Barangay Basak San Nicolas (BSN) is a densely populated coastal barangay located in the southern part of Cebu City, facing the island of Mactan and the islet of Kawit in Cebu Strait (see Slides No. B4). It is about three (3) to five (5) kilometers from Cebu City Proper or about fifteen-minute drive from Colon (commercial area) via the Cebu South Road (see Slides No. B5) It has thirty-six (36) sitios (neighborhood zones) and is bounded by barangays Mambaling, Punta Princesa, and Tisa on the North (Slides No. B6), by Cebu Strait and Mambaling on the East (Slides No. B7), and Basak Pardo on the South (refer to Map 2). It is approximately three (3) to five (5) kilometers from existing dumpsite of the city located in Inayawan further South. BSN has a population of 32,000 or 5,090 families (City Health Data, 1994) about half of which are urban poor. According to its barangay captain, total 1996 population is estimated to be around 45,000.

Formerly characterized by vast rice fields, the barangay was referred to by the Cebuanos as 'basakan' which means rice field area or simply rice field. Before World War II, it was also referred to as San Nicolas since it was under the San Nicolas Parish of the Roman Catholic Church. The name San Nicolas was attached to Basakan, which later was contracted into 'Basak San Nicolas' as it is presently known.

BSN is generally a highly congested residential area. This is evident particularly in the southern portion of the Cebu South road where majority of its residents live (see Slides No. B8). Its large urban poor population lives in lightly built to semi-concrete houses that are also built so close to each other, almost wall to wall. A number of its residents who occupy the coastal sitios of Kanipaan, Seaside, Alumnos and Guinabsan in fact dwell in closely built houses onshore which can be reached through wooden footbridges (see Slides No. B9). According to some residents, this situation prevails since majority of the urban poor population of BSN are landless. They live in the community either as tenants, renters and/or squatters. There are, however some who were already awarded rights and title to the land they occupy through the government programs on human settlements (see Slides No. B10).

The main streets that traverse BSN are already concrete but the many alleys and passageways in interior sitios leading to the majority of the houses are not. These alleys are usually narrow, about 1.5 meter-wide, just enough for one or two persons to pass through (see Slides No. B11). Drainage canals are present only in some areas in the community usually along the main roads. (See Slides No. B12)

A number of business establishments and social infrastructure facilities are present within the community. Most of the business establishments are located near and/or along the Cebu South Road that traverses the barangay. These establishments include: hardware stores, gasoline station, telecommunication office, lumber yard, nickel plating factory near Friendship and GSIS Village, and a footwear manufacturing firm. Also found in BSN, along Cebu South Road, is first 'sky walk' or overpass ever built in the Southern Portion of the city.

Small stone craft and shell craft manufacturers and/or exporters (most of these are cottage level industries) like the Alcon Industries, operate in the coastal sitios of Tabasca, Alumnos, and Guinabsan. These manufacturers produce various women accessory items and furniture made of either corals, shells, and white Mactan stones as well as display items like monkeys made from coconut husks and preserved outer shells of certain fish species.

Most of the residents are Catholics from Cebu or neighboring islands of Leyte and Bohol. There are also a few Muslims living in the barangay. An exact percentage of the present ethnic group membership however can not be ascertained. Majority of the residents, particularly those of the urban poor, work as craftsmen, laborers, drivers, micro-business operators, i.e., sari-sari (neighborhood) stores, vendors and small traders.

BSN has four (4) educational institutions (schools), two (2) health centers, located in Sitio Bontores and Alumnos, and about 25-bed capacity community hospital located along Rizal Ave. Extension (see Slides No. B13). Concerning access to toilet and water facilities, majority of the families in BSN have sanitary toilet facilities. They are supplied with water by the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) as shown below. (See also Slides No. B14)

BSN had thirty two (32) community - based organizations (CBOs) which comprise the organized sector of the urban poor community in BSN. Early in 1995 they launched a SWM campaign in cooperation with the BSN Barangay Council (the governing body in BSN composed of seven elected officials headed by the Barangay Chairman), with the support from the Office of Cebu City Council-Committee on Public Services and Environment. According to leaders of CBOs, BSN was identified as one of the 'pilot' barangays where full implementation of City Ordinance No. 1361 will be enforced. CO 1361 which was promulgated by the Cebu City Council (The governing body at the city level composed of 7 elected officials headed by the Vice Mayor) in 1990, provided for the system of proper collection and disposal of wastes in the city (refer to Appendix 1). Before C.O. 1361, several leaders of these organizations were already implementing waste management activities like operation "linis" or cleanliness.

