Performance and Problems of Water Districts: Selected Experiences

While water districts, as local service providers of level III water systems outside of Metro Manila, are already important, the percentage of the national population serviced by them remains low. Why? What problems beset them? Read more...potable water, local service delivery, water district

Fishpen and Fishcage Culture in Laguna de Bay: Its Importance and Problems

With the debates going on regarding the DENR proposal on "zero fishpen/fishcage structure in Laguna de Bay," the need for more information and analysis on the pros and cons of the proposal becomes critical. This Policy Notes hopes to address this need.aquaculture, Laguna de Bay, aquaculture problems, fishpens, fishcages

Water Service Delivery on the Ground: Targets versus Realities (the Cases of Dumaguete City and Agusan del Sur)

How does Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental measure up to the UN-MDG target of having access to safe drinking water available to 86.6 percent of a country's population by 2015? Or to the Philippine government's target of providing such access to 92-96 percent of its citizens by 2010? How about the municipalities of Sibagat, Bayugan, and Prosperidad in the province of Agusan del Sur? How do they compare in terms of local water service delivery for their populations? This case study project conducted under the auspices of the PIDS and UNICEF provides some revealing answers.drinking water, water service delivery, potable water, safe drinking water, potable water system

An Analysis of the Utilization of Regional Fishing Ports in the Philippines

This paper investigates the issue of underutilization of Philippine regional fishing ports using secondary data from institutional resources and interviews with key informants. Analysis indicates that most of the existing regional ports are underutilized, having low actual usage to projected usage ratios. The paper argues that low commercial and aquaculture fish production contributes to the underutilization of ports.port reduction, utilization

The Enviromental Impact of Economic Cycles

The rapid economic expansion experienced by the ASEAN region has been dampened by the onset of economic crisis. In the Philippines, the crisis has been aggravated by the problems of El Niño and La Niña. This paper looks into the environmental impacts of economic cycles and the current economic crisis through a brief theoretical and empirical review on the Philippine data. While the paper depends on the meager data available, this paper hopes to aid future discussion of policies for environmental management.Asian financial crisis, Asian crisis, El Niño phenomenon

Forecasting Natural Hazards and Disasters in Selected Southeast Asian Countries: The Need for Cooperative Action

With Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Viet Nam experiencing the increasing occurrence of weather and climate-related hazards and disasters in recent years, some of which they commonly share due to their close proximity to each other, it thus becomes important for them to cooperate and coordinate with one another in addressing said hazards and disasters.Southeast Asia, Philippines, weather, climate-related disasters, natural disasters

The Enviromental Impact of Economic Cycles

The rapid economic expansion experienced by the ASEAN region has been dampened by the onset of economic crisis. In the Philippines, the crisis has been aggravated by the problems of El Niño and La Niña. This paper looks into the environmental impacts of economic cycles and the current economic crisis through a brief theoretical and empirical review on the Philippine data. While the paper depends on the meager data available, this paper hopes to aid future discussion of policies for environmental management.Asian financial crisis, Asian crisis, El Niño phenomenon

Weather and Climate-related Disasters: the Cost of Inaction

The Philippines being geographically located within the typhoon belt facing the Pacific Ocean and close to the equator wherein it is susceptible to various types of natural disasters, makes it imperative for the country to have a very good overall disaster management program and strategy. The absence or inadequacy of such a program inevitably leads to more serious impact and higher value of damages on several economic sectors in the country as described in this Note.Philippines, weather, climate, natural disasters

Lessons from Cambodia...Exploring the Potential of Inland Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the Philippines

The Philippines and Cambodia both abound in numerous freshwater bodies and resources that provide an economic and food base for rural people in the inland areas. But while Cambodia has seriously assessed the economic value of these inland fisheries resources as an instrument to fight poverty through a recently concluded research project, the Philippines has yet to launch initial courses of action that would exploit the potentials of inland fisheries to help in poverty alleviation. This Policy Notes presents some possible lessons from the Cambodian project that may be applied in the Philippines.poverty alleviation, sustainable development, Cambodia, inland fisheries, aquatic resources