In early 2017, ACCCRN successfully held its very first Photo Essay Competition. The competition’s goal was to showcase stories about resilience issues in the field through a series of still images. This year’s theme was ‘Urban Interaction with Ecosystem Services’. The pictures were expected to show the impacts of climate and other environmental changes along the impact of urban dynamics, growth and/or decline-driven land use change, human intervention, etc.
Our People’s Choice Winner, Sarath KT (Photo Essay: Underdog Resilience) and finalist , Naeema Jihan Zinia (Photo Essay: Breathing in a Jungle of Concrete), joined the trip to the Philippines and learned so much by visiting several resilience initiatives being undertaken there. With Nyoman Prayoga, ACCCRN Network Member Relations Manager, the three of them went to the Philippines from 15 to 19 May 2017. The trip was intended to include visits to project sites that enable ACCCRN to see government and community initiatives on resilience, especially related to climate change impact.
After arriving in Manila City, the group continued to Batangas City. Batangas City is the capital city of the Province of Batangas, Philippines. The City of Batangas is a coastal city lying in a cove-like area in the south-eastern part of the Province. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2015, Batangas City is currently classified as one of the fastest urbanizing areas of the Philippines with a population of 329,874 people. The city is subdivided into 105 barangays (the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward).
During the visit, the Batangas City Officer, Menchie Navelle from the City Environment and Natural Resource Office (ENRO) accompanied ACCCRN members to four project sites including the emergency preparedness warehouse, covered in-ground anaerobic reactors (CIGAR) project, Tabangao Dao elementary school rainwater harvesting system, and intercropping activities on farms. Before the group went to visit those four sites, they stopped by at the City ENRO and had a tour there to see the solar panel roofing that the office uses. Oliver C. Gonzales, head of the Batangas City ENRO said that they should give examples to the citizens and fellow government on how to live a sustainable way.
Tour around the Emergency Preparedness Warehouse
The emergency preparedness warehouse is managed by The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) of Batangas City. CDRRMO is dedicated to minimizing the risks/ vulnerabilities, limit the adverse impact of hazards, and ensure the safety of Batangas City. The common disasters in the city are floods, earthquakes, landslides, and typhoons. The warehouse contains all of the logistics needed for disaster response and evacuation. It is also supported by the facilities they have such as a rescue and logistic vehicle, evacuation shelter, and early warning system control room. The CDRRMO also works together with the community the barangay level by having this disaster preparedness group. They received various trainings such as first aid training, local action planning training, contingency planning training, and so on. They also developed the disaster risk mapping and local action plan where climate change impact on disaster is included there.
Demonstration of Covered In-Ground Anaerobic Reactors (CIGAR) Project
The CIGAR project is implemented by Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC) in Batangas City. The cooperative has more than 8,000 members and more than 12,000 associate members. It is foreseen that it will increase due to the successes and the benefits it has been providing not only members but the community as well. The SIDC business activities are mainly in agriculture such as feedmills, livestock, saving and loans. Nowadays, they have advanced their business to consumer retailing. As they are growing now, they developed a biogas installation to run the electricity for their office and neighborhood nearby.
Showcase of Green Initiatives at Tabangao Dao Elementary School
Tabangao Dao Elementary School is a green school in Batangas City. They received an award from the Mayor for their initiative called ‘The Green Battle’. They have this online initiative where they ask not only their students, but also the wider public through their Facebook page, to involve in doing good things for the environment. Through this online platform, the members share their activities to inspire each other. The teachers also encourage the students to practice what they have learnt in school with the family in home. The school does many things related to recycling waste into handicrafts. They also installed a rainwater harvesting system to have alternative a source for watering the school garden. They realized that climate change is happening and it is affecting their environment including the risk of drought.
Intercropping Activities of Farms in Pinamucan
The Batangas City Agriculture Office supports local farmers by introducing the intercropping method. Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice involving growing two or more crops in proximity. The purpose is to find the most suitable crops that can grow in a particular climate or season. Some of the farming sites in Batangas City are located in upland and hilly areas that have difficulties with water irrigation and the water sources themselves. For example, in the dry season, the farmer should be able to choose the right plantation that doesn’t need too much water. The intercropping method is seen as a means to support farming adaptive capacity.
(Video credit: Sarath KT)
“It is such an amazing opportunity to learn about climate resilience activities. We have had the chance to know about a new culture, see beautiful places, and frame moments in our cameras. All in all, it was a memorable trip,” said Zinia. As she is currently doing her doctoral research, she also felt that the visit to several sites in the Philippines can be useful for her study. Similar to Zinia, Sarath also felt that the trip was very valuable for him. “Thank you for the awesome learning experience in the Philippines. This is my second visit to the country and I felt that this time I received a lot of insights because we visited a lot of places to see and learn. It was a memorable experience for me.”
* Our appreciation goes to Batangas City Officials and ICLEI Southeast Asia for facilitating the visit
** Tim Franco as Judge’s Choice Winner couldn’t join the trip so the prize was delegated to Naeema Jihan Zinia who received second most votes for People’s Choice winner.
*** All pictures are produced by Sarath KT, Naeema Zinia Jihan, and Nyoman Prayoga during the trip
