PAGADIAN CITY – A forum on human rights-based local water and sanitation governance is
slated to be held on April 30, 2013 at Hotel Guillermo this city.
This forum, which is
spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-IX
through its Water and Sanitation Services Unit (WSSU), will be attended by
participants from the municipalities of Alicia, Payao and Tungawan of Zamboanga
Sibugay, Lapuyan, Midsalip and Tigbao of Zamboanga del Sur, and Kalawit,
Katipunan and Sindangan of Zamboanga del Norte.
Lemuel Mejares, information
officer of DILG-IX, also disclosed that representatives from the municipalities
of Kapatagan and Wao of Lanao del Sur, and Guindulungan, Mangudadatu, Sultan
Kudarat and Upi of Maguindanao are also attending the said forum.
Invited speakers to the
forum are representatives from the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National Water Resources
Board (NWRB) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The forum will center on
topics/issues on human rights based-local water governance including the
different Cs: corruption, capacity-building, culture and conduct of the localized
water governance game set.
There will also be
presentation/discussion of successful human rights local water governance interventions
and tools like Localized Customer Service Code, Municipal Water Supply,
Sewerage and Sanitation Sector Plan (MW4SP), community organizing and many
more.
Mejares said “the primary objective
of the forum is to promote the results/gains of tested and proven interventions
to other integrated municipalities under the “Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig (SaLinTubig)
[Sufficient and Safe Water]” and Bottom-up Planning and Budgeting (BUPB) programs
of the national government, and more specifically to share the knowledge
products developed that can be adopted by the provinces and municipalities in
implementing their water and sanitation programs.”
At the end of the forum, the
participants are expected to promote and apply the interventions under the
human rights-based local water governance toolbox in their respective
municipalities.(DILG9)