767338

research-article2018
EAU0010.1177/0956247818767338Environment & UrbanizationShort Title

Community mapping and data

gathering for city planning in the
Philippines

Deanna Ayson

Deanna Ayson has been Abstract  This paper describes the community-driven mapping and data
working with the Philippine gathering in informal settlements in cities in the Philippines and the valuable basis
Action for Community- this provides to inhabitants for working with local governments, contributing
Led Shelter Initiatives Inc
(PACSII) for nine years,
to city planning and decision making. This process, supported by the Homeless
helping the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines, also provides communities with
People’s Federation opportunities to think through their priorities. Background information on the
Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI) federation and other key national and local actors is followed by a description of
in its documentation the mapping and data gathering process in Muntinlupa City and its contribution
work and the capacity
to the creation of plans and proposals, and to the networks and partnerships
building of its members.
She obtained her master’s that are key to their implementation. The paper then outlines the federation’s
degree in Community experience with mapping and data gathering in informal settlements in Valenzuela
Development at the City, Intramuros in Manila, Davao City and Iloilo City. It discusses the challenges
College of Social Work and and possibilities for supporting this process on a larger scale, including developing
Community Development the capacity to change cities’ shelter policies and land-use management.
in the University of the
Philippines, Diliman,
Quezon City. She is also Keywords  citizen–state relations / citywide community mapping / data
a licensed high school gathering / federations / informal settlements / participation / Philippines / shelter
teacher.

Address: 221 St. Vincent

Seminary, Tandang Sora
Ave, QC, 1116 Philippines;
e-mail: deanna.ayson@ I. Introduction
gmail.com; Facebook: Dea
Ayson
In recent years, the Philippine government has placed a greater focus
on addressing the needs of the informal settlement population, in
part because of the rapid growth of the urban population. In 2011 the
government allocated a 50 billion peso (US$ 1.15 billion as of 2011) social
housing fund for families living in danger areas, such as along waterways
and river systems. This applies particularly to Metro Manila, where
1. Cruz, Jeanette E (2010), about 600,000 families reside in informal settlements.(1) In addition, the
“Estimating informal settlers government, through its Housing and Urban Development Coordinating
in the Philippines”, Paper
presented at the 11th National Council (HUDCC), introduced the National Informal Settlements
Convention on Statistics (NCS), Upgrading Strategy in 2014, a 10-year strategic plan formulated
Mandaluyong City, 4–5 October. primarily to institute reforms and improve delivery of services to the
2. ICF (2014), “Developing a housing sector.(2) In addition, the government’s Social Housing Finance
national informal settlements
Corporation has been promoting and testing the Citywide Development
upgrading strategy for
the Philippines”, Final Approach to Upgrading Informal Settlements (CDA), which is an
report, Housing and Urban alternative to the usual project-based schemes. While all these efforts
Development Coordinating promise positive change, the role of communities in managing their own
Council, accessed 8 October
development must not be ignored.
Environment & Urbanization Copyright © 2018 International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). 501
Vol 30(2): 501–518. 10.1177/0956247818767338  www.sagepublications.com
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247818767338
EN V I RON M ENT & URB A N I Z A T I ON Vol 30 No 2 October 2018

