The Philippine Clean Cities Project:

Promoting Waste Minimization Through Local Government

Burton Hamner1 and Anthony SF Chiu2

Keywords: Cleaner Production, Public Private Partnership, Local Government Unit, Multi-sector
involvement

ABSTRACT

The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) has partnered with the League of Cities of the
Philippines (LCP) to demonstrate that local governments can successfully reduce resource use and
waste generation in their own operations and in businesses and communities by applying the
principles of Cleaner Production. The project design has proven to be remarkably cost-effective
and should serve as a model for other municipal associations concerned about sustainable resource
use and waste management.

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Introduction

Solid waste management has long been a major concern for cities around the world. In some
regions, the available disposal facilities have reached their capacity and local governments are
faced with difficult decisions. The City of Seattle was faced with closure of its major landfill and a
serious need to control waste volumes. The City responded by aggressively promoting waste
separation and recycling by residents and businesses. This generated large quantities of recovered
materials. However, this was not matched by an increase in the processing technologies and
markets for these materials and the City quickly found itself with stockpiles of paper, plastics, and
other materials for which no commercially feasible processing technologies or markets existed.

Realizing that other cities in the state would soon face similar problems, in 1988 the Clean
Washington Center (CWC) was established. Over the next ten years, the CWC became a national
Recycling Center of Excellence and produced over 300 technical reports on recycling technologies
and market development. From 1997 onward, the CWC’s remaining projects and its knowledge
base were merged into the Pacific Northwest Economic Region.

In 1998, PNWER received a grant from the US-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) to bring
the CWC’s recycling expertise to the Philippines. PNWER found that the private sector was
relatively uninterested in recycling technologies, because they have relatively low costs for waste
disposal and little governmental incentive to pursue recycling. However PNWER made contacts
with the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) and found great interest in recycling and waste
minimization. The LCP represents over 100 cities in the Philippines, including almost all the
largest cities and provincial capitals.

Solid Waste Management Challenges in the Philippine Cities

1
Lead author. President, CleanerProduction.com. bhamner@cleanerproduction.com
2
Consultant, CDG EMCBP Project. ac@tri-isys.com

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Solid waste management is a major cost for Philippine cities. The mayors who met with PNWER
estimated that they spend between 10 and 20 percent of their budgets on waste management. This
estimate is supported by sources such as the World Bank, which estimates that the urban areas of
Asia now spend about US$25 billion on solid waste management per year; this figure will increase
to about US$47 billion in 2025. [1]

Cities in developing countries typically produce about 0.5 – 1 kg. of solid waste per day per capita.
Management costs for collection, transfer and disposal range between $20 and $60 per ton, with
collection being about 70% of the total costs. Using the low-end estimates of these ranges (0.5
kg/day @ $20/ton), a city of 100,000 people might expect to spend about $365,000 per year on
solid waste management. However this is no doubt an underestimate since it multiplies two low-
end values and also does not include the cost of acquiring land for disposal, which is both
expensive and highly political due to local community resistance to new garbage dumps. It may be
more realistic to estimate that solid waste management costs cities in developing countries about $5
per capita per year. Thus a city of a million people would spend at least several million dollars per
year on solid waste management, even allowing for some economies of scale. This corresponds to
findings by the World Bank and other agencies. While some cities are able to recover some of the
costs through waste fees, a large portion of the population in cities in developing countries are
slum-dwellers who cannot be charged for waste collection. Even with some cost recovery, solid
waste management costs cities a very large amount of money. And unlike municipal costs for
education and infrastructure, costs for waste management do not have a tangible return on
investment.

In the Philippines, PNWER found that the mayors who are the members of the LCP are extremely
aware and concerned about these facts. The politics of waste management are also a major concern
because many landfills are reaching capacity, and the mayors must negotiate, often at peril to their
elected positions, with neighboring communities for new landfill sites. Thus the LCP members
were very interested in any solutions that could reduce the volume of waste being generated by
their cities.

Fortunately, the Philippines has seen some notable successes with waste minimization. The US
Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and other donors have sponsored large
and small projects to demonstrate the concepts of Cleaner Production (CP) to industry and
government. CP is the term used by the United Nations around the world for practices that prevent
pollution at the source through increased efficiency, product changes and better management
methods. In the Philippines and elsewhere, thousands of companies have found that they can
reduce water and energy use and waste generation, typically by 20-30%, with little or no capital
investment, by applying CP methods.

PNWER and the LCP therefore organized a training program on CP for LCP member cities. It was
conducted by a prominent CP expert and included concepts such as process analysis, cost of waste
measurement and environmental accounting, the CP hierarchy of waste solutions (source reduction,
waste reduction, recycling and finally disposal), green teams, and more. A dozen cities sent senior
representatives to the two-day training event in Manila. This was the first time these
representatives had learned of CP and its potential for reducing municipal waste management costs
and the training was eagerly received.

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The Clean Cities Project

Following the training program, the city representatives and the LCP secretariat decided to initiate
a program with PNWER to promote CP to member cities. The Clean Cities project was established
to help a group of pilot cities learn about and implement CP practices with the objective of
reducing waste management costs, improving efficiency and productivity, and creating social
benefits from having cleaner and greener cities. Twelve cities decided to participate in the pilot
project.

City Name Population

1. Angeles City 300,000
2. Antipolo 1,300,000
3. Bais 68,000
4. Dagupan 130,000
5. Iloilo 363,000
6. La Carlota 56,000
7. Mandaue 300,000
8. Naga City 130,000
9. Island Garden City of 83,000
Samal
10. San Fernando 102,000
11. Tagaytay 32,000
12. Toledo 130,000

The importance of Cleaner Production to the cities can be estimated using the World Bank
parameters described above. With about 3 million people in the twelve cities, the cost of solid
waste management to the cities can be conservatively estimated as follows:

3,000,000 people
x 0.5 kg solid waste/day/per capita
= 1500 tons per day, or 547, 500 tons per year
= $10,950,000 per year @ $20/ton

Following the experience of Cleaner Production world wide, it is quite reasonable to expect that
solid waste volumes could be reduced by at least 10% by promoting and implementing CP
methods, not including new investment. Such a reduction could well save the twelve participating
cities over a million dollars per year in total, counting only the avoided waste management costs.
Since CP is based on improving efficiency and productivity, there would also be revenue gains
from increased profitability and tax collection in the cities, and political benefits from this positive
and non-regulatory approach.