The above CBOs are linked under a council called BSN Barangay Urban Poor Coordinating Council (BUPCC) whose present membership include a total of thirty-eight (38) CBOs (see Appendix 2). Most of BUPCC's member organizations were organized primarily due to land tenure issues as most of their constituents are renters and are not legitimate house and/or landowners. The BUPCC's main concerns are: land tenure and/or land acquisition; water, sanitation, and environment (watsanen); youth; women; education, livelihood; and health. Most of the leaders of these CBOs are women.

Of the above thirty-eight (38) organizations, only ten (10) are considered active and are very much supportive to the waste management concern of the BUPCC (see Appendix 3). Leaders of these organizations are active in the implementation of waste management activities particularly in information dissemination regarding waste management practices and CO 1361.

There are also POs in BSN with sectoral concerns like the Basak San Nicolas Women's Action Group.

The waste situation in BSN has changed significantly after the full enforcement of City Ordinance 1361. BSN used to be a dirty barangay. Some residents even compare it to Carbon, the central public market of Cebu City. Urban poor organization leaders said that indiscriminate throwing and dumping of waste were prevalent in BSN (see Slides No. B15). Wastes (i.e., plastics, papers, rubbers, glass materials, etc.) were seen scattered along the streets, and thrown into canals (see slides No. B16-B17). Interior sitios were dirty (see Slides No. B18), and coastal areas were even foul-smelling due to unattended garbage in the area. The sea shore in Guinabsan-Alumnos-Kanipaan area, which used to be a clean beach in the early 60s, was no longer fit for swimming. Although there are families whose members tried to maintain the cleanliness of their surroundings, they however, usually disposed of their garbage (paper and plastic materials alike) mainly by burning (see Slides No. B19).

With the implementation of CO 1361 in the community and with the active involvement of BUPCC in SWM campaign, the barangay became clean (see Slides No. B20). The launching of CO 1361, that involved information campaign on waste management, helped in improving people's awareness on proper waste management as well as it elicited participation from the majority of the residents in the collection and disposal of garbage in the community (see Slides No. B21-B22). According to the organization leaders, surroundings of residential areas are now regularly cleaned up (see Slides No. B23). A regular garbage collection is now in place. Trash cans that were donated by the Barangay Youth Council are also placed along streets (see Slides No. B24 and Map 2). Domestic wastes are now gathered and packed in plastic bags or sacks. It was observed that waste collection and/or disposal (i.e., cleaning of house surroundings, gathering of household waste, and bringing the waste to designated sites) is largely done by the mothers and daughters of each family.

There are instances, however, when the city garbage truck fails to collect the garbage in the community on time. This causes the streets to be temporarily untidy because of the packed garbage which await collection. In such cases, leaders of organizations who monitor the SWM situation in different neighborhood zones take the initiative to call up either the Cebu City Department of Public Services, the Office of the Cebu City Councilor Felixberto Rosito (Chairman) of the City Council - Committee on Public Services and Environment, or the Cebu City Commission for the Urban Poor (CCUP) under the Office of the City Mayor, to report delays in collection schedules and to complain.

Although cleanliness is generally observed in BSN, there are still some areas where it is not always maintained. This is noticed in the interiors of some neighborhood zone (i.e., Pundok Gamay, Panaghiusa, and Lupa Bontores) and in neighborhood zones located along the coasts (i.e., Kanipaan, Ipil, Sea Side, and Alumnos). A few of the residents in the said interior sitios, most of whom are allegedly non-BUPCC members, still practice the 'wrap and throw' method of waste disposal. Throwing of waste into waterways which is presumably done during nightime, is partly attributed to the unwilling of these residents to cooperate with BUPCC leaders and barangay personnel and to their distance from the identified waste collection points. BUPCC leaders however, are constantly trying to remind leaders and/or members living near these areas, to encourage the said residents to participate in the waste management efforts in BSN.