For the Homeless People’s Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI), which 2015 at http://www.hudcc.
gov.ph/sites/default/files/
has a membership of 88 associations and 88 savings groups(3) across the
styles/large/public/document/
country, the initiatives and plans of communities must be integrated into NISUS%20Final%20Report_
these efforts to actually become effective. This federation was formed in July2014.pdf.
1998 to bring together low-income community organizations that had 3. Data as of 30 June 2017 from
developed housing savings groups and to support the formation of other the consolidated reports of the
Homeless People’s Federation,
savings groups.(4) These groups seek ways to develop their own homes Philippine, Inc.
– for instance, by negotiating for secure land, forming new homeowner 4. For details of the federation’s
associations, and identifying land on which they can build.(5) The history, see Vincentian
federation and its support NGO, the Philippine Action for Community-Led Missionaries (1998), “The
Shelter Initiatives Inc (PACSII), have also developed a support programme Payatas Environmental
Development Programme:
for communities hit by disasters, which includes community-based data micro-enterprise promotion
gathering and support for network building, savings, and the formation of and involvement in solid waste
community organizations for disaster response and disaster risk reduction.(6) management in Quezon City”,
Environment and Urbanization
The federation faces the challenge of getting land and persuading local Vol 10, No 2, pages 55–68; also
governments, donors and activists to respect their position. Moreover, Yu, Sandra and Anna Marie
as this paper will describe, many local governments are becoming more Karaos (2004), “Establishing
the role of communities in
supportive of the federation and the agencies with which it works.(7)
governance: the experience
In addition to its support NGO, PACSII, HPFPI gets support from of the Homeless People’s
the Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc Federation Philippines”,
(TAMPEI). TAMPEI consists mostly of architects and engineers who Environment and Urbanization
Vol 16, No 1, pages 107–120.
provide support to community upgrading, community mapping and other
5. See for instance Teodoro,
community-led initiatives. HPFPI is also supported by LinkBuild, a social John Iremil E and Jason
enterprise partner that provides development finance and builds houses Christopher Rayos Co (2009),
for HPFPI’s members, and by Community Resources for the Advancement “Community-driven land tenure
strategies: the experiences
of Capable Societies (CoRe-ACS), a microfinance institution that provides
of the Homeless People’s
end-user financing for low-income families through loans. This group of Federation of the Philippines”,
organizations is known as the Philippine Alliance. Environment and Urbanization
Vol 21, No 2, pages 415–442.
6. Carcellar, Norberto, Jason
II. Mapping AND Data Gathering in Muntinlupa Christopher Rayos Co and
Zarina O Hipolito (2011),
The mapping and profiling of informal settler families in Muntinlupa “Addressing disaster risk
City, which began in January 2015 and was completed within a year, reduction through community-
rooted interventions in the
demonstrates the importance of the genuine participation of communities
Philippines: experiences
in informal settlement upgrading. This was a multi-stakeholder of the Homeless People’s
collaboration under the project Citywide Development Approach to Federation of the Philippines”,
Informal Settlements Upgrading (later renamed the Citywide Community Environment and Urbanization
Vol 23, No 2, pages 365–381.
Upgrading Strategy), supported by the World Bank. It was citywide in
7. See Papeleras, Ruby,
scope in that it aimed to map not just pockets but all of the informal Ofelia Bagotlo and Somsook
settlements in the city, with local government as the coordinating body. Boonyabancha (2012), “A
The mapping activities in Muntinlupa City are facilitated by the conversation about change-
making by communities: some
civil society groups (both membership-based organizations and support
experiences from ACCA”,
NGOs) that make up the Philippine Alliance, and by other local partners Environment and Urbanization
including the Muntinlupa Development Foundation (MDF), Urban Vol 24, No 2, pages 463–480.
Poor Alliance Muntinlupa and Bukluran.(8) MDF has been providing 8. The Urban Poor Alliance
technical assistance since the 1990s as a mobilizer of informal settlement (UP-ALL) was launched in 2005
as a social movement working
communities intending to sign up to the national government’s for the rights of the urban poor
Community Mortgage Program (CMP). sector to attain security of
tenure and decent shelter. It
includes members from non-
a. Citywide mapping and shelter planning governmental organizations
and people’s organizations,
Muntinlupa is located south of Metro Manila and in terms of population numbering 700 coalitions and
is the 10th largest of the 16 cities and single municipality in the National organizations throughout the

