SIAO, Kristan Mario B.

GE-FEL ISE (Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship)

TOA: Unleashing Your Entrepreneurial Potential

1. Insights on the “Relationship Between Innovation and Creativity” video

As expressed in the video, innovation and creativity are two closely related ideas
that go hand-in-hand. Although not entirely synonymous concepts, both are concepts
that are very much applied in the field of entrepreneurship. Creativity is the mental
ability to imagine new ideas, and make spontaneous new associations & connections
between unrelated ideas & concepts. On the other hand, innovation is the physical
process of transforming such ideas into real world products and services. 

In better terms, one cannot innovate without the ability to provide creative and
imaginative ideas and solutions. A good example to clearly illustrate the difference
between creativity and innovation is: (1) providing a new and fresh solution to the waste
management issue in an area -- which is a mobile rewards-app that motivates
individuals to donate their recyclable trash in exchange for in-app currency and (2)
realizing this new and fresh idea by partnering with a tech-company and other related
business companies to try and build a prototype for the mobile app so that it can be
utilized by the general public. In the aforementioned example, the first (1) situation
explains creativity, while the second (2) explains innovation. Innovation is the
implementation and transformation of the idea garnered from the process of creativity.
So without a creative idea, one cannot pursue innovation. At the same time, a creative
idea is pointless without a properly conceptualized process on realizing it. With this, it is
safe to say that both creativity and innovation are mutually-beneficial concepts that
cannot work without the other.
 

2. Need and Innovative Opportunity Analysis

NEED AND INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS

Overview of Social Problem

In light of the waste management issue faced in the Philippines, this very same problem
is experienced specifically in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City, Cebu. More specifically, the
barangay has a history of violating proper waste disposal practices. For example, two
establishments, Tingon’s Bakery and Mad Comedy Restobar, were caught by the Solid Waste
Enforcement Team of improperly throwing their garbage on the road (Perolina, 2012).
Furthermore, a report states that 70 percent of the drainage system in Cebu clogs up whenever
it rains due to trash -- included in the list is Basak, Mandaue (Fernandez, 2018).
 With these being said, it is evident that collection & disposal practices, and systems can
be heavily improved in the area in order to eradicate this issue of improper waste management.
Proper waste management is an essential issue that needs to be addressed accordingly and
immediately. The garbage disposal of an area ultimately plays a significant role in the health
and well-being of the citizens of the said area, as well as their safety. With this, it is of great
importance to address this said issue currently faced in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City.

External Environment (PESTEL)

Political
● Engr. Amansio Doncoy, assistant chief of the Environment Management Bureau
(EMB), urged the barangay officials to lead by example so that the residents
themselves would strive to practice proper waste management.
● Doncoy said their teams do surprise inspections in homes and barangay halls and found
out that the barangay captain himself does not practice segregation in his home.
Economic
● Engr. Doncoy said they were monitoring 10 barangays in Mandaue City that don’t
have functional Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) which included Barangay
Basak.
Social
● Irresponsible waste disposal of the residents - the residents irresponsibly throw
their trash along the streets and in residential areas as well.
● Lack of knowledge regarding proper waste management - barangay officials and
experts must hold seminars to raise awareness regarding proper waste
management.
Technological
● Engr. Doncoy said they were monitoring 10 barangays in Mandaue City that don’t
have functional Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) which included Barangay
Basak.
Environmental
● Conducted Ecobricks Training Workshop - an eco brick workshop was conducted
for the Brgy Solid Waste Management Committee facilitated by Dann Diez, in
cooperation with Ecobricks Philippines
● Conducted SWMP School Awareness - the barangay has conducted a Solid
Waste Management Program School Awareness for Basak Elementary School
students and teachers.
● Have 4 eco-warden - According to the Best Practices on SWM of Mandaue City,
Barangay Basak has contributed 4 eco-wardens.
Legal
● 2 establishments violated the City Ordinance NO. 10-2006-372 - Mang Tinong’s
and Mad Comedy Resto Bar were issued citation tickets after being caught throwing
garbage on the road.

