUATE COORDINATION BETWEEN STAKEHOLDERS AND SECTORS

- Freedom of Information, Public Consultation and Stakeholders’ Involvements in Decision-making,

Proposed Management Programs, and Board Elections are ways to make the public aware of the
current water situations, crises and how to effectively search for permanent or long-term solutions or
alternatives.

S5; IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT WATER CONSUMPTION

AND EFFECTIVE POLLUTION CONTROL

- There exist frameworks and management plans specifically for the sustainability of water for public
demand and consumption such as watershed protection projects (e.g. Pista Y ang Cagueban) which
 sought to protect water resources from the effect of Climate Change. The implementation of Joint
Venture Agreement for the Provision of Septage, Sewerage and Sanitation Services for the City of
Puerto Princesa dated September 2018, which is an agreement between PPC LGU and PSP (Eco-
System Technologies Inc., JCA 1221 Holdings Inc.) to promote water resources ecological balance
by controlling the pollution.

S6; AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND EFFICIENT INFORMATION SHARING

- Data collected and Analyzed by the Institutions responsible for data Collection (LWUA’s/WD’s,
NAMRIA, PAGASA, etc.) are readily available to the public for reference and transparency with the
help of present-day technology and the huge capacity of Information Sharing.

S7; SUFFICIENT FINANCIAL CAPACITY FOR INVESTMENT IN WATER RESOURCES

ALLOCATED FROM THE NATIONAL LEVEL

- LWUA, aside from regulating Local Water Districts, is also the agency responsible for funding them
for investing infrastructure and developmental projects. This is different from the budget directly
allocated by the National Government to NWRB for efficient management of Natural water
Resources.
WEAKNESSES

W1; WEAK IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL LAWS AND POLICIES

- There are numerous legislations, orders and laws formulated to create guidelines, procedures,
programs, rules and regulations in implementing water policies; however implementation of these
mandates were not strictly enforced or monitored especially in sub-national level, due to the absence
of local equivalent of national authority who have the jurisdictions.

W2; SLOW IMPROVEMENT ON CAPACITY BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT

- Reforms in the development and management of water resources would require the development in
all its dimensions. Not only manpower growth but also the reinforcement of institutions. There are
low and few training of specialists in traditional disciplines (hydraulic engineering, hydrology,
economics, law, ecology, etc.); there is also a need for broadly trained professionals or generalists
who are able to address the water sector issues across all sectors of the national economy.

W3; CENTRALIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE NATIONAL

LEVEL

- The absence of Local Representative of NWRB and other water related national Institutions in Sub-
national level hinders the rapid progress of IWRM implementation, because of the huge jurisdiction
it is difficult to determine the places that need more priorities.

W4; LACK OF AQUIFER AND GROUNDWATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLANS

AND INSTITUTIONS

- Because Surface Water is the main source of the urban water supply of the City, development of
Groundwater utilization is limited due to low yield and salt-water intrusion, probably because of
topographic characteristics. There are, however, groundwater abstraction in the Barangays of Santa
Monica, Irawan, Iwahig and most Rural Barangays which are still unreached by the water supply.

W5; WEAK COLLECTION OF REVENUES RAISED FROM USERS

- Overdue AR of 61% of total receivables remained uncollected which deprived the Water District of
Additional funds which could have been used for its projects and operations.
OPPORTUNITIES

O1; PRESENCE OF HUGE WATERSHED AREAS AND LARGE NUMBER OF RIVER

BASINS.

- It is said that there is a presence of five major watersheds in the city, however the main source of
urban water supply which is the Irawan watershed only comprises 3% of the total watershed area,
and therefore the other river basins were not fully utilized to produce up to their capacity (LGU,
2012).

O2; ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE PLAN

(2011-2028).

- National Level up to Sub-national level is undeniably struck by the effects of Climate Change in the
Water Resources, National Climate Change Plan (2018-2028) is a 10 year plan which will focus on
sustainable management of water resources and ensured equitable access to all stake holders
(Commission).

O3; WELL DEFINED SECTOR SPECIFIC POLICIES AND OVERALL SECTOR

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT,

WATER SUPPLY, AND SANITATION.

- The country overall, is preparing and implementing policies and strategic plan, for instance the
creation of land management plan, coastal management plan and existence of National Wetlands
Actions Plan (Resources, 2011). A clear and comprehensive strategy is needed which covers both
rural, urban, and industrial development and which ensures cooperation and coordination among all
the different water users.

O4; PROPOSED PHILIPPINE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION MASTER PLAN (2014)

- Aims to set the direction in helping the country address the water supply and sanitation challenges
and attain desired short-term, medium-term and long term targets in water supply and sanitations
(Witherspoon, 2018).

O5;GROWING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES, NGOs AND

DEVELOPMENTAL PARTNERS.
 - There is a prospect between Public-Private Partnerships in terms of infrastructure funding, programs
coordination and project partnerships, aside from the well-coordinated Government-Government
relationship (SORIANO, 2011).