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Philippines. HPFPI is part of the Capital Region, with over half a million residents in 2015.(9) While
UP-ALL network.
the city has progressed economically since the 1990s, and now hosts
9. Philippine Statistics Authority numerous commercial, industrial and business establishments and an
(2016), accessed 2 March 2018
at https://psa.gov.ph/content/ expensive residential village, about a third of its population has been
population-national-capital- left out of the area’s development and remains living with inadequate
region-based-2015-census- services and insecure tenure, vulnerable to risks and disasters. Based on
population-0.
local government data, more than 34,000 households in 2007 lived in
informal settlement communities in eight of the city’s nine barangays
10. Ramirez, Alita (2015), (the smallest administrative divisions in the Philippines).(10)
“Housing projects backlog”, Bounded on the east by Laguna Lake, Muntinlupa lies along an
Report presented at the
CAN Regional Meeting and 11-kilometre shoreline where there are scores of informal settlement
Workshop, Muntinlupa City, communities. These are areas that the national government prioritizes
16–23 June. under its Oplan Likas project, whose aim is to clear structures and relocate
informal settler families residing along waterways and river systems to
pave the way for the implementation of a metropolis-wide flood control
project.
The city government reported that of the total 34,098 households
in informal settlements as of 2007, 16,653 were living on private land,
13,265 were in danger zones, and 4,180 were on government land.
The city government’s socialized housing programme as of 2007 had
provided security of tenure to 5,780 households and had ongoing shelter
initiatives intended for 11,771 households. Still, the city computed at the
time that 16,547 households had yet to come under the social housing
11. See reference 10. programme.(11)
Given these issues, the city government recognizes the need to
reexamine and revise its housing strategies for its low-income constituents
by updating its city shelter plan. It hopes to undertake this through its
participation in Citywide Development Approach (CDA) activities and
with technical assistance from the World Bank. The CDA is just one
part of the efforts of the national government to bring about reforms
in its national housing and urban development agenda. Changes are
also being introduced in the programmes of the Social Housing Finance
Corporation, the lead government agency in charge of financing social
housing programmes for low-income families.
HPFPI is a key player in CDA activities. With its long experience
in carrying out such CDA practices as community savings and finance
among low-income groups, the formation of city networks of urban
poor communities, the conduct of community-driven enumerations
and informal settlements upgrading, and partnering with local
governments, HPFPI was hired along with TAMPEI to help improve
the Social Housing Finance Corporation’s products and processes,
including the scaling up of its Community Mortgage Program through
CDA activities.
The creation of a relevant and responsive shelter plan for Muntinlupa
City will need not just an update on the number of families living in
informal settlements but also an assessment of the current situation of
residents, including the actual condition and location of their homes, as
well as their capacities and vulnerabilities. Thus, the Philippine Alliance
and the local civil society groups were engaged to assist in mapping
communities and in facilitating the formulation of shelter plans initially
in four barangays of District 2 – Sucat, Buli, Cupang and Alabang –
focusing on families in danger zones, such as those residing along the
lakeshore and waterways.
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Ta b l e 1
Mapping project data outputs

Mapping activity Outputs

Settlement mapping •• No. of informal settlements/communities per barangay

•• Land data (idle land inventory)
•• Digitized maps of known settlements and communities, with main infrastructure
marked
•• Basic data on settlements (issues and concerns)

Community •• Google Earth-based maps on locations of all settlements/associations/

visits with photo unorganized families
documentation •• Data on communities (histories, issues, vulnerabilities, hazards, flood areas)
•• Data on community facilities/amenities (schools, daycare centres, churches,
lampposts)

Community mapping •• Profiles of settlements/communities (demographics and livelihoods, available

services and utilities, community problems and priorities)
•• Basic household-level data (no. of sharers, renters, sources of livelihood, gender
data, no. of people with disabilities, elderly and children)
•• Types and uses of structures (identified and numbered)
•• Structural maps (hand-drawn and digitized)

b. A participatory and learning process

The mapping team, which includes the communities themselves, was

tasked with collecting data on the informal settlements and using this
information to create shelter plans at the barangay level and to develop
projects for priority communities. The assessment stage of the planning
process consists of 1) data gathering through the mapping and profiling
of settlements and communities, and 2) analysis of data outputs. Data
outputs relate to specific activities, to be carried out as shown in Table 1.
The local core mapping team puts all the data together to create
assessments of the communities mapped. Essential to the analysis of
each community are data on measures of community capacities such
as organizational maturity, presence of community savings, livelihood
sources, etc. Also crucial are data on measures of risks at the location,
including natural or anthropogenic hazards and the legal status of land. All
data outputs and assessments are validated in meetings and community
assemblies. During these meetings and assemblies, community members
themselves assess their own capacities and location hazards and risks
based on agreed sets of criteria. Results of mapping and assessments
will help communities identify their priorities around shelter and other
development options during barangay-level shelter planning, carried out
jointly by all city stakeholders.
The technical group, TAMPEI, is tasked with undertaking training
sessions on mapping activities for the local key actors who will compose
the local core mapping team, which includes members of the Urban
Poor Alliance Muntinlupa and Bukluran, local HPFPI members, and a
representative of the city’s local housing board. The team is trained on
the use of GPS devices, profiling of communities through focus group
discussions and interviews, surveys of households, and preparation
of maps. The core team is also involved in conducting validation
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workshops, and helps facilitate data analysis and the planning activities
of communities.
The local core team is expected to manage and facilitate activities
on the ground at first, and later on to be able to form and train other
local teams in the mapping process. In the actual mapping activities,
community members themselves, during general assemblies, are asked to
draw their own homes on base maps, carry out a household data survey,
and write down the information on prepared data sheets. They also relate
their own community histories, issues, concerns and aspirations through
focus group discussions and informal interviews.
The active participation of communities from the mapping process
up to the development of plans is critical to ensure that the output plans
are responsive to their needs and priorities. No person or group knows or
understands the situation of low-income households better than those
families themselves.
The process of participation becomes a learning tool for the
communities as they gradually begin to understand their situation, at
first, simply by talking about their families and their communities. This
is followed by chatting with neighbours during meetings and assemblies,
and afterwards by attending validation workshops and planning activities
to prioritize projects for their communities. At the same time, the
communities’ confidence is built so that they learn to negotiate and build
relations as they meet and work with people within their communities,
in government, in various groups and organizations, and from other
communities. The local government and development agencies involved
in this project recognize that the participation of local actors, especially
communities, means having an internally driven mapping process that
is more likely to yield concrete data and assessments. This process can
also be beneficial in terms of a community’s own internal relationships.
For instance, in one settlement, Purok 4 in Barangay Sucat, a community
divided by factionalism (having two presidents at the same time) decided
to set aside its differences after members and officers realized (during the
presentation of community capacities and location risks) that it would be
advantageous for them to unite when negotiating with the landowner for
the acquisition of the land they resided on.