In some areas of Kanopaan, Ipil, Sea Side, and Alumnos on the other hand, difficulty to observe and maintain cleanliness is due to BSN's proximity to Inayawan, he dumping site of Cebu City (see Slide No. B25). Wastes from Inayawan are usually carried afloat to these areas during high tide. According to some BUPCC leaders who live in these placces, BSN officials were informed of this difficulty but they hoever could not do anything about it except to wait for the city government to improve the Inayawan dumpsite. The city government has a pending reclamation project that will cover the coastal areas of BSN towards Inayawan. Implementation of this project is perceived by BSN officials to improve the waste situation in the above coastal areas.

Although there is no junkshop within BSN, collection of recyclable bottles and plastic materials exists. Residents say that pushcart waste collectors from nearby barangay, particularly Mambaling buy their used bottles. There is an initiative however by Mr. Rizaldy Baruc, the president of BUPCC, to buy used bottles and plastics around Lupa Bontores area (see Slides No. B26-B27). He does this for a living. The nearest junkshops are located in Barangay Mambaling and Basak Pardo, both adjacent to BSN (see Slides B28). Garbage segregation is generally not practiced in BSN except for old newspapers and other salable materials as mentioned above.

The improved waste situation of barangay Basak San Nicolas (BSN) is attributed to the timely and effective implementation of community management approaches and activities initiated by the council of urban poor organizations called Barangay Urban Poor Coordinating Council (BUPCC) of BSN which was supported by the local government unit of BSN also known as Barangay Council. As mentioned earlier (section 2.1.3), the BUPCC is composed of thirty-eight (38) CBOs. The Barangay Council on the other hand, is headed by the Barangay Captain or also known as Barangay Chairman. Members of the Barangay Council include the following elected officials: the Barangay Captain, six (6) Barangay Councilors, and the Chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan ng Barangay (Barangay Youth Council). The BUPCC, through its water, sanitation and environment committee or 'watsanen,' took the lead in promoting environmental cleanliness that began early in 1990s. A cleanliness drive called operation 'linis' was the first community-wide activity organized by the council towards this end. Short lectures and discussions called 'teach-ins' regarding waste management were also conducted informally among residents. This initiative culminated in the launching of SWM campaign and full implementation of Cebu City Ordinance 1361 that provided a legal mandate to institutionalize proper waste collection and disposal in the community.

The community-based organizations (CBOs) in BSN that composed the BUPCC were first organized independently in different neighborhood zones primarily to respond to the growing land tenure and settlements related problems of the residents. The urban poor families who settled in BSN for a long time now either as tenants and/or renters and squatters in the area, feared the possibility of eviction, after families from certain neighborhood zones received eviction notice from claiming landowners. As a response, they organized themselves, believing that their concerns will be better addressed if they band themselves together into a formal organization with a legal personality.

There were certain agencies that were instrumental in consolidating the organizing efforts of the urban poor of BSN. The Presidential Commission of the Urban Poor (PCUP) which operates nationwide under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines and the CCUP under the Office of the City Mayor of Cebu, assisted the urban poor organizations in BSN in gaining official recognition through accreditation as legitimate urban poor organizations. They also assisted the BUPCC members in the processing of documents and in negotiating with landowners for the awarding of land titles through government sponsored programs on housing and land acquisition. Also, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., (RAFI) which is a non-government organization (NGO), was instrumental in the capability building of the leaders of urban poor organizations through its Resource Efficiency Approach through Community Health.

Among the first organizations to be formalized are the Sitio Lupa Bontores Urban Poor Dwellers Organization, Inc., (1988) which is headed by Mr. Rizaldy Baruc, also the present Chairperson of the BUPCC; the Parents Reach Association in Sitio Alumnos (1988), and; Tabasca Community Association (1986). With the common concern to address the land tenure problem, these independent organizations began linking with each other sometime in 1989 and later agreed to formalize their association into a council in a convention of leaders held in November of 1993. In February 1994, the BUPCC was formalized through a Memorandum of Agreement signed by presidents of BUPCC member organizations (See Appendix 3). Under the BUPCC, a committee better known as 'watsanen' stood at the forefront of all waste management related activities in the community. The figure that follows shows the organizational set up of BUPCC. (See Figure 3.1)