Clean Cities Project Structure

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PNWER provided additional training to the city representatives in group workshops. However it
was apparent to all that they would need to have additional training in their own cities. To meet
this need, PNWER and LCP developed a novel approach that has proved to be very cost-effective.
With funding from USAID via PNWER, the LCP hired two experienced city managers from two of
the participating cities. They were hired on six-month contracts and paid the equivalent of their
city salaries. Effectively, the cities loaned their staff to the project at cost. The sponsoring mayors
supported this largely because they realized that, at the end of the project, their returning staff
would be experts in CP for cities and would become assets in their own communities. This enabled
the project to be staffed at a very low cost compared to other development projects staffed by
professional consultants hired at market rates.

To assist the cities, the two trainers were assigned to northern and southern regions of the country.
They each traveled to six cities on a circuit, returning every few months to conduct another
workshop and help the city progress. This “circuit rider” concept has been very effective at
maintaining the momentum of the project and for helping the cities learn from each other. The cost
of in-country travel was covered by the PNWER funds and in fact amounted to about half of the
funding. The trainers quickly became familiar with the challenges and opportunities faced by the
cities and were able to identify and share common solutions.

An important development was the decision of the participating cities to practice Cleaner
Production concepts on themselves, before promoting CP to local companies and communities.
They agreed to initiate CP projects at their City Halls, focusing on water and energy conservation,
paper minimization, waste segregation, composting of food waste and other topics. They also
recognized the importance of the city as a purchaser of goods and services. In many of the cities,
the local government is the largest individual buyer of goods and services. As such it has potential
to create market demand for improved environmental performance, which will thereby stimulate an
entrepreneurial response from companies eager to do business with the city.

To further encourage the city representatives, PNWER organized an international Workshop on

Pollution Prevention for Sustainable Cities, held in Seattle, Washington in May 2001. This
workshop was attended by a dozen Philippine project representatives and also by another 30
participants from 7 other countries. They heard from local experts and program staff about
successful methods for recycling and conservation and had many opportunities to see effective
projects in action. The participants reported that it was very helpful for them to see the kinds of
results that they could eventually expect and they were highly motivated to emulate the successes
in their own cities.

Project Results to Date

The appendix contains the fact sheets showing summary results from each city. In all of them the
CP projects at City Hall resulted in measurable savings in water, energy, paper use and waste
generation. For example in more details, the Tagaytay City Hall reduced its daily solid waste
volume by 25% by relatively simple methods of waste separation. In Iloilo City, the number of
daily bags of garbage from City Hall was reduced from eleven to two. In Dagupan City the
procurement of office supplies was reduced by 30% over a 4-month period, thus saving on

4
purchasing costs. Their water and electric bills were reduced from 10 – 15%. Naga City reduced
office supply purchases by 10% and saved millions of pesos per year by reducing air conditioning
by two hours every day throughout all government offices by simply turning it on later in the
morning, turning it off at lunch, and turning off earlier in the evening.

 La Carlota: TOTAL solid waste 37%, = 15

tons/day!
 Tagatay City Hall: Solid waste 25%
 Iloilo City Hall: Solid waste 88%
 Bais City Hall: Water 10%, electricity 15%,
solid waste 20%
 Dagupan: Office procurement 30%; water and
energy 10-15%
 Antipolo City Hall: Electricity 10%

 Bais City: Involved five neighborhoods and 300

vendors
 Dagupan City: CP Project includes reps from 28
out of 31 neighborhoods
 Iloilo: Involved 160 out of 180 neighborhoods in
42 km2 area
 EVERY city CP program is led by the Mayor
 Project Budget: 13 Cities, 2 full time trainers:
$30k/year! $15k just for travel.

These quick and obvious results have helped the Mayors to embrace CP practices and endorse the
project. In fact, this may be the most important project result so far. In all the cities, the Mayors
joined in the initial workshops to learn about the potential for CP and to endorse its importance to
the community. This is a critically important outcome because, especially in the smaller cities, the
Mayor has great influence and authority. In the Philippines, businesses must have an annually-
renewed Mayor’s Operating Permit for their business. This is primarily to aid in tax collection, but
in fact the Mayors have the discretion to withdraw the permit to operate if they feel it is necessary.
Of course they hardly ever do so, but business owners are quite aware of this power and therefore
are very responsive to the Mayors’ requests that they join in CP training and try applying the
concepts to their own operations. Other leading city officials also joined in the workshops. As a

5
result the cities have very strong top-level support for CP, and they are convinced that it works
because they have made it happen in their own operations at City Hall.

The participation in the workshops has been excellent, due to this top-level support. Invitations to
the workshops came from the City Hall, and leading business owners and managers and other
community leaders attended. Some of the workshops were for mixed government and industry
audiences; others were just for government or for industry. In all cases they resulted in a great deal
of brainstorming and problem solving. As CP experience around the world has demonstrated,
many solutions for CP can be found when the attention of managers is directly focused on the
problems. Also, the sharing of information about common problems and solutions inspired many
participants to recognize their own opportunities for the first time.

While data is still being collected on the reductions of wastes from communities and business as a
result of the project, it is clear that it has inspired the private sector and communities to begin
reducing and conserving resources. In some of the cities, the top polluting companies were
identified and invited into the program, and they signed agreements with the city to initiate CP
programs in their companies. In other cities the focus has been on local communities or barangays
and on household separation of wastes. In all cases, the identification of priorities and
opportunities was done voluntarily and cooperatively, which has produced strong support for the
project throughout the communities.

Next Steps

The participating cities have initiated a wide range of projects, as outlined in the attached
summaries. More data on results is being collected, since measurement is a vital part of CP and has
been continually emphasized throughout the project. With the experience of applying CP
successfully to their own operations, the local governments now have the confidence and expertise
to promote it further to businesses and the community.