c. Sustaining gains through savings

For the federation, the mapping process also serves as an entry point to
the possible organizing of the communities, and orientations on savings
groups have been included as a component of the mapping initiative,
facilitated by HPFPI after mapping activities in an area. Savings groups are
the core organizing tool for the federation, providing a platform for strong
local women-led organizations, as these groups are able to respond to the
communities’ needs and build their collective capacities (Photo 1). Saving
helps to deepen the communities’ understanding of their realities and
strengthens relations among members when they begin to get together
and talk about their needs, find solutions collectively, and collaborate
with government and other groups for their development.
Saving is also a strategy for addressing low-income families’
vulnerabilities to risks and calamities. Not only does it create a fund for
household or emergency needs, but – when developed as community

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Photo 1
Savings orientation among residents of the West Kabulusan
community in Barangay Cupang, Muntinlupa

© Ruby Papeleras, HPFPI

savings – it leverages external resources for securing tenure, upgrading

facilities, and meeting other development requirements of the community.
The mapping activity in Muntinlupa City aimed to demonstrate the
importance of involving communities in any city, regional or national
development effort such as poverty alleviation, shelter provision or
disaster intervention projects. An initiative that has involved communities
in arriving at decisions and solutions, and that recommends community-
driven strategies, will be more likely to prosper than one formulated
without integrating ideas and experiences from the ground.

d. The city planning process

The Local Government Code of 1991 (or Republic Act 7160) mandates
city and municipal governments to formulate a Comprehensive Land Use
Plan (CLUP), which is the plan for the management of local territories.(12) 12. Department of the Interior
and Local Government
There is also the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), a multi-year,
(2008a), Rationalizing the Local
multi-sectoral plan that “consolidates the programmes and projects” of Planning System, First edition,
different development sectors.(13) The CLUP is the long-term framework Bureau of Local Government
plan while the CDP is the medium-term plan. The creation of the CDP Development, page iv.
includes a consideration of the sectors of social development, economic 13. See reference 12, page v.
development, infrastructure development, environment and natural
resources, and institutional development. Housing as a social service
forms part of the social development sector.(14) If a city or municipality 14. See reference 12.
has a local shelter plan, this is used as an input to the CDP(15) and CLUP. 15. Department of the Interior
As a policy, the government encourages broad, multi-stakeholder and Local Government (2008b),
Guide to Comprehensive
participation in the preparation of these plans and has established various

