Philippine Center for Water Sanitation

Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation (PCWS) used to be known as International Training Network (ITN) when it started in 1990 as a project of the Netherlands-based Institute of Infrastructure, Hydraulics and Engineering (IHE). It registered as a nongovernmental organization in 1998 as Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation - The ITN Foundation and started supporting itself through its professional fees. PCWS now undertakes advocacy work, researches, trainings and consultancies. It also provides technical assistance to local governments, communities and NGOs. Engineers of PCWS work with communities in developing low cost water supply and sanitation technology options, thereby enhancing local initiatives leading to benefits in health and livelihood.

PCWS leads the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) Philippines Coalition, a loose coalition of organizations, local governments, communities and individuals working with national and local policy makers as well as the poorest communities to improve access to WASH in areas of the Philippines most in need of them. WASH Philippines Coalition is a partner of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (www.wsscc.org).

PCWS-ITNF currently works in the following provinces and cities in the Philippines:

1. Agusan del Sur
2. Albay
3. Bohol
4. Bukidnon
5. Camarines Sur
6. Capiz
7. Davao City
8. Davao del Sur
9. Eastern Samar

10. Gen. Santos City
11. Kalinga
12. La Union
13. Leyte
14. Masbate
15. Mindoro Occidental
16. Misamis Occidental
17. Northern Samar
18. Quezon

19. Romblon
20. Sorsogon
21. Tawi-Tawi
22. Western Samar
23. Zambales
24. Zamboanga Sibugay
25. Metro Manila

In previous years, PCWS worked in the following provinces and cities:

1. Agusan del Norte
2. Agusan del Sur
3. Albay
4. Antigue
5. Batanes
6. Batangas
7. Benguet
8. Bukidnon
9. Bulacan
10. Cagayan
11. Camarines Norte
12. Camarines Sur
13. Camiguin
14. Catanduanes
15. Cavite
16. Cebu
17. Compostela Valley
18. Davao del Sur
19. Eastern Samar
20. Ifugao

21. Ilocos Norte
22. Ilocos Sur
23. Iloilo
24. Isabela
25. Kalinga
26. Laguna
27. Lanao del Norte
28. Lanao del Sur
29. Leyte
30. Maguindanao
31. Masbate
32. Mindoro Occidental
33. Mindoro Oriental
34. Misamis Occidental
35. Misamis Oriental
36. Negros Occidental
37. North Cotabato
38. Northern Samar
39. Nueva Vizcaya
40. Palawan

41. Quezon
42. Rizal
43. Romblon
44. Siargao Archipelago
45. Sorsogon
46. South Cotabato
47. Sultan Kudarat
48. Sulu
49. Surigao del Norte
50. Surigao del Sur
51. Tawi-Tawi Archipelago
52. Western Samar
53. Zambales
54. Zamboanga del Norte
55. Zamboanga del Sur
56. Metro Manila
57. Metro Cebu
58. Davao City
59. Baguio City
60. Zamboanga City

Current Priority Programs/Projects

LOCAL WATCH

Low-cost alternative wastewater treatment for communities and households (LOCAL WATCH) is a sanitation system that includes toilets, biogas digester septic tank, baffled reactor, anaerobic filter, gravel filter and lotus/fish pond. PCWS developed LOCAL WATCH in response to the fact that sanitation is lagging behind in the Philippines as it is not a priority of national and most local governments, NGOs, communities, etc. partly due to the belief that sanitation technologies like wastewater treatment systems are expensive and complicated.

Consultancy Services

	Researches pertaining to water supply, sanitation and hygiene
	Accounting and auditing services to water cooperatives and non-governmental organizations
	Capability building for the operation and maintenance of communal water systems
	Low-cost wastewater treatment
	Sanitation education
	Waste management
	WASH (water supply, sanitation and hygiene) advocacy
	Engineering design for water supply and sanitation systems
	Special projects such as dioramas (1,2,3), etc.

Ferro-cement Houses with Wastewater Treatment and Rainwater Harvesting Systems

These are demonstration projects on how to build a ferro-cement house with low-cost wastewater treatment and rainwater harvesting systems. They show that simple, low-cost technologies help conserve water, prevent pollution, and enable families to adapt to climate change. The demonstration project also show that sanitation is neither expensive nor complicated and is achievable even in a difficult, congested, flood-prone urban environment or in isolated peri-urban and rural areas. This project represents the cumulative learnings of PCWS from its field-based implementation experiences and its interactions with households and communities. PCWS hopes that this demonstration projects could inspire the passing of enabling local and national policies for both human health and environmental protection.