THREATS

T1; INCREASING POPULATION PRESSURE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION

- Increasing population means water demand together with insufficient water infrastructure threatens
to outstrip sustainable levels of water supply, added to this rapid industrialization means conversion
of Land usage which minimally affects the quality of water.

T2; INCREASED NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

- This includes the sudden dropping of rainfall measurement in the City which results to water scarcity
on the first quarter of every year. Also Global warming caused abrupt drying of river systems and
the difficulty to replenish the water (Brief, 2011).

T3; ABSENCE OF INTEGRATED WATER POLICY MASTER PLAN

- The need to legislate a Water Reform Act that will establish the institutional and legal framework to
guide cooperation by on private and government entities in developing water sources throughout the
country as well as a separate government agency for water regulation (Witherspoon, 2018).

T4; LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES ASIDE FROM

SURFACE WATER

- Aside from the huge portion the surface water comprises as water resources, utilization of
groundwater has limited potential due to low yield and intrusion of salt-water into the aquifers. Other
than this, there are no reports of alternative source of water supply (LGU, 2012).
EL NIDO, PALAWAN IWRM SWOT Analysis

Strengths

S1; PRESENCE OF FRAMEWORK FOR NATIONAL IWRM PLANS

- Despite the low enforcement of National Laws and Policies, it can be seen as an asset to have a
Framework for the progressive implementation of Water Resources Management. It is assuring to
know that there is a framework, thus needing only the implementing body to materialize the plans.

S2; IMPLEMENTATION OF IWRM RELATED SUBNATIONAL POLICIES

- The need to legislate laws and policies specifically addressing the conservation and protection of
available water resources in specific area is effective, because the main problem is identifiable and
the solutions must be area-specific.

S3; PRESENCE OF BASIN/AQUIFER MANAGEMENT PLANS

- Since 65% of population have wells as their main water source, subsequently the need to manage
this water source is ideal; to control pollution effect, to maximize efficient water conservation and
avoid drying of underground water resources due to overconsumption.

S4; HIGH ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY PLANS

- Presence of governmental agencies and policies that regulates Natural Resources, including water
resources such ECAN, PAMB and SEP (PCSD). These institutions keep the sustainability of Natural
Resources specifically in Palawan.

S5; RECOGNITION AND PREPAREDNESS ON NATURAL DISASTER

- There are only few possible risks and damages that can be caused by natural Disaster. The
Municipality of El Nido is mostly susceptible to flooding and this can consequently cause damage to
river infrastructure, being almost annually occurring. The area is now well-aware of the
phenomenon.
WEAKNESSES

W1; LOW ENFORCEMENT OF LEGISLATED WATER RELATED NATIONAL POLICIES

AND LAWS

- The main reason is the incapacity of the NWRB to provide enough manpower and the absence of
local counterpart. Added are the budgetary constraints to do deeper compliance monitoring and full
law enforcement. Deputation of such functions to other government agencies has not proven
satisfactory, because it lacks the proper jurisdiction.

W2; NON-EXISTENCE OF TRANSBOUNDARY ARRANGEMENTS

- El Nido’s location is not water resources advantaged, and is almost surrounded by sea water which
limits its trans-boundary water agreements. At south it has no existing agreement with the
municipality of Taytay regarding sharing of natural water resources.

W3; ABSENCE OF DATA AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

- Absence of essential water information that leads to no data and information sharing available to
public. Primarily, this is because of the absence of data-gathering agencies that is essential to
effective water resource management.

W4; INSUFFICIENT NATIONAL INTER-SECTOR COORDINATION

- One of the hindrances of effective IWRM implementation is the weak linkage, communication and
coordination between relevant water institutions and agencies, creating conflicts on overlapping
works.

W5; LOW CONTROL ON POLLUTION AND SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT WATER USE

- Urbanization is entwined with pollution increase from residential, commercial and industrial areas
could degrade the water quality of rivers and other bodies of water which may cause its biological
death.

W6; ABSENCE OF NATIONAL MONITORING FOR FEASIBLE WATER RESOURCE

- There is no study conducted on feasible water resources done by agencies that is responsible for
managing National Water Resources. Thus, the probability to effectively utilize existing water
resources is far from being manifested.
OPPORTUNITIES

O1; EXISTING MAJOR RIVER SYSTEMS

- The existence of these major river systems gives assurance that there are feasible freshwater
resources, and that it only needs effective framework to effectively utilize this opportunity.

O2; GROWING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

- The boost on tourism Industry gave the municipality a big chance for foreign investments, as well as
foreign institutions that aims to help utilize the potential of the municipality in the aspect of Natural
Resources conservation (Center, 2013).