The LCP has decided to establish a permanent office of environmental management to continue
supporting the Clean Cities project. The next major challenge will be expanding the number of
participating cities. The circuit-rider concept for staffing has proved to be very successful and cost-
effective so far, but adding more cities requires adding more staff for the training circuit. The LCP
is considering a range of options for funding these additional staff, including subscription fees from
participating cities, corporate sponsorship and foreign donor support. The US-Asia Environmental
Partnership regards the project as a success and is planning to provide further financial support.
Most importantly, a number of other cities have observed the results to date and have asked to join
in the program.

Lessons Learned

The Clean Cities Project has revealed several lessons that are very important for organizations
seeking to promote environmentally sustainable businesses and communities:

Local governments are the best paying customer for Cleaner Production concepts. Experience has
shown that industry itself is not interested in CP because waste is not a major concern of most

6
managers, and they are unconcerned about environmental agencies or donor programs trying to
promote CP. But local governments are intensely interested in reducing waste volumes because it
is a major budget and political issue for them. They can apply CP to their own operations, and
most importantly, become effective promoters of it. While a local company might ignore a
national environmental agency’s efforts, it is much more likely to pay attention when the Mayor
invites them to learn about CP, because the Mayor and the local government have real power to
affect the business.

Cleaner Production creates many different benefits for local governments at very low costs. These
include reduced costs for solid waste disposal, and also reduced costs for water and energy
supplies. Because it is based on principles of better operations management, CP also improves
efficiency and productivity and can improve the local economy, thus increasing local revenues.
Finally, it is a highly participatory and partnership-based concept and is politically positive. A
number of participating Mayors in the project have said they see this as a “legacy” project that will
leave their positive mark on their cities. To obtain these benefits does not take capital investment;
rather it takes commitment and coordination and voluntary action. Thus it is unusually cost-
effective.

Many communities can participate at very low cost. The project has a budget of about $60,000 to
support 12 participating cities for a full year, with an expectation of eventually saving them over a
million dollars per year in avoided waste management costs alone. Compared to many other efforts
to reduce waste and pollution, this is extraordinarily cost-effective. The secret has been the use of
city staff on loan to the project, which keeps labor costs very low. Working through a municipal
association allows many cities to participate and share experiences. In the future, the cities might
rotate the circuit-rider assignments among their staff, thus greatly increasing their own staff
capacities while building the overall capacity of the project.

Reference:

[1] Hoornweg, D. and L. Thomas. “What A Waste: Solid Waste Management in Asia.” Urban
and Local Government Working Paper Series #1, Washington, DC, 1999.
[2] Bartone, C.R. "Financial Management of Urban Solid Waste Services: Lessons from a
Decade of World Bank Lending", World Bank Partnership in Municipal Solid Waste Management
workshop, Cairo, Egypt, April 2000.

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ANGELES CITY Project Champions

Angeles City now known as the “entertainment City Mayor:

city” of Central Luzon lies in the western part and Hon. Carmelo F. Lazatin
16 kilometers away from the provincial capital of
Pampanga. Project Implementers:
1. Mayor Carmelo
Angeles City was the formerly the home of the largest American
Military Base in Asia. The City was severely affected by the US Lazatin
base’s immediate pull out after the great eruption of Mt. Pinatubo 2. Department Heads
in 1991. Angeles City is now rising from the ashes by regaining its 3. AC Clean and Green
economic status and surpassing feats independently of the US bases,
a feat before accomplished by any city or province in the Council
Philippines. 4. Lingap Pandan
5. Pandan barangay
Angeles City joined the CCC Project in 2002 and expected that the
CCC Project will provide necessary technical and financial officials
assistance to the local government.
Angeles city is located in
CCC and priority issues of the city the western part of the
• Energy Conservation (City Halls / Barangays)
province and 16 kilometers
• Recycling
away from the provincial
• Solid Waste Management
capital of Pampanga. It is
• Advocacy on Environmental Ordinances / Laws
bordered on the north and
• “Economy of Garbage” (Pera sa Basura)
northeast by the towns of
• Public-private partnership: cooperation of the
Mabalacat and Magalang,
Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce & Inc. respectively.
(MACCI), Furniture Group, Friendship Wash & Dry, Zenith Insurance Comp., TIPCO,
Weavers Craft (AWECA Group of Companies), and MECCA

CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE:

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION PROGRAM

 Assessed current energy consumption to establish baseline data
 Consultative meetings with NGO’s for guidelines on energy efficiency
 Cost-sharing scheme with barangay and budget cut down
 Site visits and exchange programs for barangay
 Taped TV and radio programs for information campaigns.
 Formal Launch of CCC reaching around 60 individuals including city councilors
 Encourage schools to adopt Waste management and Conservation Programs

8
SPONSORED ENVIRONMENT-RELATED BILL Angeles City has a total land
 Allocation of budget for drainage system area of 6,432.82 hectares
 Creation of new slaughterhouse that meets divided among its 33
the requirements of the National Inspection barangays, with a
Commission population of 300,000.
Similar to any town in
TO ESTABLISH MATERIALS RECYCLING FACILITY Central Luzon, Angeles City
 ENCOURAGE SETTING UP OF Material has two pronounced
recycling facilities seasons: dry from
November to April and wet
the rest of the year. In
FUTURE PLANS summer, it is very hot due
• Cut down on the City hall’s energy to humidity coming from Mt.
consumption Pinatubo. During the rainy
• Provide livelihood resources especially for season, residents are
women (“Pera Sa Basura”) in the Barangays
• Maintain / Improve status as Regional Clean &
Green Champion For more info, contact:
Hon. Vicky Vega
Councilor, City of Angeles
Tel: (045) 893-1316
Fax: (045) 323-4105
E-mail: Arthurcabigting@yahoo.com

