Negros Oriental is stepping up its efforts to pursue sustainable development by making water as a pillar of its future progress.
During the Province’s first-ever Water Conference held at Silliman University, stakeholders from various sectors, led by the Negros Oriental local government, signified their support to the cause through the declaration of Executive Order 15-11.
“In support of the initiative to promote water excellence in the province, Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo has the EO to declare the province’s full support on the projects and activities of spearheaded by the Negros Integrated Water Resources Management Council and its partner NGO, Water Excellence Philippines, geared towards making the province the water excellence and water capital of the Philippines,” says Negros Oriental Provincial Board Member Erwin Macias.
Aside from the EO declaration, Degamo also spearheaded the signing of the implementing rules and regulations mandating Negros IWRMC as the policy-advisory body for the province’s integrated water resource planning.
Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social wellbeing and inclusive growth, affecting the livelihoods of billions around the globe.
“Water serves as a sustainable support system for the development of the country’s critical economic sectors, such as agriculture, energy, health, commerce, and tourism,” says Dr. Rex Cruz, a water expert who sits as the Chancellor of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños. “Most of the sectors of our economy are actually dependent on water. Without it, we cannot talk about sustainable development,” adds Cruz, who is also the former dean of the UPLB College of Forestry & Natural Resources.
Negros Oriental, for one, enjoys a distinct advantage in its bid to promote water sustainability as a foundation of its progressive future. With an abundant supply of water resources–from its numerous waterfalls that are currently thriving eco-tourism destinations, the crater lakes enriching the farmlands, down to its coastline areas touching the most abundant fishing waters in the country–all it takes is a dedicated effort from stakeholders from different sectors to come together and really promote water as a core element of NegOr’s sustainable development.
Of all the provinces in the Philippines, only Negros Oriental has almost completed the implementation of the forest land use plan in all of its municipalities. “All of the cities and municipalities with forested areas, except Dumaguete and San Jose, have completed their FLUPs, meaning they have already planned out the best use of the forest lands in their areas,” says Charlie Fabre, head of Provincial Environmental Natural Resources of Negros Oriental. “With this, all our municipalities can now align their efforts on how they can best promote the conservation and preservation of watershed areas in their respective territories.”
Negros Oriental ranks number one in implementing the National Greening Program of the Philippines, having planted and reforested about 65,000 hectares against its initial target of 62,000 hectares. Aside from this, Negros Oriental also has the biggest mechanized, modernized forest nursery in the entire Philippines, one that will be launched either this coming August or September.
“We are here in Negros Oriental, Dumaguete specifically, because I’m proud to say that of all the many places that we have been involved in, whether for advocacy in tourism or the environment, I think Negros Oriental has the highest per capita in terms of environmentally-conscious LGUs and people and businesses,” says Amor Maclang, an advocate of sustainable development who sits as the director for WEP. “If Albay is the center of excellence for disaster risk mitigation, and Ilocos Norte is the center of excellence for renewable energy, we want Negros Oriental to be the center of excellence for water management in the entire Philippines so we can start other provinces how to preserve and manage their respective water resources.”
Dr. Rex cites the case of water sustainability efforts in Middle Eastern countries as an ideal example of how stakeholders can really make substantial progress towards achieving their goals.
Middle Eastern countries, more or less, enjoy water sufficiency. They have yet to really achieve water sustainability, but at least they have a semblance of sufficiency considering the kind of environment they have,” he notes. “Middle Eastern countries have the need for water efficiency. The more scarcity becomes evident, the more people, governments, and businesses become resourceful.”
Middle Eastern countries know why they need to invest in infrastructures to develop and manage their resources. “If we can adopt the same mindset, the same attitude, and the same consciousness to become more responsible towards the use of our natural resources, we can definitely achieve or even surpass the kind efficiency Middle Eastern countries have accomplished.”
Negros Oriental has strengthened its bid to move towards the right direction after uniting growth-driven leaders and advocates in championing water sustainability efforts via the activation of the Negros Integrated Water Resources Management Council.
The Negros IWMRC was formed back in 2008 “in collaboration with Negros Oriental as a policy advisory body that is dedicated to protect, rehabilitate and sustainably develop the shared water, land and related resources in the island of Negros through the establishment of institutional framework, mechanism and support by working a holistic, systematic, equitable and collaborative manner.”
Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, working with various institutions headed by Silliman University–a USAID-designated Center for Excellence in Coastal Resource Management–and Water Excellence Philippines–a non-government institution composed of environment and economic advocates who work to promote inclusive growth through efforts centered on sustainability of resources, water efficiency, agribusiness, and tourism–is currently in the process of finalizing the implementing rules and regulations of the Negros IWRMC, aimed at reactivating the council to make it the primary proponent of the NegOr water sustainability campaign.
“We need the support of the entire province–from the locals, the farmers, the entrepreneurs, to the government officials and other relevant stakeholders–to contribute and empower this initiative to really make the difference,” says Governor Degamo, “Led by Negros Oriental IWRMC, we aim to make Dumaguete an excellent example of an area that champions efficient water management efforts, and thus demonstrate how using water as a key driver for development can inspire progress and success. (Jules Veloso)