In one way or another, the creation of a watsanen committee within the BUPCC was said to have been influenced by the BUPCC leaders' exposures to community based programs of RAFI and Lihok Filipina. As mentioned earlier, RAFI implemented the Resource Efficiency Approach to Community Health (REACH) in the late 1980s to early 1990s which include organizing women. The Lihok Filipina Foundation Inc., on the other hand, is a non-government organization operating mainly in the Visayas Region. It advocates and support various womens concerns. It is the lead agency in organizing component of the Urban Basic Services Program (UBSP). It coordinates with existing organizations in communities like BSN so that UBSP can support them and UBSP's thrust can concretely be implemented in the barangay level.

RAFI, CCUP, and Lihok Filipina coordinates with each other under a citywide/province-wide UNICEF-assisted program i. e., UBSP, whose implementing agency is the Cebu City Inter-Agency Committee (CCIAC). CCIAC is an NGO-Government collaboration and networking effort wherein the above agencies are members. UBSP's major components, which include land tenure, community organization,sanitation and environment, embody the concerns of BUPCC. In fact, BUPCC being an area task force of UBSP in BSN has an organizational structure that is patterned after that of UBSP-CCIAC.

Leaders of existing urban poor organizations most of whom are women, who were participants in the program/projects of the abovementioned institutions have been active in community affairs. Early in 1993, the BUPCC lobbied for the support of political candidates in the barangay elections. They managed to forge a covenant with then candidates to the Office of the Barangay Captain or Chairman to champion what they call the people's agenda (See Appendix 4). The covenant primarily sought to ensure representation of the urban poor groups in the Barangay Council, the governing body in the barangay. Representation in the Barangay Council was considered crucial so the urban poor group can assert for their concerns, including that of watsanen. In return, BUPCC supported the campaign of the candidates. Included in the agenda was the watsanen concern of the council. When Mr. George Rama (the present Barangay Chairman) won the elections, he provided the council with an office in the barangay hall in recognition of the support they gave him in the elections (see Slides No. B29).

According to the BUPCC President, Mr. Zaldy Baruc, one of the reasons that motivated the urban poor groups to actively participate in waste management activities was the challenge to disprove, if not to counter, a notion of affluent members of Basak community. Affluent community members, according to him, think that it is the urban poor who generates the greater volume of waste that cause the dirty surroundings and the degradation of the environment of BSN. Mr. Baruc, one of the urban poor leaders in Cebu who was once invited to a seminar on waste management and segregation sponsored by the University of the Philippines-Cebu in 1993, believes otherwise citing that the volume of waste materials that could be generated by a household is directly proportional to the financial capacity to purchase consumer goods (see Slides No. B30).

Through watsanen committee, the BUPCC initiated in 1994 a continuing community-wide cleanliness drive tagged as 'operation linis.' In operation linis, leaders of BUPCC member organizations together with their respective members, voluntarily sweep or clean certain areas in the community on an agreed day to encourage houseowners to clean their surroundings. This is done after every six month in coordination with the barangay council.

Matters concerning watsanen were always given priority in the regular monthly meetings of the BUPCC held every first Saturday of the month.Watsanen committee which at present is headed by Myrly Navarro, coordinates regularly with the the Watsanen Committee of Urban Basic Services Program (UBSP) led by CCUP and with the Office of Chaiperson of City Council Committeee on Public Services and Environment (see Appendix 5). Mrs. Navarro is one of the people's organization representative from the Philippines in the recent International Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) by the United Nations in Istanbul. She is also the president of the Women's Action Group, a BSN-based organization that seeks to addresslocal problems related to health, gender violence, and other issues. Women's Action Group, whose members include many of the women leaders of BUPCC organizations, actively supports the waste management activities in BSN in terms of attending BUPCC meetings, encouraging residents to observe cleanliness, and of coordinating with BUPCC leaders who monitor the waste situation in the community.

In the first quarter of 1995, the BUPCC, through watsanen, had taken another lead in waste management activities, this time in the launching and implementation of a city ordinance popularly called City Ordinance 1361(see Appendix 1). Among the barangays of Cebu that have active representation in the city government, BSN was identified to be one of the four pilot areas for the implementation of the above ordinance. Other barangays to which CO 1361 is piloted are Inayawan, Pahina Central, and Punta Princesa. For the urban poor leaders, implementation of the CO 1361 provided the legal support to the operation 'linis' they conduct.

