Findings

Water supply and sanitation services have been a perennial problem for residents of Marawi City even before the hostility broke out in 2017. However, after the five-month-long conflict between the Philippine Government and the Maute-ISIS Terrorists Group, the City of Marawi faced an unimaginable challenge in terms of Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services. Apart from displacing people, the conflict completely paralyzed businesses and social service infrastructures and heavily damaged supply and sanitation facilities.

Three years after the conflict, normalcy reigned, and economic activities have been vibrant in the Less Affected Areas (LAA) in Marawi City while government agencies conduct full-scale reconstruction works. In particular, government agencies began constructing temporary and permanent shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the eastern part of Marawi City.

The Marawi City Water District’s Development Master Plan includes providing deep wells within the seven barangays surrounding the Mindanao State University (MSU), the Department of Interior Local Government’s Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig Para sa Lahat (SALINTUBIG) Program, and the IDP’s permanent resettlement areas in the eastern host barangays. SURGE focused on supporting this Master Plan to increase service coverage.

SURGE in Marawi City

SURGE helped prepare the engineering design documents, which facilitated the decision of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao to immediately release Php163,670,040 to support the physical implementation of the projects in Zones 1, 2, and 3.

SURGE conducted geo-resistivity surveys for groundwater source development in the major IDP’s temporary and permanent resettlement areas – the seven barangays covered by the SALINTUBIG Program and the seven barangays surrounding the MSU area. It also assisted the MCWD in conducting a pipe network diagnostic assessment using the Hydraulic Pipe Network Model (WaterGEMS).

SURGE provided technical advice in the WASH restoration and reconstruction in the Most Affected Area (MAA) in support of the substantial contributions of the Local Water Utilities and Administration (LWUA) in the engineering planning and construction.

Other organizations that contributed immediate assistance on WASH in Marawi City

• Action Against Hunger (AAH)
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
• Local Water Utilities and Administration (LWUA)
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Institutional strengthening efforts of SURGE for WASH in Marawi City:

• Training on Geographic Information System (GIS) for what SURGE call the establishment of Water Supply System
• Water Quality Management Training conducted by Cagayan de Oro Water District.
• Peer to Peer Sharing with Big Brother Wao Water District
• Water Safety Plan (Workshop on Hazard Analysis, Risk Assessment and Improvement Plan)
• Workshop on Development of Water Safety Plan (Standard Operating Procedures and Development Plan)
• Workshop on Finalization of Water Safety Plan
• Continuous Efforts on Leak Repairs

SURGE trained 70 officials and staff from MCWD and the City Government to effectively operate and manage water and sanitation systems in the city. However, the trained persons could not apply their learned skills because the water system projects in Marawi were generally not yet established at that time.

SURGE facilitated the collaboration among local and national government agencies, enabling prompt completion of WASH restoration and development projects according to prescribed national and international WASH engineering standards

USAID engaged Puerto Princesa in July 2015 with a Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index (CMCI) rank of 27 (14 adjusted) and registered businesses of 8.597, generating Php14.1 billion in gross sales. The City generated PhP438 million locally and was dependent on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) at 80 percent. By 2020, the City’s CMCI ranking improved to 17 (6 when adjusted), and registered businesses reached 11,678, generating PhP30.0 billion in gross sales. The City generated PhP817.6 million locally, and IRA dependency dropped to 73.7 percent.

Through SURGE, USAID conducted many assessments to determine the appropriate technical assistance needed by Puerto Princesa. These assessments covered: Geographic Information System Mapping, Skills Inventory, Rapid Urban System Analysis, Climate Disaster-Resilient Community, Land Use and Infrastructure, Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS), Real Property Tax (RPT) and Land Tenure, Public Financial Management (PFM), and the Business Enabling Environment (BEE) of the City.

The skills assessment conducted in 2016 found that Puerto Princesa had a one-person team Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office (LEIPO), which was seconded by the City Planning and Development Office. Like many other cities, the LEIPO was not linked with the Negosyo Center and Public Employment Service Office. The person did not have the necessary skills to deal with investors and business clients. Investors were also unaware of the investment incentives program.

Building the Capacity of the LEIPO is Key

SURGE assisted Puerto Princesa in creating permanent LEIPOs with permanent staff who had the necessary competencies.

SURGE helped craft the organizational setup, defining skills and competencies required and delineating functions among staff.

SURGE assisted Puerto Princesa in creating its investment promotions committees or boards.

SURGE trained LEIPO staff in mounting investment forums.

In an investment forum held on September 2019, the city was able to attract three investments – Villa Perenisa Resort, Sakura Pool and Leisure Hub, and Sabang Renewable Energy. Total reported investment commitments were Php31.7 billion., There were commitments from developers (Php5.3 billion), medical tourism (Php3.7 billion), hotel and resorts (Php2.2 billion), and other pledges that were not listed.

The better-equipped LEIPO was able to initiate activities that attracted investments into the City.

The City subsequently passed Ordinance No. 47, amending the City’s Investment Code and creating the Local Economic Development Management Division. The City partnered with the Puerto Princesa City Chamber of Commerce on some activities. It became more involved with the City Development Council, Tourism Council, and the Public-Private Partnership Joint Venture Agreement Selection Committee.

In April 2018, the City passed Ordinance 919, or the Tourism Mile/Night Time Economy, which provided 100 percent tax exemption for all businesses in the Tourism Mile area known as the old area in Bancao-Bancao. Other policies such as Ordinance 461 provided incentives for businesses with capitalization of over Php5.0 million, and Ordinance 1084 granted business incentives to establishments employing senior citizens and persons with disability.

The LEIPO is also active in offering opportunities for emerging investments in health and manufacturing, jump-started by an online webinar – Investment Aftercare Service in the New Normal, in December 2020.