9
ANTIPOLO CITY Project Champions

City Mayor:
The municipality of Antipolo was officially Hon. Angelito Gatbalayan
transformed into a component city in February 1998.
Project Implementers:
Agriculture used to be the main livelihood here. 1. City government
Emerging entrepreneurs eventually spiced up the 2. Department heads
economic diversity of Antipolo. The City has 3. Private companies
preserved many of its green areas and has gained around the city
popularity for its wide, low-lying valleys and rolling
hills.
Antipolo City has a
CCC and Priority issues of the City population of 1,312,480.
*None identified* The City has a land area
of 130,383 hectares.
CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE:
Antipolo City with a
concerted effort of the
ADOPTED “BASURA MO, PAMASKO KO” PROGRAM different sectors and
 Orientation training of the employees organizations was able to
 Partnership of women (Green Ladies Association) fulfill its listed programs
and youth associations and activities. Great
 Established livelihood projects using waste impact was manifested
materials as a significant 10%
savings on electricity of
REQUIREMENT FOR COMPANIES TO SIGN A PLEDGE ON the city hall and
ENVIRONMENTAL MANANGEMENT (SOLID WASTE AND recovered 27 kilos of
AIR EMISSIONS) waste paper for reuse.
 Identified 16 polluting industries to aim at In addition, a pledge was
minimizing waste signed in order to ensure
cooperation of
SETTING UP OF ECOLOGY CENTER FOR 16 companies from different
BARANGGAYS industries for
 Orientations and seminars for barangays, covered environmental
31 out 38 barangays management. This is
 Budget allocation significant in identifying
 Received grants from a Korean donor for a the 16 industry pollutants
composting machine. in the city.
The help gathered from
the Korean donor in
FUTURE PLANS setting up ecology
*None identified* centers was likewise
substantial in realizing
the environmental
responsibility of the City.

10
BAIS CITY
Project Champions
Bais is a Visayan word for an elongated, eel-like fish. But
like most places in the country, whose names were the City Mayor:
result of a language barrier, this particular aquatic Hon. Hector Villanueva
species succeeded in attaining epic prominence by a
stroke of luck. Project Implementors:
1. Mayor Villanueva
The City has a total land area of 31,690 hectares, 9,000 2. Dr. Alfredo Maturan
hectares of which is used for sugarcane farming. More 3. Radyo Natin FM (radio
than 100,000 tons of sugar are produced annually by two station)
sugar mills in Bais. This makes sugar farming the primary 4. Sugar Mill industries:
source of livelihood among Baisanons. Aquaculture ranks Central Azoucarera de
in second in the north and south bases. The City Bais (CAB), United Robina
maintains a population of 68,115 and has 35 barangays. Sugar Milling Corp.
(URSMCO)
CCC and Priority Issues of the City 5. Mr. Johannes Paul –
German Development
Bais has been very active in the CCC project, having the city mayor himself Service (GDS)
participating in the CCC workshops. Bais City joined the Clean Cities Center 6. Engr. Eric Laxina – City
(CCC) project to develop its strategies for environmental improvement and
to get support for its other plans: Planning & Development
Office (CPDO)
a) Reduce or prevent pollution by local industries. 7. Ms. Cindy Cabio
Training local experts within the city helps industry practice cleaner production in
analyzing their operations and finding ways to lessen resource usage and waste
generation profitably.

b) Recycle solid wastes or by-products and treat liquid wastes from local industries and
communities. This can be done through technical analysis of waste sources, types,
quantity and appropriate technologies.

c) Develop new eco-business that turns wastes into commercial by-products. This green
market can be supported by economic and market analysis and joint ventures with
technology providers.

The City has made a list of its priority issues:

 Enhancing strategy of treating sugarcane waste

• Enhancing solid waste management system especially in the sugar mills industry
• Utilizing organic residues from agricultural and sugar industry
• Determining environmental factors and conducting awareness campaigns
• Developing water resource management

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CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE With a strong initial
endorsement from the
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Mayor, the project helped
 Entrepreneurship and education the city hall save its
 Waste Management orientation seminar resources, i.e. 10% savings
 Promoting 3 R’s Awareness Program (Recycle, Reuse, on water, 15% savings on
Recover) electricity, and an at
 Strategic plan for 2001-2006 (integrated environment source reducting. Urban
and waste management plan) solid waste was reduced by
 Two barangay material recovery centers established 20% through citywide solid
waste management efforts.
SOLID WASTE ORDINANCE BEING IMPLEMENTED
 Orientation seminar conducted targeting CAB, IEC on the CCC project
URSMCO, representatives from medium & light reached out to five
industry, NGOs barangays and public
 5 year plan developed markets, including 15 city
officers and 300 vendors.
CONSULTANCY FOR PRODUCTION AND SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN THE SUGAR IEC on solid waste
MILL INDUSTRY management, on the other
 Orientation held with the German Development hand, reached out to 4000
Service individuals from the
 Identified problem of air pollution coming from smoke households, city offices and
stacks in sugar cane manufacturing areas public markets.
 15% savings on the generation of mutress, a waste
product that can be used as fertilizer; large The City of Bais also looked
productions come from two major sugar mills into the possibility of using
its indigenous resources,
INNOVATION OF SANITARY LANDFILL/ IMPROVEMENT OF e.g. agricultural wastes
PUBLIC MARKET converted to organic
 Consultation with DOST and MGB on the feasibility of fertilizer or used as clay
using indigenous resources, e.g. clay lining for the lining for the landfill.
sanitary landfill
 Executive Order issued by the city mayor
 The CCC organized a Technical Working Group to monitor implementation and
progress

FUTURE PLANS
 Develop of domestic wastewater management system
 Ban open pit burning of residential waste and incinerating commercial waste
 Reduce of soil erosion through integrated wastewater management
 Improve the surface water and freshwater bodies affected by precipitation or
overland flow

12
DAGUPAN CITY Project Champions

The province occupies the northern portion of the City Mayor:

central plains of Luzon with its eastern and western Hon. Alipio Fernandez
pieces forming peninsulas that extend out into the Jr.
China Sea. Dagupan City is the transportation hub of
Pangasinan from Manila. Project
Implementers:
34 department heads, division
Dagupan is rich in marine resources particularly in aquaculture, with
head of city government and 17
trade and commerce as the major economic activities. It is also the
managers of food establishment
center for education and health services. The city has a diverse cultural
heritage being the melting pot of people from northern Luzon.

