Laguna Lake is the largest lake in the Philippines. Its watershed includes the catchment area of 21 rivers that flow through six provinces (including Metro Manila), 10 cities and 51 municipalities. The watershed, which serves the needs of 13% of the country’s population, has been subject to environmental pressures from increasing population, urbanization and industrialization over the last three decades, with no treatment systems for domestic wastes, inadequate pollution abatement for industrial and agricultural operations; and rapid deforestation and urbanization. The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) is responsible for environmental regulation and planning in the watershed and the lake itself.
The LLDA proposed a three-phased restructuring and strengthening plan that called for long-term commitment to manage the Laguna Lake and its watershed using an integrated and comprehensive approach. LISCOP assists the LLDA, LGUs and other stakeholders in improving the environmental quality of the watershed and the lake through behavioral changes among users, improved planning, regulatory instruments and incentives and participation in the environmental management of the watershed.
Good progress has been achieved in improving the planning and regulatory instruments of the LLDA. These include:.
- completion of the Laguna de Bay Environmental Action Plan (LEAP) in all 24 micro-watersheds covering all LGUs in the Laguna de Bay Region;
- identification and implementation of 21 environmental sub-projects from the completed LEAP; the formulation of a framework for integrating elements of the LEAP in the local development planning processes;
- expansion of the environmental user fee system to reduce industrial wastewater discharge in the lake by adding more parameters and covering more industrial dischargers;
- institutionalization of the Annual Learning Forum and the annual publication of the Laguna de Bay Environment Monitor within LLDA;
- full mainstreaming of LISCOP activities in LLDA’s regular functions and budgeting to support the continued implementation of institutional reforms;;
- increased confidence among LGUs in utilizing funding mechanisms offered by the project to address financing gaps for environment and other development initiatives;
- favorable response among industrial establishments to regulatory and economic instruments as evidenced by the 30 percent increase (as of May 2008) in the number covered and the increase in the issuance of discharge permits. Pilot testing of the online application of Permitting, Monitoring and Enforcement system has shown that the issuance of LLDA clearance and discharge permits can be shortened to less than 30 days;
- There has been some delay in implementing the Laguna de Bay Community Carbon Finance Project but nine projects have been contracted to provide a total of 52,047 tons of CO2 over ten years. Only one sub-project is fully operational; five others are in various stages of construction.
- World Bank: US$5 million loan
- Royal Netherlands Government: US$5 million grant to strengthen institutions and instruments and allow the LLDA and LGUs to undertake strategic changes in the way the watershed is regulated and managed.
- LLDA counterpart: US$2.05 million
- LGUs (provinces, districts, cities): US$400,000
- PHRD Climate Change Grant: US$ 360,000
- Improvement of the project’s monitoring and evaluation system, in particular the lake’s biochemical oxygen load and the positive environmental impact of completed sub-projects operated and maintained by LGUs.
- Scaling up of project activities through follow on financing focusing on wastewater treatment systems to address domestic discharge which now contributes 77% of the total biochemical oxygen demand loading in the lake.
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