HABITAT
III: THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL REPORT
Executive Summary
·
In 1996, the
Philippines participated in the Second World Conference on Human
Settlements or Habitat II. Held in Istanbul, Turkey, the conference addressed
two themes of equal global importance: Adequate Shelter for All and
Sustainable Human Settlements Development in an Urbanizing World. As an
active member of the United Nations Center for Human Settlements, now known as
UN-Habitat, the Philippines presented its national report entitled “Shelter
And Human Settlements: Philippine Report and Plan of Action” at the
conference. The national report contained the country's 20-year urban
development roadmap which was anchored on three interconnected strategies:
total human development, global competitiveness and sustainable development. It
also contained the country’s commitments which focused on infrastructure
development in support of human settlements, pursuit of knowledge and
livelihood, and ensuring physical, economic and social mobility. Twenty years
later and the Philippines appears to have made significant achievements against
most of its commitments under Habitat II.
·
Over the years,
however, it has likewise emerged as one of the most populous countries in the
world, with a population of over 100 million. The country's rapid urbanization
has put tremendous pressures on city governments' to provide affordable,
reliable, and quality basic urban services. The urban reach of Metro Manila—
which has transformed into a megacity—has also expanded to the nearby regions
as a result of sustained economic growth, making it one of the most populous
urban agglomerations in the world. The country's population is predominantly
young, with the share of population below 30 years old at around 60%. With this
the country faces a demographic window of opportunity from youth dividends
which could potentially sustain an annual growth rate of at least 7%. To
address this, several initiatives have been launched. The Enhanced Basic
Education Act extends formal education from 10 to 12 years in order to harness
the county’s young and trainable pool of human resources. The Alternative
Learning System provides a chance to those who do are unable to do so to attend
and finish formal basic education. The Youth Education-Youth Employment Program
responds to the needs of the disadvantaged youth. The Youth Entrepreneurship
Act provides young people with business acumen by introducing entrepreneurship
and finance in the education curriculum. Building the capacity and life skills
of its people, particularly the youth, for how to become productive members of
a fast modernizing urban economy will be a key challenge of the Philippines in
the coming years.
·
The country's
archipelagic nature and geographic location have made it highly vulnerable to
the adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. Climate
change in the Philippines has been acutely felt in the last ten years through
increased temperature, precipitation, rainfall, drought, flooding, storm
surges, rising sea level, limited water supply, forest fires, and other
changing weather patterns. Metro Manila is at high risk from cyclones, floods,
and earthquakes. Metro Davao, the largest urban agglomeration in the island of
Mindanao, is also exposed to the same risks. Cebu, Tacloban, and Iloilo in the
Visayas have likewise sustained tremendous damages from major earthquakes and
super typhoons these past years. National and local governments have made
significant strides in mainstreaming climate change action (CCA) and disaster
risk reduction and management (DRRM) in their city development and
comprehensive land use planning. Emerging good practices in CCA and DRRM are
being monitored, distilled, and developed as tools for quick application by
local governments and communities. But challenges remain in institutionalizing
policies, systems, and procedures and in making sure the coordination
mechanisms among all stakeholders work.
·
Together, the 1991
Local Government Code (LGC) of the Philippines and the Urban Development and
Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992 mandate the preparation of a Comprehensive Land Use
Plan (CLUP) and a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) by local governments.
Guidebooks and sourcebooks are available and regularly updated for the use of
local governments in the preparation of their CLUPs and CDPs. They streamline
the planning process, integrate environmental guidelines, facilitate
cross-sectoral integration, standardize the formats used, and incorporate CCA
and DRRM. However, the urban sprawl in the Philippines has become evident,
caused mainly by the search for cheaper land outside the metropolises and the
weak implementation of local plans and zonal ordinances. Many local governments
lack the capacity to properly guide the direction of urban expansion. Transport
networks and utility service extensions have been used more to service
developments already in place than to shape and influence the direction of
development. Open spaces for public use are not being protected sufficiently
for the public. Sidewalks, even traffic islands, are being appropriated for
private use, particularly in highly urbanized cities. Waterfronts, coastal
zones, mountain ridges, and other visual corridors that offer excellent views
of landscapes and seascapes have been built over, blocking the public view.
Even some heritage sites are not being spared. Urban-rural linkages,
particularly to fuel more economic activities and enhance urban as well as
peri-urban food production, have yet to be more carefully considered.
·
Urban governance in
the Philippines involves a number of institutions, resulting in complex
vertical-horizontal institutional coordination and linkages for planning,
implementation, and operation of infrastructure and services. Although the
decentralization process can be deemed a success, the nature of the urban
challenges currently confronting Philippine cities calls for some changes,
particularly for regional and large-scale infrastructure projects involving
inter-jurisdictional cooperation. There have been watershed urban legislations,
particularly the LGC and the UDHA which continue to be highly relevant for
enabling sector investments, programs, and projects. Several measures have also
been adopted for improved urban governance, including the Local Government
Performance Management System and the Seal of Good Local Governance. These help
measure the effectiveness and efficiency of local governance and promote transparency,
accountability, financial management, disaster preparedness, social protection,
business friendliness, peace and order, and environmental management.