CCC and Priority Issues of the City

Dagupan City consists
 Solid waste management and waste reduction of 31 barangays and a
 Sanitary landfill population of 130,260.
 River dredging and grove re-vegetation
 Vehicle volume reduction
 Sewerage and waste management facility

CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE: Dagupan City became a

significant model and a case
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM study for neighboring
 Paper use efficiency communities and other city
 Waste minimization and segregation halls due to its advocacy on
implemented energy conservation and its
 Continuing IEC program on waste
 Recycling management.

The city hall monitored 20%

reduction in waste and 30%
reduction on procurement of
office supplies from
September to December.

The Mayor organized a

multi-sectoral participation
to form a Solid Waste
Management Technical
Working Group representing
28 barangays out of the
total 31. Adopting the Award
Program contributed well in
ENERGY/ WATER CONSERVATION ENCOURAGED IN the realization of the CCC
OFFICES AND SCHOOLS program in Dagupan City.

For more info, contact:

Mr. Reginaldo Ubando
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 Assessment conducted to develop baseline data
 Continuing IEC
 Internal Control Unit strengthened
 Shift to environmentally sustainable products with streetlights being changed

BACKYARD AND CLEAN PROGRAM

 Sanitary Landfill
 Special training on composting for 3 barangays
 Award Program adopted

FUTURE PLANS

 Address the problem on sewerage and waste water treatment facilities

 Preserve natural resources such as fishponds, rivers, and mangrove system and
sustainable aquifers
 Address the general traffic problem and the increasing volume of vehicles clogging
city routes

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ILOILO CITY Project Champions
Iloilo province is the jewel of the South Orient and the origin of the local
Ilonggo’s folk, wisdom, and tradition. Iloilo City has so much to give for City Mayor:
its people to see and appreciate. Iloilo is primarily an agricultural city. Hon. Geronimo Treñas
The supply of rice is not only limited to the region but is also distributed
to various regions in the Philippines. Even then, Iloilo’s economy posesses
widespread reach in the commercial and industrial sectors. It is blessed Implementers / Partners
with rich natural and aquatic resources, extending its market share both
1. City Solid Waste
locally and internationally. Iloilo is known as a supplier of fish for Japan’s
canning industry. Manager
2. City Environmental
Management System
CCC and Priority Issues of the City Team
3. Chairman and
Iloilo City sees the CCC project as a helpful medium for its projects. Its constituents
anticipate assistance in facilitating resource mobilization as well as technical assistance
in conducting capacity building activities like workshops, study tours and action learning
exercises on the environment.

The City prioritizes solid and liquid waste management issues:

A. SOLID WASTE
 Poor IEC and advocacy initiatives on proper solid waste management, which in turn
aggravates the amount of city garbage estimated at 228.45 tons per day
 Insufficient supply of properly designed equipment, facilities and other
infrastructure to support for area-based and city wide SWM

B. DRAINAGE, SEWERAGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

 Worsening flood conditions particularly in Jaro, Mandurriao and La Paz due to the
constricted waterways and increased silting
 Inadequacy of structural arrangements and development programs

15
CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE The CCC project reached
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM out to 160 of 180
• Develop an action plan barangays last
• Encourage recycling particularly in households and among employees September 2001. More
ESWM PROGRAM
seminars are lined up for
• Orientation for the barangays year 2002. The 180
• Training and seminar for pilot barangays, scheduled at 3 barangays barangays cover the city
per district. There are 21 pilot barangays in the 7 districts of the land area of 41.94 sq.
city.
km. and a total
population of 365,820.
FUTURE PLANS
The training seminars
also provided the city
The City wants to decrease its per capital waste
hall employees with the
generation by at least 30% in 2006 and by 70% at the
tools on resource
end of 2010. Maximizing the existing Calajunan
conservation. City hall
dumpsite and extending its life to at least 10 years and
garbage significantly
preserving the city’s structures and sites is also among
its future plans. took a drop from 11
garbage bags per day to
only 2 bags per day.

Through the CCC

project, the City Hall
regained its positive
image of being a clean
city as reported by the
media.

For more info, contact:

16
LA CARLOTA CITY
Project Champions:
La Carlota City is situated at the southern Part of Negros
Occidental. Bacolod City borders it on the north and is also City Mayor:
connected on the east by the Cities of San Carlos and Canlaon, Hon. Luis Jalandoni III
Guimaras Strait on the west, municipalities of Valladolid and
Pulupandan on the southwest, and on the northwest by the City CCC Implementors:
of Bago. La Carlota is primarily an agricultural city, inhabited 1. Mayor Luis
mostly by people coming from different places in the island of Jalandoni III
Panay. The City has an ample source of manpower in 2. SP Members
commerce and industry, agriculture, and information 3. Kabataang
technology. The City’s economy is centered on the sugar Barangay (Youth
industry while medium-sized commercial establishments are Council)
concentrated in the urban center. 4. Department

CCC and Priority Issues of the City

Through the CCC Project, the City government of La Carlota

La Carlota has a land area of
expected to learn effective strategies on waste minimization. 137.29 square kilometers and
Through this, they could realize economic rewards by reducing has a population of 56,408.
the usage of office supplies. From a macro perspective, La
Carlota aims to become an environmentally sound local
government unit by implementing a pollution prevention
program.

(a) Inefficient dispersion of office supplies

(b) Outmoded office equipment and machineries
(c) Poor state of public health and sanitation
(d) Inefficient management of domestic waste
(e) Aimed at the control and prevention of air and water pollution

17
 CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE The City showed a drop in
actual energy consumption of
WASTE MINIMIZATION AND POLLUTION PREVENTION streetlights and in the city hall
WITHIN CITY HALL AND BARANGAYS of about 33% from PhP
113,947 to PhP 77,000 since
 Issuance of Executive Order to effect waste the CCC Project started.
minimization
 Orientation and training workshop Upon implementation of a
 Ecological balance pollution prevention program,
 Waste segregation and waste management the City was able to recycle
 Pollution preventive methods, especially using 37.5% of its total waste. This
the preventive maintenance in the City Hall prevents 15 tons of waste
facilities going to the controlled
 Waste minimization program dumpsite.

