Composting Gains More Ground as SWM-CP Strategy

Composting has become a valuable tool for environmental protection and income generation in the SCOTIA sites. SCOTIA is helping draft two new grant proposals for the Villa Libertad Farmers Association in El Nido, Palawan and the Cordova Multipurpose Cooperative in Mactan, Cebu. Both organizations will partner with their LGU's in the upcoming composting projects.

SCOTIA continued to assist the LGU's of Badian in Moalboal, Cebu and Lemery in Balayan Bay, Batangas in their composting plans and programs as well as Barangays Sabang, Villaflor, and Aninuan in Puerto Galera. A significant breakthrough for Sabang was the participation of CCBOA, the Concerned Citizens and Business Owners Association. The resort representatives themselves set up the barangay's composting pits and will be signing a formal MOA partnership with the barangay council and SCOTIA.

At the newly-built composting facility of ABAKA in Moalboal, Mr. Felix Abong of the Cebu City Agriculture Office conducted training on aerobic bacteria composting (ABC) and produced lactobacillus bacteria, a catalyst that hastens biowaste breakdown. SCOTIA introduced this product into the composting pits of the White Sands Resort and the Maribago Bluewaters Resort, both in Mactan, Cebu. SCOTIA also trained the Bluewaters personnel on the ABC technique.

The ABAKA organization in Moalboal, Cebu concluded its SCOTIA grant with an output of almost 500 kilos of compost (see SUCCESS STORIES). The Ananyana Resort and Spa and the Balicasag Island Dive Resort in Panglao, Bohol harvested a few sacks of compost while other Panglao resorts like Trudis Place and Restaurant and Citadel Alona Inn began composting training with SCOTIA; likewise, the BM Lamuro Resort and Spa in El Nido, Palawan.

IRR for Moalboal's MWUF Gets Mayor's Approval

SCOTIA provided a grant to the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, Inc. (CCEF) for technical assistance to the Moalboal LGU in the institutionalization and social marketing of its Municipal Waters User Fee (MWUF) system (see HIGHLIGHTS Archives). The partnership achieved a milestone on March 5, 2007 when Mayor Inocentes Cabaron signed the Executive Order approving the system's implementing rules and regulations (IRR). A Municipal Tourism Commission (MTC) will oversee the system implementation with the IRR covering categorization of users, scheduling of fees, collection and monitoring mechanisms, and the use and sharing scheme of the generated revenue. The SCOTIA-CCEF partnership will continue to assist the MTC in advanced organizational and management training.

On April 10-11, 2007, CCEF conducted a training workshop on the MWUF, particularly its financial management, and orientation on sustainable tourism. The various stakeholders who were represented also learned how to write proposals for their projects to get funding from the MWUF revenue. Collection for the year 2006 was distributed among the people's organizations, the barangay councils, and the municipal government for CRM requirements and programs.

ABCFI Takes Lead in Proposed Sanitation and SWM Projects

With technical assistance offered by SCOTIA, the Alona Beach Community Foundation, Inc. (ABCFI) took the lead in two important project proposals that will address sanitation and SWM problems in Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol. The first will be a comprehensive sewerage and wastewater treatment facility in Alona Beach for which SCOTIA prepared a pre-feasibility study. The second will be an SWM partnership for Alona Beach between the Laguitan United Ladies Association (LULA) and the Panglao LGU.

PKK Receives SCOTIA Grant for SWM Projects

SCOTIA gave a grant to the Pangkaunlarang Kilusan para sa Kalikasan (PKK - "Progressive Movement for the Environment"), a people's organization in Tingloy, Balayan Bay, Batangas for the improvement of its Redemption Center. The projects this grant will cover are fence extension of the existing controlled disposal facility, pavement of access road going into the facility, construction of composting facility, purchase of shredding machine and collection vehicle, and capacity building for PKK members involved in SWM.

SCOTIA Joins Earth Week Celebration in Bohol

Panglao, Bohol celebrated Earth Week on April 18-22, 2007 with the theme "Atong Kalibutan, Angayang Ampingan" (Let's Take Care of Our Earth). Various advocacy groups doing projects in Panglao joined the celebration. SCOTIA put up a tarpaulin poster on the composting of biodegradable wastes, a step-by-step procedure applicable to resorts and households in Panglao. Jon Lindborg, USAID Missions Director, visited the engineered reed bed treatment facility of Oops Bar along Alona Beach for which SCOTIA provided technical assistance. On this occasion, SCOTIA also turned over its study report and technical drawings for the proposed Alona Beach Sewerage System to Panglao Acting Mayor Pedro Fuertes and ABCFI's Chairman Arthur Arboladora and President Holger Horn.

Puerto Galera Resort to Open With Operational Reed Bed System

Buri Resort in Puerto Galera will soon open its doors to guests with an operational reed bed system for its wastewater treatment. This is the first SCOTIA-designed facility that was built simultaneously with the resort's construction. Buri's reed bed is being irrigated at the moment with urea-enriched water in the absence of wastewater.