Water is a scarce commodity despite the abundant water resources in the Philippines. The growing demand and continuing resource-intensive economic development make it more unavailable and inaccessible. Thus, the escalating demand, resulting in water-related challenges, such as supply and access to safe and sustainable water, that pose significant economic challenges.
To help secure the future of the country’s water resources, the University of the Philippines Los Banos - Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-INREM) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) have partnered to conduct a pioneering project aimed at institutionalizing Payment for Water Ecosystem Service (P-WES) in the Philippines.
The project, “Advocating the Institutionalization of Payment for Water Ecosystem Service (P-WES) in the Philippines,” comes at a critical time when the growing demand for water-related environmental services is facing increasing pressure due to diminishing natural resources and inadequate funding for environmental protection. Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is an economic tool that has emerged to promote conservation and management of natural resources by compensating those who provide essential ecosystem services.
Despite recognition of the importance of PES, the Philippines has yet to establish a comprehensive policy framework that formally embraces and institutionalizes the adoption of PES. The project seeks to address the gap by engaging local and national stakeholders in establishing and institutionalizing a framework for compensating providers of essential water-related ecosystem services. This initiative not only aims to raise awareness about the significance of P-WES but also to provide a platform for stakeholders to enhance the proposed National P-WES policy.
Additionally, the project aims to raise awareness of the significance of P-WES in the Philippines and the local-level P-WES initiatives; provide P-WES and PES Outcome for Sustainable Water Provision (PESO SWaP) projects’ stakeholders platform to improve the proposed National P-WES policy draft; implement a parallel effort to institutionalize P-WES at the provincial level; and institutionalize the implementation of P-WES as a natural resource conservation strategy in the country through a proposed legislation.
During the project’s inception meeting on June 20, 2024, Project Leader Asa Jose Sajise of UPLB discussed the increasing demand for environmental services, particularly the water ecosystem services and the development of national P-WES policy, to address pressing water-related environmental and socioeconomic issues. He highlighted the development of an initial Theory of Change. It hopes to guide the project in assessing the previous PES experiences and arrangements, identifying different P-WES initiatives in the Philippines and co-developing a draft national protocol on P-WES implementation, in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-River Basin Control Office (DENR-RBCO) and DENR-Forest Management Bureau (DENR-FMB).
The inception meeting featured key resource persons including Dr. Margaret Calderon, Professor 12 at UPLB, and Ms. Dieldre Harder, S&T Consultant at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines Safe Water project.
With a project duration of 18 months, DOST-PCAARRD and UPLB hope the project to serves as a valuable resource for revising existing policies or developing new ones that support the effective implementation of PES.