Through the channel of the

barangays, especially the
FUTURE PLANS Youth Council in the pilot
barangays, the pollution
The major objective of the City government of La prevention program
Carlota is the total completion of the landfill, disseminated to the general
where more than a half is already completed. Motor public the importance of
tricycles will be eliminated, these being the major pollution prevention. Three
pollutants in the urban area. pilot barangays were initially
selected to explain with the
methodologies of pollution
prevention.

18
 Project Champions
MANDAUE CITY
City Mayor:
Considered the Industrial capital of Cebu Province, Hon. Thadeo Ouano
Mandaue is the province’s smallest city with only
32.96 square kilometers in total land area but with a Project
relatively large population than the province’s other Implementers:
cities. The national government has categorized *None identified*
Mandaue as a highly urbanized city with economic
stability and growth.

CCC and Priority issues of the City

*No data gathered*

CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE:

WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

 Memorandum Order issued by the City Mayor designating a Recycling Officer per
building in the city hall
 Trainings for department heads were held
 Total Quality and Environmental Management action plan was developed and
implemented
 Zoning permit was issued to encourage recyclers to re-locate
 Segregation bins were donated by shipping company to use as garbage containers for
the City hall and the barangays
 Recyclers and junk shops were linked to sources/suppliers
 Energy efficiency was promoted
 New strategy for handling special waste was developed
 The City identified 16 polluting industries

ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

 Anti-Littering and anti vandalism strongly enforced
 Core groups of Environmental Management System working with USAEP
 Close monitoring of fuel consumption by LGU vehicles
 Medical Waste Thermal Plant to open in 2002

MANDAUE ENVIRONMENT CODE PASSED

 Other environment laws being enforced

19
ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
FOR BARANGGAY LEVEL
 Nightly IEC at barangays and household
 4 model barangays selected and trained
Mandaue City has a total population
of 300,000 and the place is
strategically located near almost all
of the country’s major tourist spots,
including exotic white sandy
beaches and islets famous for scuba
diving.

ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM TO CLUSTER FAMILIES For more info, contact:

 Assigned one Environmental Officer per cluster Mr. Serafin Blanco
 Environment Officer to coordinate various Tel: (032) 345-2035
programs and projects within these clusters Fax: (032) 346-0784
 Benchmarking (values per project and while Email:
project is being implemented) mandaue@cvis.net.ph
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM WITH INDUSTRIES ALONG
BUTUAN RIVER
 Negotiating common wastewater treatment plant

FUTURE PLANS
*None identified*

20
 Project Champions
NAGA CITY City Mayor:
Hon. Sulpicio S. Roco Jr.
Naga is said to have been named after the Bicolano Project Implementors
word naga for narra trees or, as some believed, for 1. Mayor Sulpicio Roco
wild ducks that were then both in abundance. 2. Mr. Simeon Adan –
Naga City, in the province of Camarines Sur is Chairman, Sangguniang
surrounded by rich agricultural plains, forest Panlungsod
reserves, and fishing products. 3. Naga City Solid Waste
Mgt. Board
Knowledge to be gained through the CCC was
greatly anticipated by the citizens of Naga City. The City wants to make progress
through their tourism project, to
CCC and priority issues of the city increase more opportunities that
• Putting up a controlled dumpsite will engage to livelihood
• Environmental project: “Naga Cares” program, peace and order and
• Issues in housing technology transfer (unique
• Anti-drug campaign quality of life).
• Anti-smoke belching campaign The land area of the city is about
84.48 sq km, has 27 barangays

CCC PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES DONE 22 members of the Solid Waste

Management Board benefited
ISSUED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR WASTE MINIMIZATION AND WASTE
SEGREGATION the ESWM program including
 Incentive scheme for City employees (e.g. government offices and NGOs:
holiday package, scholarship and trips) DTI, DENR, CENRO. DECS, PNP,
DILG, City Planning
COUNCIL RESOLUTION PASSED MANDATING CITY Development Office (CPDO), City
EMPLOYEES TO PRACTICE ESWM Engineer’s Office, some day care
 IEC for city hall employees and junk dealers centers, Knights of Rizal, and
Ladies in Green Foundation, Inc.
ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION BEING Naga City saved 8-10% on office
PROMOTED supplies consumption through
recycling and waste segregation.
 Electric meter being installed per department
Waste products were reduced by
to monitor energy consumption
20% by selling plastics, cartons
and other recyclables to Manila.
Presently only 10 tons of trash
FUTURE PLANS
are brought to Manila every
week. The City saved 15% of
Continuously implement the projects. In the future, the City plans
to implement its “4 S” program: Sell Naga, Serve Naga, Share Naga waste, lessening eyesore areas
and Store Naga. and reducing occurrence of
diseases (e.g. colds, diphtheria,
pulmonary diseases).

For more info, contact:

Ms. Erlinda Bayle
Division Chief Socio – Cultural
21
ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL
Project Champions

The Island Garden City of Samal (IgaCoS) is a newly

created City. Despite its youth the City has risen to City Mayor:
prominence, even shortly before it was converted into Hon. Rogelio P. Antalan
a city in March 1998, Its conversion owes it much to
the City’s natural endowments and vast eco-tourism Implementers of CCC:
potentials. In fact, it has been identified as one of the 1. Mayor Rogelio
two islands in the Philippines groomed to become the Antalan
tourism hubs of the future, as laid out in the Medium 2. Tourism Council
Term Philippine Tourism Master Plan (MTPDP). 3. Multi-sectoral

CCC and Priority issues of the city

• Water Systems
• Coastal Resources Management
• Housing Concern
• Revitalizing of Flora and Fauna
• Eco-Tourism as Develop Paradigm

CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE

ISSUE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER ON ESWM

 CCC Orientation for Vice-Mayor, Councilors, and Department Heads in August 2001
 Green building using SWOT Analysis
 Analysis / Framework
 Efficiency Advocacy
 Business Incubation (seek buyers of wastes or by-products)
 IEC – radio jingles, stickers, billboards
 Distribution of book containing environmental messages authored by the City Mayor

GREENING OF CITY
 Shift to sanitary landfill
 Regular tree planting
 Conducted Inter-LGU study supported by CIDA