·
But the accelerated
pace of urbanization in the Philippines, with its archipelagic nature and geographic
location making it highly vulnerable to climate change, calls for some
modifications to the existing urban governance framework. Strengthening urban
sector leadership, addressing the urban legal gaps, and fine tuning the
decentralized urban service delivery framework are priorities for the coming
years. Transparency and accountability through digital governance are also
vital. Participatory mechanisms in the Philippines have become noteworthy,
especially those involving NGOs and other civil society organizations. Given
the complexity of the evolving urban challenges, however, they need to become
even more innovative, aimed at more meaningful placemaking and public space
design, leading to neighborhood livability and the public's wellbeing.
·
Philippine cities,
particularly Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities, have helped to
propel the overall urban economy, which in turn has spurred the country's
sustained economic expansion. However, many of them are still confronted by a
multitude of urban problems such as congestion, overcrowding, poor quality of
life, and rapidly growing poor urban communities. There is deficient investment
in urban infrastructure—mostly for housing, water supply and sanitation, solid
waste management, and low-carbon yielding urban transport. Moreover,
unemployment and underemployment persists despite the sustained expansion of
the overall economy and its record growth record of late. The highest
incidences of unemployment in the country are seen among males, workers with
higher educational attainment, and the youth. Meanwhile, underemployment is
highest in the agriculture-based regions and in regions more vulnerable to
climate change. The combined unemployment and underemployment rates account for
the high poverty incidence that lingers in the country. Growth has, therefore,
not been inclusive so far. More and better jobs, as well as equal access to
improved livelihood opportunities are needed. The fast-growing sectors of the
economy, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) should be fully
supported.
·
The delivery of safe
water, sanitation, waste management, energy, and transport continues to be a
major challenge in the Philippines, particularly with respect to creating the
conditions necessary for livability and resiliency in the cities. The
strategies to be employed must consider economies of scale—which in many cases
can be achieved by a more spatially integrated and regionally balanced
approach—as well as sustained private sector participation. Climate change also
imposes the inclusion of more "green" features. Investments can be
more rationalized using a co-benefit approach which espouses that projects to
be considered must have multiple benefits in different sectors resulting from
one policy, strategy, or initiative.
·
On the housing front,
the current level of production represents a very small fraction of the
estimated housing need—perpetuating the formation of informal settlements and
slums in Metro Manila and other urban metropolis around the country. Informal
settler families must be transformed and enabled to find secure and better
places to live—in resilient communities that are able to withstand climate
change and natural disasters, vibrant communities animated with socio-economic
dynamism and quality urban infrastructure and services, and connected
communities that are linked by transport and telecommunication to employment,
sources of livelihood, the urban economy, and the rest of the city. The
country's archipelagic setting combined with the magnitude of urbanization
makes accessibility between and within the islands costly and time consuming.
The intense movement of people, materials and information, combined with
generally inadequate urban transport systems in the Philippines, is causing millions
in lost productivity and economic opportunities. There has been a bias so far
towards planning for individual motorized transport rather than accessibility.
This has led to tremendous traffic congestion and urban sprawl. The
"Avoid-Shift-Improve Framework" is being promoted in planning
subsequent urban transport systems. The envisioned outcome is a successful
transition to a more inclusive, greener urban transport system with a lower
carbon footprint for Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities nationwide.
·
Against this
background, the Philippine Government began its national report preparation for
the Third World Conference on Human Settlements or Habitat III to be held in
Quito, Ecuador on 17-20 October 2016. The New Urban Agenda was formulated using
a consultative, participatory, and consensus building approach, entailing a
series of thematic, regional, and multi-sectoral workshops. The theme of the
New Urban Agenda is Better, Greener, Smarter Cities in an Inclusive
Philippines— reflective of the aspirations of millions of Filipinos for the
future of their cities. Better Cities are globally competitive, economically
vibrant, and livable. Greener Cities are environmentally sustainable, climate
resilient, and safe. Smarter Cities are connected, physically, spatially and
digitally. An Inclusive Philippines is equitable, participatory, and provides
universal access to quality basic services. It safeguards children, women, the
elderly people, and persons with disability. It equalizes access to livelihood
opportunities. And last but not least, it facilitates the transformation of
informal settler families in the metropolises, enabling them to live their
lives with more pride and dignity.
Reference
https://hudcc.gov.ph/HABITAT_III#:~:text=The%20theme%20of%20the%20New,%2C%20economically%20vibrant%2C%20and%20livable.