Root Cause Analysis

 The root cause of the solid waste management issue of Barangay Basak, Mandaue
is the negligence of the residents and establishments to their waste. Other causes of the
problem is the inadequate education, poor social implementation, low government funding
and absence of sustainable alternatives.

Environmental Landscape
Institutions/Persons Addressing the Social Issue

Ecobricks Philippines
The institution organized a workshop for the Barangay Solid Waste Management
Committee which was facilitated by Dann Diez. The Ecobrick Philippines organization is
all about sharing the various eco bricks activities and updates globally. Their mission is
to prevent plastic from destroying our biosphere under the environmental program of
SEED4COM. The organization is about spreading the various eco bricks activities
nationwide and zero waste practices in support of the Republic Act 9003 of the
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7)

This government agency called for volunteers to clean up the Butuanon river.
The river was declared dead in 1992 but is 25% rehabilitated as of 2015. DENR-7
strengthened the river policies and continues the river rehabilitation project. The regional
officer appealed to the people to take initiative in not throwing garbage into the river.

Mayor of Mandaue City

Mandaue City’s mayor warned the Mandauehanons in his first 100 days in office
speech that fines will be imposed on those that will not segregate their trash at home.
Two years ago, the city was finding a way to include a Waste Segregation Campaign in
 DepEd’s curriculum. The City Mayor also headed a rehabilitation project in which the
Umapad Dumpsite was converted into a Green Learning Ecopark. Tree planting and
maintenance activities then followed wherein the city partnered with San Miguel
Corporation.

Matching Interventions with Expectation

“Kwarta sa Basura” (Cash from Trash) Program
Local barangay officials initiated the “Kwarta sa Basura” project. Through
several female-composed organizations, the project was realized. These women, as
prime movers of the program, gathered recyclable trash of any sort weekly and brought
them to the collection site for the sole purpose of selling them. Partnering with different
buyers for the different recyclable materials, several barangays all over Cebu, including
Mandaue, formed a strategic partnership with these women, the buyers, and the
government to promote environmental sustainability. Furthermore, local malls and other
big establishments have reached out and partnered with the government to create their
own waste market programs and ultimately contribute to the program as a form of
corporate social responsibility.

Rehabilitation of the Umapad Dumpsite

As a development project under the Mandaue City government, Mayor Jonas

Cortes spearheaded the transformation of Umapad Dumpsite into an ecopark -- the
Mandaue Green Learning Park. The two-hectare park transformation was part of the
government’s effort to promote environmental sustainability. Furthermore, other areas of
the then-dumpsite were gifted to private corporations, such as San Miguel and DGS, for
the very same purpose of rehabilitating the environmental landscape of the area.
Through this intervention, the city was able to transform the landfill into a more decent
and habitable eco-park open to visitors.

Community River Clean-up Drives

Organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central

Visayas (DENR-7), the community clean-up drives is volunteerism-basis activity that
aims to clean different rivers over the region, including those found in Mandaue City.
Students, government representatives, and other volunteers make use of rice sacks and
gloves to collect the garbage found on these rivers in hopes of rehabilitating them
properly. The Butuanon River in Mandaue City, which was proclaimed dead in 1992, is
one of the locations for the clean-up drives.

Mandaue City Solid Waste Conceptual Framework

Mandaue City imposes a framework on the flow of solid wastes and how they
ultimately are disposed of from the main source to the receiver. The framework
specifically states that waste segregation must be practiced by the main source into
three main classifications: (1) biodegradable/compostable, (2) residual and hazardous,
or (3) non-biodegradable/ recyclable. For the biodegradable/compostable waste, these
 will go to the barangay material recovery facility (MRF) , while the non-
biodegradable/recyclable wastes will go to different recyclers/junk shops. Meanwhile,
the residual and hazardous waste will be handled by the municipality and will go to the
local city’s sanitary landfill.