`CLEANER PRODUCTION PROGRAM

 IEC – Cleanliness and Waste Reduction
 Four barangays out of 46 initially selected as pilot areas. Now expanded to 10 pilots
under redemption cut
 Segregation of waste in schools

22
CLEANER PRODUCTION PROGRAM IN TOURISM The Island Garden City of
INDUSTRY Samal has a total land area
 IEC of 288.44 square
 Tourism Council established. 17 members from kilometers. The total
various sectors – (representative sits as ex-officio population is 82,609.
member of SWM Council); emphasize dialogue For more info, contact:
not command and control approaches Mr. Cleto Bravo Gales Jr.
 CCC Orientation for tourism sector (resorts, Tel: (082) 562-7037
restaurants, and transportation) last August Fax: (082) 227-0964
 Coordinated waste collection along the coastline Email:
cbgir@eudoramail.com

FUTURE PLANS

The people of the Island Garden City of Samal shall work for:
 Sustainable development to market Samal Island as a garden city and a retirement
haven known for natural healing;
 Moral and citizenship-building renewal for all sectors towards becoming a City of
Character;
 Global COOPetitiveness (competitive, yet cooperative) for its human resources;
 Good governance towards building a bankable bureaucracy;
 Optimum stakeholders’ participation towards becoming an inclusive City;
 Cultural reawakening and heritage enhancement;
 Eco-Tourism towards becoming the Eco-Adventure Capital of Southern Philippines;
 Information technology towards becoming the IT Resort Hub of the South and venue
for premier institutions of learning; and,
 Growth with equity

23
SAN FERNANDO CITY Project Champions

The City of San Fernando is the melting pot of many City Mayor: Hon. Mary
cultures. Founded in 1759, the city is originally called Jane Ortega
Pindangan after the fish named “pindang.” It became
the capital town of the province of La Union in March 2, Project Implementors:
1850. 1. Mayor Ortega
2. Mr. Valmas Valdez
San Fernando City is a complete city with a nurtured 3. Environment
ecosystem and tourist spots (eg. botanical gardens, Council
historical structures) not only in the province of La 4. NGO’s – Inner
Union but also in the Northern Luzon. The City has Wheel Club;
sufficient facilities including a local airport & seaport Homeowners
and schools including a state university. This makes San Namamal Village
Fernando a center of trade and commerce, tourism, Neighborhood
education and agriculture. Among its 59 barangays, San Association, Inc.
Fernando has 21 urban barangays, 14 coastal barangays, 5. City Environment &
and the rest are rural barangays.

CCC and Priority issues of San Fernando City

San Fernando City is one of the 12 pioneer city participants who joined the Clean Cities
Center (CCC) project. The city expressed full cooperation in learning environmental
management, pollution abatement, and waste minimization. San Fernando is one of the
model cities in the Philippines, with its city Mayor committed to share experiences with
other member city participants.

San Fernando listed four areas of priority issues, namely: Energy and Resource
Management, Water Pollution, Traffic Congestion and Noise Pollution, Urban
Overcrowding and Resource Depletion. The CCC project used the Cleaner Production
(CP) system strategy to tackle the concerns on energy, resource, and pollution issues.
Significant outcomes are evident from introducing this systems approach in the city hall,
various sub-city components or barangays, schools, public markets, and the selected
industry of the city.

The City has taken serious actions and planning for a cleaner and greener city, including
a major move to phase out 2-stroke engine tricycles (contributing to air pollution equal
to that of one car), promotion of anti-smoke belching ordinances, coastal management,
urban management, zoning ordinances, land use plans, and resource conservation
schemes within the City Hall itself.

The local government of San Fernando has also established partnerships with the private
sector, particularly the restaurant industry. Already 17 establishments are being eyed,
two of which are Oasis Country Resort and Greenwich Pizza. Further partnerships are

24
 seen with industrial firms including Celtech, an
agri-industrial company and also those in the
warehousing industry.
CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE:
CITY WIDE Solid Waste Management (SWM)
 Established Committee on Ecological SWM
 Conducted city-wide IEC on SWM among its
communities and several commercial
establishments
 Conducted Clean and Green contest among
schools
 ECC for the SWM program to be endorsed by the
DENR
INDUSTRY
 Established SWM Board for the city
 Develop action plan on pollution prevention
activities
 Conducted seminars and trainings on Cleaner
Production
 Introduction of Polluter’s Pay Program (PPP)
among selected industries
PREPARATION OF CITY ENVIRONMENT CODE
 Information gathering and data encoding on
coastal management, forestry, population
dynamics, pollution, existing landfill & eco-
tourism
 Legal studies – review of related and existing
codes, ordinances, laws, policies
 Revisions and finalization
ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM AND OFFICE
SUPPLY REDUCTION SCHEMES
 Use of lighting fixtures
 Maintenance program of city hall facilities
 Reduced usage of office supplies (around 10% reduction)
The CCC Project in San Fernando
benefited many constituents
through its programs in the city
hall, barangays, public markets,
and selected industries.
Specifically, five city officers are set
to become trainers while two more
are coming from the advisory
councils.
A total of 24 urban barangays and
35 rural barangays were introduced
to the ESWM. Residential
subdivisions, comprised of 102,559
people also learned of EWSM
through succeeding awareness
seminars.
The proposed model controlled
dumpsite project in San Fernando
City has attracted more than
10,000 visitors who did ocular
inspection and learned of proper
waste management, both for the
site itself and from other cities’
experiences in waste management.
For more info, contact:
Mr. Valmar Valdez
5200 City Hall Compound
City of San Fernando,
La Union, Philippines
Tel.: (072) 242-5601
Fax: (072) 888-2003
25
 UPGRADING DISPOSAL FACILITY FROM CONTROLLED DUMPSITE TO SANITARY LANDFILL
Finance issues
Waste segregation

FUTURE PLANS FOR 2002-2003

The City aims to adapt an integrated environmental management plan, focusing on five
concerns, namely SWM, eco-tourism, coastal management, pollution prevention, and
advocacy. This plan is envisioned to reach every industry and community in the city.