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Development Plan (CDP), page platforms for the participation of city stakeholders in the development of
2, accessed 7 March 2018 at
the CLUP and CDP. Among these are the local development councils at
http://www.dilg.gov.ph/PDF_
File/reports_resources/DILG- the city or municipality and barangay levels, which actually lead in the
Reports-2011712-1939d5d3d3. formulation of the city’s CDP. These councils consist of city stakeholders,
pdf. including representatives of local civil society.(16)
16. See reference 15. Meanwhile, the process of developing the city’s CLUP or long-term
framework plan is assigned to the City Council and the city’s planning
core group. Participating in this process are the technical working groups
that assist the city’s planning core group; the technical working groups
17. Housing and Land Use also include representatives from civil society groups.(17) In Muntinlupa
Regulatory Board (2006), City, the Muntinlupa Development Foundation, which is also a key
CLUP Guidebook: A Guide to
Comprehensive Land Use Plan member of the mapping initiative described here, sits in the technical
Preparation Vol. 1, accessed 1 working group for both the city’s local development council and CLUP.
December 2015 at http://www. The third platform set up by government is the local housing board,
lcp.org.ph/UserFiles/League_
of_Cities/file/HLURB_CLUP_
which was revived in Muntinlupa City when the incumbent mayor was
Guidebook_Vol_1_11042015. re-elected in 2013.(18) These housing boards, like the local development
pdf. councils, are special bodies in a city – established, in general, to formulate
18. This mayor was re-elected and monitor housing policies and act as a clearing house for eviction and
in 2016 for a fifth demolition activities in the city. The local housing board membership
nonconsecutive term.
consists of city officials and representatives from NGOs and people’s
19. Department of the Interior organizations.(19)
and Local Government (2008c), Finally, one other platform is the city/municipal Disaster Risk
Creation of Local Housing
Boards, Memorandum Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC), composed of members
Circular 2008-143, accessed from among local officials, the private sector, and civil society groups. The
1 December 2015 at https:// council is tasked with developing, approving, monitoring and evaluating
docslide.us/documents/dilg-
mc-2008-143-creation-of-local-
local DRRM plans.
housing-boards.html. While these platforms provide communities with opportunities to
participate in the city planning and decision-making processes, some
issues may arise with regard to city councils being able to properly
deliberate on informal settlement concerns.
One issue is how these local bodies can satisfactorily discuss the
concerns of communities without having concrete information on them
– for instance, basic profiles of each community, what it really needs,
common issues affecting particular settlements, and perhaps a blueprint
for how the communities intend to respond to these issues. “Without
the proper information on communities, output proposals or recommendations
of councils may not be based on the actual needs of communities, just token
projects that turn out to be supply- and not demand-driven”, said Ruby
Papeleras, HPFPI Coordinator for the National Capital Region and a
coordinator of the CDA (Citywide Development Approach) project in
Muntinlupa City.
Another limitation of these special councils, according to Papeleras,
is that, without a concrete, integrated plan of activities from the
communities, patronage politics may come into play in council
deliberations, resulting in some groups being favoured by political
personalities or by the ruling political party. This situation results in
resources of government “being improperly allocated or utilized to the
detriment of the communities”, she said.
The initiative of the Muntinlupa City government to formulate its
local shelter plan under the CDA project bodes well for the informal
settlement communities in the city because it provides an opportunity for
community members to participate in the plan creation via the mapping
activity and initial shelter plan discussions at the barangay level.
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Photo 2
Community members in Sitio Pagkakaisa in Barangay Sucat
locate/draw their homes on a base map

© TAMPEI

e. Adding value to the planning and implementation of land

use and shelter strategies

The recent mapping project in Muntinlupa City facilitated the city’s

planning initiatives in many ways and contributed to more informed
decisions by council members. It also encouraged genuine participation
of communities in the process and promoted better relations among the
city stakeholders (Photo 2).
One way the mapping activity added value to city plans is in the type
and quality of information it generated and the process by which this
information was gathered. In the mapped settlements, the activity was
able to generate information on the following:

•• Household demographics, including the number of families,

vulnerable members, types of employment, and educational levels of
family members
•• Housing, such as the number of structures, types of materials used for
housing, and uses of structures
•• Services and amenities that households/communities are able to
access, including power, water and sanitation
•• Community or settlement profiles, including issues and concerns of
communities
•• Hand-drawn and digitized maps to determine community boundaries,
community resources, amenities and infrastructure
•• Hazards and risks that communities face due to natural and human-
induced disasters
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Photo 3A
Residents of Samahang Bagong Tatag Magkakapitbahay 604 in
Purok 6, Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa City present the maps
they prepared for validation

© TAMPEI

•• Community capacity and readiness, and assessment of the locations

(physical and legal status) by the communities themselves
•• For project development, preliminary inventory of land available
within the city for informal settlement communities