Technical Assistance to Local Governments, NGOs and Communities on Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

PCWS provides technical assistance to local governments, communities and NGOs to improve water supply, sanitation and hygiene. It also undertakes researches, trainings and consultancies in partnership with relevant organizations.

PCWS addresses the lack of knowledge, awareness and appreciation of low-cost sanitation technologies among policy makers. It also encourages increased investments in sanitation and the development of enabling policies. Local governments are called upon to include among their priorities the implementation of WASH projects.

Aside from responding to requests for technical assistance, PCWS presents low-cost appropriate alternatives to create positive changes. It addresses the need to make sanitation affordable to low-income households. Expanding the range of water supply and sanitation systems presented to communities and households provide them with more options and information.

To date, PCWS has constructed about 2,000 rainwater harvesting tanks; about 100 bio-sand filters; 80 iron removal filters; and about 80 biogas digester septic tanks.

Action Researches with Households

PCWS continues to do researches with households on more appropriate designs of water supply, sanitation and hygiene systems and how these could be made more affordable to low-income families. Even after the implementation of projects, the communities and households are encouraged to maintain consultative access to PCWS engineers, especially for those who have acquired skills in building their own and their community's water supply and sanitation systems.

PCWS is currently undertaking research on the use of ferro-cement tanks for aquaculture. Other researches with households focus on reducing the amount of solid waste and creating alternative energy for production of fertilizers, water and biogas.

Rainwater Harvesting Advocacy

PCWS-ITNF and the WASH Coalition advocate for the building of low-cost rainwater harvesting tanks in public schools and offices in the Philippines. Here's how to construct a ferro-cement rainwater harvesting tank.

WASH-related Published Works of PCWS Staff:

Capistrano, Lyn. A Study on Personal and Home Hygiene in Flood-Prone Communities in the Philippines. Published by WSSCC and IRC. Geneva and The Hague. 2010. http://www.wsscc.org/resources/resource-publications/study-personal-and-home-hygiene-flood-prone-communities-philippines?rck=7d7644bacd5f671deedf4dc7756f342e; and http://www.irc.nl/page/51619.
Capistrano, Lyn and Gerlach Esther. Regulating Management and Concession Contracts for the Poor – Case Study 8: Manila, The Philippines. In: Regulating Water and Sanitation for the Poor. Economic Regulation for Public and Private Partnerships. Edited by Richard Franceys and Esther Gerlach. Earthscan. London. 2008.
Capistrano, Lyn. The Philippines Pilots Water Safety Plans. Water Utility Management International 3.3 (2008) 12-13. IWA. London. http://www.iwaponline.com/wumi/003030012.htm
Capistrano, Lyn and Gutierrez, Eric. For-profit versus not-for-profit: cases from the Philippines. Three case studies: Daragan, New Bulatukan and Magdalena from interviews and focus group discussions with key informants in the community and leaders of water associations. Published by WaterAid and Tearfund. London. 2003. http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/pspphilippinesweb.pdf
Gendrano, Jose Carmelo. The Biggest Problem of the Philippine Water and Sanitation Sector. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.5, no.2, June 2000, ITNF, Quezon City.
Gendrano, Jose Carmelo. Ferrocement Applications. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.4, no.4, December 1999, ITNF, Quezon City.
Capistrano, Lyn. Restoring and Protecting Wetlands can Prevent Freshwater Crisis. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.3, no.2, August 1998, ITNF, Quezon City.
Capistrano, Lyn. Looking at Philippine Wetlands. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.3, no.1, April 1998, ITNF, Quezon City.
Gendrano, Jose Carmelo. A Low-Cost, Low Tech Way of Making Water Tanks. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.3, no.3, December 1999, ITNF, Quezon City.
Gendrano, Jose Carmelo. Prevention and Treatment of Iron-Laden Water Supplies. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.3, no.3, December 1999, ITNF, Quezon City.
Capistrano, Lyn. Water Systems can Help Prevent Iodine Deficiency Disorders. Water & Sanitation FORUM, vol.2, no.3, August 1997, ITNF, Quezon City.