26
TAGAYTAY CITY Project Champions
City Mayor
Tagaytay City is 40.24 square kilometers and is Hon. Francis Tolentino
situated on a highly elevated area. It is strategically
bounded by the towns of Amadeo, Mendez – Nunez Implementers/Partners
and Alfonso (Cavite Province), Talisay and Taal 1. Vice Mayor as
(Batangas Province), and the Taal Lake. Taal Volcano TWG Chair
is known as the smallest active volcano in the world 2. Technical Working
and famed to be the “volcano within a lake,” the Group
lake being Taal Lake. Tagaytay has a relatively low 3. City Department
temperature averaging at 22.70C, low humidity at 78% Heads
average, and abundant rainfall. With its cool and 4. Barangay officers
invigorating climate, the city attracts visitors year- 5. DOST-ITDI
round making local tourism boom. Cleaner Production
Technology Center
Tagaytay City is a suburban area yet people carry out a traditional way of life
characteristic of old practices. The local economies come from agriculture, agri-
tourism, and skilled labor.

CCC and Priority Issues of the City

The City expects to increase new technologies and strategies in Environmental

Management, Pollution Prevention and Resource Conservation by addressing the
following concerns:

• Land use plan program

• Garbage collection fee imposed
• Environmental policies on segregation, disposal and cleanliness
• Greening the city

27
CCC PROGRAMS AND THE ACTIVITIES DONE: Tagaytay City Hall with 600 staff
now produces 25% less waste due
to recycling. Improved traffic flow
LAUNCHING THE CCC through the city hall shuttle bus
 Creation of Technical Working Group headed services reduced carbon emission.
by the Vice Mayor PhP5,000 per month was saved,
accounting for 3% reduced paper
 IEC for specific groups in the barangays (e.g. use.
nutrition scholars, health workers,
development council), schools (teachers), IEC on the CCC Project
and a religious group made a strong impact on
 Multiplier effects through training the the community. The event
trainers, such as nutrition scholars to train attracted specific groups
other classes and teachers to their students. like barangay nutrition
scholars, health workers,
WASTE MANAGEMENT development council
 Segregation and recycling members and a religious
group. The city has 35
ENERGY AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION barangays with a 45,287
 Provide shuttle bus for city hall employees, population. CEOs and
benefting a Total of 180 employees and 200 managers coming from 25
high school students major tourism
establishments
ECO – TOURISM PROGRAM (restaurants & hotels)
 Orientation and training workshops on attended the workshops on
cleaner production assessment in selected Cleaner Production.
industries serving the tourism.
For more info, contact:
Emma Pello or Carlos
FUTURE PLANS Suñiga
CPDO, City Hall,
Future focus will be on eco-tourism City Centrum,
establishment through internalization of the Cleaner Production strategies.
Waste management will be targeted through an integrated resource recovery and
disposal approach. Waste minimization becomes the key to the city’s focus on
waste management.

28
TOLEDO CITY Project Champions

More than a century ago, Toledo was established as City Mayor:

a municipality called “Hinulawan” which derived its Hon. Arlene Espinosa
name from the Hinulawan River running across the
municipality. One of the earliest covered histories Project
of Toledo through the “estadismo” of Fr. Joaquin Implementors:
de Zuñiga reported that Toledo already had a 1. Mayor Arlene
settled community of a little over 500 inhabitants Espinosa
as early as 1800. Cureently, Toledo has a total land 2. Vice Mayor
area of 24,425.7 hectares, with an average 3. Technical
population density of 620 persons per square Working Group
kilometer. 4. Committee on
Health and
Toledo City is rich in mineral reserves making Sanitation
mining a primary industry. Atlas Consolidated 5. City Engineer
Mining and Development Corporation (ACMDC) is 6. Barangay
one major company located 15 km from the city Captains
proper. The city also produces agricultural and fish 7. Market
products that are distributed commercially. There are two airstrips in Toledo
City, one located at Don Andres Soriano while the other is at Barangay Sangi.
Both are owned and operated by ACMDC.

CCC and Priority Issues of the City

Toledo City anticipated learning from the CCC Project and acquiring additional knowledge on waste
reduction technologies, legislative strategies, and sharing experiences with other local government units.

The City experienced many challenges in its locality, and the CCC participation is
expected to help them solve part of the city’s priority issues:

 Local ordinances are insufficiently implemented vis a vis the city’s

environmental management objectives;
 The city needs a consistent and deliberate educational campaign and
implementation programs on waste reduction;
 The city lacks financial, logistical, and technical support for a consistent
implementation of waste management program;
 Vague laws need to be consistently enforced; and
 The city needs coordination among LGU, NGO’s, and the private sector to
successfully implement programs

29
CCC PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES DONE: The CCC program targeted
38 delegates from
ENERGY CONSERVATION AND WASTE MINIMIZATION different local and national
 Orientation on Resource Conservation offices to participate in the
 Anti-littering Ordinance Waste Management
Training. The training
IMPLEMENTING ESWM reached out to 7
 Waste Management Orientation barangays and the
 Sanitary and Beautification Contest number is continuously
 Action plan started January 2002 increasing. There are
about 50,000 people
IMPROVING DUMPSITE residing in the Poblacion
 Relocation of a controlled dumpsite from the area and in other
mined out area by ACMDC neighboring barangays of
 Proposed use of pyrolysis technology in waste Toledo.
reduction plant
 Project site approved by DENR The City also used
 Approved by the Sangguniang Panlunsod (City recycled materials for its
Council). construction work, e.g.
motorpool used old
ADOPTED ESWM FOR PUBLIC MARKET galvanized steel sheets.
 Market remodeling with ESWM system
Local residents
volunteered to help clean
FUTURE PLANS schools and barangays in
support of the ecological
The City’s objective is to include the following in its sustainable environmental solid waste management
management master plan: Viable controlled dumpsite, waste minimization
equipment and technology in all barangay levels, improvement of citywide program.
garbage collection and disposal, inclusion/re-evaluation of recycled materials
with commercial value, formulation of additional ordinances for the protection City is exploring private
of the coastline and forest areas.
consultation on proposed
controlled dumpsite and

30