The formal launching of SWM campaign in BSN was done in the first Quarter of 1995 after BUPCC conducted consultation meetings and after coordinating with agencies concerned. The BUPCC coordinated with the Office of the Barangay Captain for necessary support in logistics, A symposium, which form part of the education campaign for SWM, was conducted in coordination with the Barangay Council, and CCIAC-UBSP through Lihok Filipina which assisted BUPCC in terms of finances and in inviting city government officials to grace the symposium. The following is a summary of activities undertaken in the launching of CO 1361:

A week after the launching activity of CO 1361, the BUPCC called for a special meeting to discuss monitoring activities regarding maintenance of cleanliness and observance of proper waste collection and disposal. According to BUPCC minutes of meeting minutes, a steering committee was formed from among the leaders whose basic task is to accept reports from monitoring teams, inspect, and supervise monitoring in different areas. This steering committee with the monitoring teams meets every third Sunday of each month. Steering committee members are as follows:

Prior to the formal launching of CO 1361, the BUPCC Execom had earlier openned discussions on who among the BUPCC members are willing to volunteer or to monitor the waste situation in the community. A number of individuals volunteered and subsequently an orientation on how to monitor the watsanen situation in the community was later held. These efforts of watsanen to monitor the waste situation of the community is recognized by the local government officials of BSN. Although the Office of the barangay captain also deploys about 20 community guards (barangay tanod) to act as watchmen for possible violation of the CO 1361, the burden of daily monitoring of the interior sitios rests primarily on the watsanen. Deployed community guards are more concerned on the areas along main streets, particularly the temporary dumping stations.

Together with the steering committee, those who volunteered for monitoring activities divided themselves to form ten (10) monitoring teams with corresponding area assignments. Each team has its own leader and/or coordinator most of whom are CBO leaders themselves. (Please refer to the table below)

Watsanen monitors the community on a voluntary basis, i.e., no monetary reward is being extended for this purpose and they are not legally authorized to apprehend violators of CO 1361. Monitoring functions and tasks that made effective in April 10, 1995 include:

2.3.4 Scheduled Collection and Waste Disposal

With the C.O. 1361 in place, collection and disposal of wastes generated in BSN became regular. The city government through it Department of Public Services, deploys its garbage collection truck to collect garbage from BSN twice a week, usually on Mondays and Fridays. Collection, however is done only along main roads in the barangay (i.e., Cebu South Road, Cabreros, Tabada, Llamas, Rizal Avenue Extension).

With the SWM/CO 1361 campaign, an increase in the volume of collected waste was noted. These wastes are brought to identified pick-up points or temporary dumping areas along the roads to await collection by the dump truck. In sitio Lupa-Bontores for instance, significant increase in the volume of garbage was noticed. According to the BUPCC president this impelled them to suggest to the barangay captain to purchase a barangay dump truck necessary to accommodate the increasing volume of garbage. This suggestion plus the number of waste disposal-related complaints that have reached the Office of the Barangay Captain, convinced the Captain (Mr. Rama) and the Barangay Council to purchase the mini dump truck (see Slides No. B31). This mini dump truck complements the garbage collection being undertaken by the city's DPS.

The barangay dump truck has a loading capacity of approximately eight (8) to nine (9) cubic meter (see Slides No. B32). On the average, the mini dump truck collects three (3) truck loads of waste from BSN per day for six (6) days, or a total 140 - 160 cubic meter of waste in a week. Collection work is done by three (3) community guards who are also full time in garbage collection (see Slides No. B33). Community guards receive honorarium (around P1,500 to P2,000) from the funds/income of the barangay for the security services they render to the community. They are usually appointed by the Barangay Captain. Only three however, were chosen for garbage collection for which each guard receive an additional compensation. The BSN LGU, through the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) it receives from the city government, shoulders the maintenance costs of the dump truck as well as the salaries of the personnel involved in the collection and disposal. Each of the employed garbage collector/loaders receives a total monthly salary of P 4,000.00. IRA takes care of most if not all of the operating and overhead expenses of the barangay.