Water Pollution Caused by Decades-old Informal Settlers

Submitted by Magna R. Asis

I. Initiatives
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has awaken the
Philippines on its recent campaign to address water pollution and other environmental
problems in popular tourist destinations. It demolished and evicted several business
establishments that has no permits, those that encroach the coastal easement zone and even
discharge untreated wastewater. This move of the Department is truly exceptional. However,
the rehabilitation only covers certain places and does not include other critical areas that
contribute to water pollution.

II. Challenges
Puerto Princesa City is one of the renowned places in the Philippines because of the
Subterranean River National Park, Honda Bay and Puerto Princesa Baywalk located therein,
among others. Not known to many, the City is also facing the problem of water pollution that
emanates from decades-old informal settlers. Many stilt houses are located in the coast of City
particularly in Barangay Bagong Sikat, Bagong Silang, Pagkakaisa, Mandaragat, Tagburos,
Sta. Lourdes and in Purok Sandiwa, Barangay Tiniguiban. The families from these areas
dispose all their wastes directly into the bay, making the sea as big sewer and open place for
defecation.

The City Anti-Squatting Task Force and the City Engineering Office of Demolition
Team are the special groups created by the City Government of Puerto Princesa mandated to
evict illegal settlers from their respective barangays. They manifested that one of the problems
they are facing in demolition, although not all the time, is the appeal by barangay officials to
defer or stop it for a long period of time. Clearly, the barangay officials who are primary
responsible to prohibit squatting are the ones tolerating it.
In order to avoid open defecation in the sea, City Government has provided public
comfort rooms to different barangays nevertheless they still prefer the sea. Few of the settlers
I interviewed opined that they made their comfort rooms just above and direct to the sea
because it is more convenient. Some also manifested that public comfort rooms are quite far
from their location.

After few minutes of walking in Bgy. Sta Lourdes and Purok Sandiwa in Bgy
Tiniguiban, I noticed some used diapers, plastic utensils and mostly food wrappers along the

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 shore. It appears that many are also throwing non-biodegradable wastes in the sea. These
practices are clear violation of Philippine Water Code and Philippine Clean Water Act.

III. Applicable Laws

Article 51 of Presidential Decree No. 1067 provides that the banks of rivers and streams
and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three
(3) meters in urban areas, twenty (20) meters in agricultural areas and forty (40) meters in
forest areas, along their margins are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of
recreation, navigation, floatage, fishing and salvage. No person shall be allowed to stay in this
zone longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, floatage, fishing or salvage or to
build structures of any kind.

Republic Act 9275 or The Philippine Clean Water Act prohibits the discharging or
depositing any water pollutant to the water body, or such which will impede natural flow in
the water body. It also prohibits the discharging, injecting or allowing to enter into the soil,
anything that would pollute groundwater

According to Republic Act No. 7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act
(UDHA) of 1992, individuals or groups who occupy land without the express consent of the
landowner, while having sufficient income for legitimate housing are regarded as “professional
squatters.” The same status applies to those who have previously been awarded home lots or
housing units by the government, and yet have subsequently sold, leased, or transferred the
properties awarded to them, and then settled illegally in the same place or in another urban
area. In addition, “non-bona fide occupants” and “intruders of lands reserved for socialized
housing” are also classified as professional squatters.

IV. Recommendations
a. Comprehensive Study
The City Government, thru the City Housing Office should locate, identify and
register all illegal settlers, especially those living along the coastlines.

b. Strict Implementation
After determining who, where, and how many are the city squatters. Strict measures
should be adopted to arrest further squatting. Any person or group identified as such should
be summarily evicted and their dwellings or structures demolished, without
disqualification to avail the housing benefits of the City. A public official who tolerates or
abets the commission of the abovementioned acts should be dealt with in accordance with
existing laws.

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 The squatting can be avoided through implementation of the “no building permit
– no construction” law. The Council Against Squatting Syndicates and Professional
Squatters (CASSAPS) and its implementing arm, the Anti-Squatting Task Force, were
established for this purpose. Any and all construction, including those of stilt and
“temporary” houses, that had no construction permit from City Hall should be stopped or
demolished.
c. Urban Renewal and Resettlement

In order to uplift the conditions of the underprivileged and homeless citizens after
their eviction, the next necessary step is to fund and construct low-cost but decent housing
with comfort rooms, waste system, and other necessary facilities for relocation. Livelihood
programs should follow next to housing. Without these measures, they will only go back
to their prior dwellings; pollution will not end.

In order to provide shelter for the underprivileged and homeless. The City
Government thru the help of National Housing Authority, City Social Housing Office and
National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation, can enroll the residents under the
affordable Socialized Housing and Community Mortgage Program. Socialized housing
refers to housing programs and projects covering houses and lots or homelots only
undertaken by the Government or the private sector for the underprivileged and homeless
citizens which shall include sites and services development, long-term financing,
liberalized terms on interest payments, and such other benefits in accordance with the
provisions of this Act. (Section 3, Republic Act 7279). Whereas, the Community Mortgage
Program (CMP) is a mortgage financing program of the National Home Mortgage Finance
Corporation which assists legally organized associations of underprivileged and homeless
citizens to purchase and develop a tract of land under the concept of community ownership.
The primary objective of the program is to assist residents of blighted or depressed areas
to own the lots they occupy, or where they choose to relocate to, and eventually improve
their neighborhood and homes to the extent of their affordability (Section 3, Republic Act
7279).

d. Plant Mangroves
Planting mangroves along the coast can gradually heal the water and it can prevent
informal settlers to go back therein. In addition, it can serve as a natural buffer against
storm surges.

e. Information, Education and Communication

Most specially, there should be an aggressive educational campaign among the
illegal settlers sought to be relocated. The City Government, Nongovernmental
Organization volunteers and educational institutions can collaborate to instill awareness

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 and consciousness. Even if they are relocated, without the knowledge of their impact in the
environment, there are tendencies that they will return to what they are used to do.

A comprehensive communication plan should be prepared to manage these

activities. Modern communication materials must be used to disseminate information. It
should include the television commercial, documentaries, posters and audio-visual
presentations should also be developed for use in briefing seminars. The media should be
provided regularly with updated information regarding the goals and development of
program in order to broaden the audience of the movement.

f. Continuous and Regular Monitoring

In addition to abovementioned solutions to eliminate water pollution, it is important
that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in coordination with
the National Water Resources Board, should designate certain barangays in Puerto Princesa
as Water Quality Management Areas (WQMA) in order to monitor the quality of waters
particularly near the squatted coast. The significance of tracking changes in water quality
can’t be taken for granted because human health and livelihoods also depend on clean and
reliable waters.

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