Assessment Effectiveness of the Implemented Intervention

The interventions that were implemented by the concerned organizations or

institutions were beneficial in alleviating the social issue they are currently experiencing -
waste management. Among the interventions that were executed, I believe that the
Cash from Trash program would be the most effective solution. This would be mainly
because it would greatly motivate the residents around the area to properly dispose of
their garbage for them to be able to sell it to collection sites. This way, proper waste
management would serve them two purposes - cleaner surroundings and a way to earn
extra income. The program caters to the very root of the problem and seeks to address it
by encouraging the residents to pick up trash found not only in their homes but also
those lying idly around the streets. Clean-up drives may prove to be effective as well
since aside from cleaning the environment, it boosts community morale by establishing a
sense of camaraderie among the residents. Furthermore, classifying the waste into
different categories would allow the smooth flow of the disposal of garbage and the
means on how to reuse them for various purposes.

Although these solutions may greatly aid in minimizing the amount of trash
disposed irresponsibly, it should not be overlooked that this problem may continue to
reoccur in the future. Soon enough, proper education and periodic cleaning may not be
sufficient for proper waste management. Thus, various organizations must collaborate to
form a system that allows the consumption of single-use recyclable wastes to drop
drastically. Our reliance on these recyclable materials entails that we are accumulating
more waste at a staggering rate. If we don’t find an alternative solution that is both
accessible and affordable to the residents, the problem would continue to worsen as
time passes by. The researchers believe that the barangay must introduce a better
intervention/solution to lessen the amount of waste disposed every day.

Social Entrepreneurship Opportunity

Despite the addressed issues regarding waste management and the matching
interventions done about it, the issue still ceases to exist in the present study. With the
methods implemented previously, it was still unable to fully fix the problem on waste
management, especially in terms of waste collection and disposal. The aforementioned
interventions are simply not enough to entice and encourage households to properly
participate in the improvement of waste management. The researchers fully believe that
ordinary civilians and family households are the biggest factors in addressing this issue
properly. Therefore, in order to develop a deployable solution to a problem like this, one
should take into consideration the accountability factor that comes into play. One should
figure out a course of action that is both appealing and engaging to the target audience
-- in this case, the general household.

With this being said, the team has unanimously agreed on a concrete plan to
properly address this social issue. The team has decided to propose “e-Waste Recycle
and Earn”. “e-Waste Recycle & Earn” is a mobile application that aims to digitally
encourage Mandauehanons and other users to recycle their trash. Each user will have a
partner recycling collector, or they can personally donate their recyclable trash to the
nearest e-Waste Recycling Plant. To keep the users motivated, each time the users
donate their recyclable trash (depending on the weight of the waste), they will be given
reward points that can be accumulated in the in-app digital wallet, which can then be
converted and exchanged for coupons and vouchers from local partner-merchants
(ideally from the likes of companies such as Grab, Foodpanda, Shopee, ZALORA, etc.).

The collected trash of the users will undergo a series of stages before being fully-
recycled. The recyclable trash will be sorted depending on its material. Materials such as
Polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET Plastics), metal, paper, and rubber can undergo
the stage of “Mechanical Recycling”, where the products are transformed without
changing their chemical structure. Other non-mechanically-recyclables and corn-based
plastics (PLA) can undergo “Energy Recycling” by converting plastics into both thermal
and electric energy through the process of pyrolysis. Other highly valuable wastes can
be used to create new types of plastic through “Chemical Recycling” by stringing
together a large number of small, carbon-based molecules in an almost infinite variety of
ways to create polymer chains.

The products created from the Mechanical and Chemical Recycling will then be sold as
raw materials to different partner-manufacturers, while the products of the Energy
Recycling will be sold to the “Waste to Energy Facilities” (WTE facilities). The revenue of
the e-Waste Recycling Plant will be used for the operating cost, personnel salary, and
rewards, while the rest are to be kept as profit.

Through this proposed solution, the team firmly believes that this will highly motivate the
people of Barangay Basak, Mandaue to ultimately throw their trash responsibly, and
encourage recycling within the community. Unlike previous interventions, this solution
seeks to inspire Mandauehanons to collect their recyclable waste religiously, and in
return, earn rewards for such acts of kindness. Through this solution, the team considers
this a “win-win” situation for all parties involved -- the household users, the team’s
company, and all project partners. e-Waste Recycle & Earn seeks to eliminate the
current waste management issue through the use of such innovation and social
entrepreneurship.