O3; EXISTENCE OF PAMB TO LIMIT ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF TOURISM

- The existence of this agency along with other relevant institutions that aims to protect the
municipality’s natural resources from the probable damages from Tourism (PCSD).
THREATS

T1; PRESSURE FROM INCREASING POPULATION AND EXPANSION OF TOURISM

- The main threat imposed on every Natural Resource is the rapid increase of Population which means
the subsequent increase on the resources demand. Without a proper framework for sustainable
management, the risk of supply deterioration is always at hang (CCRES, 2018).

T2; WATER POLLUTION

- Aside from supply overconsumption, increasing population contributes to Water Pollution, deterring
water quality due to release of untreated water from local sewage. Increase in the Tourism shows an
evident effect on water deterioration; untreated sewage from hotels and tourist frontlines are
contaminating natural surface water resources and infiltrates the groundwater resources

T3; LOW BUDGET ALLOCATIONS; NATIONAL AND SUB-NATIONAL LEVELS

- There is an obvious discrepancy on the budget allocations from the national level, 3% of the
National Budget is specifically allocated for Water Resources Management. However, this amount is
no to minimally given to sub-national level.

T4; ABSENCE OF WATER PROVIDING AGENCY

- Aside from MEEDO ENWSS which is responsible for supplying water in the Poblacion Barangays,
which is a small part of the whole municipality, there are no other Institutions organized to provide
water for domestic use.

T5; LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL PRESENCE FOR WRM

- Both Water and Sanitation System are under the management of MEEDO, with limited jurisdiction
and there are no existing agencies that held responsibilities on Water Resources Management.
 CHALLENGES TO EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF IWRM

1. Fragmentation
a. Currently there are over 40 agencies, institutions and departments that are independently
managing water supply, irrigation, flood control, pollution, watershed control, etc. Given this
Fragmented approach, although there are inter-sector coordination between one and two, there
are no holistic management planning and in fact it hinders effective management because of the
overlapping of roles and jurisdiction that doesn’t help the sustainability requirement (Barba).
2. Rapid Increase of Population
a. One of the main constraints on the effective Implementation of IWRM is the great increase in the
population. This consequently speeds-up the pace of urbanization and Land Conversion which
subtly affects the quality and quantity of water. The demand also becomes a problem, since
larger population means a lot of water requirements from food production, Irrigation and
economic aspects.
3. Climate Change
a. It is now an evitable issue that affects almost all the countries, and its effects are clearly
noticeable on the water resources. It creates water scarcity due to drought and alters the rainfall
quantity and schedule (Inc., 2004).
4. Lack of Water Allocation Framework
a. With the increasing population coupled with the aggravating water pollution and exacerbated by
the worsening state of Climate Change, priorities in the usage of water and development of water
resources is vividly slow and quite unprogressive in the city, which continuously experiences the
scarcity of water (Inc., 2004).
5. Weak Water Laws and Policies Enforcement
a. It is undeniable that only few may have been aware of the Existing laws and Policies on Water
and the significance of this for water sustainability. National Water Resources Board which has
the sole Jurisdiction on water related laws is non-existent in Both Areas, because of manpower
capacity constraints. Deputation of this function has not been proven effective (Barba).
6. Outdated Framework Plans and absence of Studies
a. Presidential Decree No. 1067 (Water Act of 1976) is last updated and revised on 2005 (Board N.
W., 2005), since then revisions of its existing rules and regulations weren’t done to adapt to the
changing demand of present circumstances. Studies on Water Resources have not since been
 conducted neither on the City of Puerto Princesa nor the Province, due to NWRB centralization;
priorities were set on Main Luzon, Central Visayas and the Mindanaos.
7. Unequal Water Supply-Demand
a. The City possess a theoretically sufficient water supply with its 115, 610 ha of watershed area,
however the efficient management from source to supply is not utilized. Supply is also affected
by the geographic and seasonal variations, which is heightened by the Climate Change causing
extreme drought and flooding. Added by the rising demand due to uncontrolled Population
increase.
8. Science-based Data Absence
a. Data and reliable water resources information system hinders the ability of authorities to make
critical water resources plans, projects and decisions. The importance of continuing programs for
water data collection is prioritized in a number of local publications. The Medium Term
Philippine Development Plan indicates that, "in the assessment of water resources, a coordinated
basic water data collection system for efficient and effective flow of information shall be
rationalized and institutionalized. Priority shall be given to research and development of
applicable and appropriate technologies for groundwater assessment and water conservation,
sanitation and pollution control both in concession areas and resource/watershed sites.'' In the
city, the established observations and data gathering are not sufficient in quantity (Inc., 2004).
9. Inadequate Water Infrastructure Facilities
a. Efficient water Supply and Management is dependent on the facilities that Controls the
sustainability of water. In the present, this is what the City is lacking, given that there are feasible
water resources unutilized, construction of water infrastructure could have greatly increase the
water stability of the city.
10. Drought
a. Palawan has been classified as a Drought and Desertification Vulnerable province of the
Philippines (Brief, 2011), and it is accurate. The City experiences drought on the dry season
which greatly affects the water resources capability to supply especially in the Elevated
barangays.