The UPLB Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-INREM) in partnership with the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) and the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development’s (DOST-PCAARRD), is making strides toward the institutionalization of Payment for Water Ecosystem Services (P-WES).
This happened as the partners rallied the support of over 80 key stakeholders by increasing their awareness of the significance of P-WES in the country and related institutional initiatives at the “Advancing Resilience and Sustainability through P-WES: An Advocacy Launch,” on September 12, 2024, at the Philippine International Convention Center.
The advocacy launch, co-organized by UPRI and live streamed via virtual conferencing, enlisted the participation of lawmakers, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) experts, academics and researchers, government, non-government, and private water company representatives in a discussion on the different entryways and possible roadblocks that the project may face in institutionalizing the national policy on P-WES.
The event began with DOST-PCAARRD’s Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora’s welcome remarks, emphasizing the council’s commitment to integrating ecosystem valuation into policymaking. “By institutionalizing P-WES, we will be promoting the sustainable management of water resources and ensuring their long-term availability,” Ebora adds.
Subsequently, UPLB-INREM Director Juan M. Pulhin expressed hopes to bring stakeholders together and create effective policies in his opening remarks. This was promptly followed by messages from UPLB, UPRI, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – River Basin Control Office (DENR-RBCO) where common themes emerged, including the need to protect water resources and make people realize how dire the water situation is, and for them to understand the science behind water resource conservation and management.
“Let us all unite in safeguarding our water resources for future generations,” urged Senator Loren Legarda in her keynote message. She noted that despite the country’s rich water resources, there are still significant challenges with water sufficiency, quality, and distribution.
The keynote message was followed by presentations on the results of UPLB-INREM’s current and previous projects on P-WES and the institutional initiatives of DENR-RBCO. The presentations were on the following: Overview of the P-WES Advocacy Project, Simulating a P-WES Arrangement in a Local Watershed, Prospects and Constraints for P-WES in the Philippines, DENR Department Administrative Order and PES Tool Kit, and the National P-WES Policy and Protocol.
After the presentations, participants were encouraged to give their thoughts and ask questions in the open forum.
Alma Porciuncula, chief of party of USAID’s Safe Water Project, suggested engaging private companies. She added that at the Bago Watershed in Negros Occidental, they were able to get at least Php 2 Million from businesses alone.
Dr. Marian delos Angeles and Rina Rosales of the Resources, Environment, and Economics Center for Studies, Inc. recommended looking at PES cases from Asia and Latin America to avoid mistakes made in those countries.
“It takes time to develop [a new law]. We don’t have the time. Water scarcity is a pressing issue. It may be worth considering alternative options, using existing laws and refining them,” advised Dr. Klaus Schmitt of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
Through the discussions, three entryways were identified for the institutionalization of P-WES. The first is to integrate it into the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 11995 or the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (PENCAS). The second is to include it in the Blue Economy bill which deals with inland terrestrial waters. The last one is to leverage the Local Government Unit (LGU) code to allow LGUs and their constituents to optimize benefits from water resources.
Dr. Ernesto O. Brown, director of DOST-PCAARRD’s Socio-Economics Research Division, closed the event by reaffirming the Council’s commitment to support initiatives that advance the understanding and integration of ecosystems into policy development.
“Moving forward, what is essential is a national policy. Whether it is part of a law or a separate law, we need one policy. I think that is the overwhelming conclusion in this event,” concluded Dr. Asa Jose U. Sajise, project leader of the P-WES Advocacy Project.
UPLB-INREM is an affiliate hub of the UPRI specializing in ecosystem-based resilience and natural resources management. UPLB-INREM, through the DOST-PCAARRD-funded project, “Advocating for the Institutionalization of Payment for Water Ecosystem Service in the Philippines,” aims to establish and institutionalize a framework for compensating providers of essential water-related ecosystem services toward sustainable water governance, natural resource conservation, and environment management. (Hannah Mae A. Tolentino and Sheerah Louise C. Tasico)