Based on this information, a more or less concrete and detailed profile

can be generated for each informal community in the areas mapped, which
can serve as a guide and basis for action in determining and addressing the
real needs of communities, as well as identifying prospects for upgrading
and other initiatives. Related to this, the information generated will
support the creation of plans and proposals from communities that
ensure better use of government resources, because budget allocations
will be based on the actual requirements of communities and not on
assumptions about people’s needs.
An added value of the mapping activity is the participation of
communities in the actual gathering of information (Photos 3A and 3B).
This is important because through the mapping process the communities
become more aware of their own situation and can judiciously decide
on their own futures based on concrete information generated by the
mapping activity. When community members sit and participate in the
special bodies, they are better able to articulate their concerns, having
a more complete picture of the situation of informal settler families at
different levels: household, settlement or barangay.
Also, the mapping information actually helps other members of
special bodies to understand communities better and to make more
sensible decisions on different shelter concerns. Nestor Villanueva, who,
for two terms, had been a member of the local housing board focusing
on informal settler families in private lands, said, “I was groping in the
dark before information from the mapping activity and profiles of informal
settler families became available.” Since he is also an active member of
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Photo 3B
Digitized map of Samahang Bagong Tatag Magkakapitbahay 604 in Purok 6, Barangay
Putatan, Muntinlupa City

© Ruel Orcajada, TAMPEI

NOTE: Old maps if available are used as the basis for producing new validated maps done by community
members. These are then digitized through computer-aided design software.

the mapping team, the process greatly helped Villanueva to get to know
the communities well and enabled him to provide concrete responses to
queries on the status of informal settlement families.
The mapping activities in each barangay culminated in a participatory
barangay planning activity in which a network was formally established
to facilitate communication within and among the different mapped
communities, the barangay government and city government. Focal
persons from different settlements were strategically chosen to represent
the different communities in barangay meetings and ensure that they
were able to bring their concerns to the table. Even when they did not sit
in the special bodies, communities could still directly correspond with
the barangay chair to give and receive updates on issues affecting them.
Once they are able to develop their own People’s Plans, with details of
their intended shelter project and its management, the communities can
negotiate directly not only with local governments but also with national
housing agencies such as the Social Housing Finance Corporation. By
creating their own plans based on the mapping information, communities
can also get different stakeholders to sit at the same table and discuss the
pooling of resources for communities’ initiatives. This process contributes
to better coordination between the local government unit and different
national agencies and more synchronized delivery of projects.

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Moreover, the mapping activity can enhance the city’s DRRM plan
since the gathered information, which includes data on identified
hazards and risks in specific communities or locations and the subsequent
vulnerability assessments by the residents themselves, can help the city
develop more proactive ways of responding to disasters.
The mapping initiative hinged on the belief that appropriate
solutions to the shelter issues in Muntinlupa City should involve those
concerned or most affected. More participatory approaches to the city’s
planning processes ensure that solutions are based not on guesswork
but on concrete needs. Participatory planning approaches also engender
awareness and sharing of information that facilitate decision making
by city stakeholders, especially between the communities and local
government. Also, they strengthen capacities of the stakeholders,
particularly the communities that are now able to articulate their
situation and concerns because of the information they wield. Lastly,
participatory approaches build and sustain partnerships among
stakeholders. Through regular dialogues, workshops and coordination
meetings to update each other on activities, stakeholders share and
validate information or reflect on experiences encountered and lessons
learned, gradually developing trust among themselves that may lead,
hopefully, to better plans for the city.
The mapping in Muntinlupa City aimed to gather data on the
situation of informal settlements in the city and feed this information
into the city’s shelter plan and land use plan. But while it was participated
in and supported by a number of stakeholders, including the national
and local governments, the World Bank, civil society organizations and
informal settlement communities themselves, it was not an easy process
of collaboration, as explained below. Some segments of the urban poor for
instance were sceptical about the process because surveys and censuses had
also been made in the past but did not really help improve their situation.
Even so, HPFPI put all its efforts into the initiative, seeing it not simply
as a forum for the planning and upgrading of informal communities but
also as a process that could bring about change in people – and especially
in the relations between communities and the government, and in their
ways of thinking and doing things. There is a hope that the urban poor
communities in Muntinlupa will continue to participate in the mapping,
contribute to the land and shelter planning of their city, and eventually
be recognized as legitimate partners of the city in development.
When the mapping team of NGOs, people’s organizations and
community volunteers first introduced the activity in the communities,
it generated mixed reactions from community members. “The people
were perplexed; some were questioning and others felt afraid that their homes
might be demolished when we visited their communities”, said Elenita Flores,
a community member who volunteered to become part of the core
mapping team. Some thought at first that they would be evicted and
refused to cooperate and participate in the activity. The mapping team
needed to visit the communities many times until it understood what the
mapping activity was all about. Other community members, meanwhile,
thought that the activity was part of an election campaign for a politician.
Still others thought that help had finally come and they would finally be
given land.
The team had to explain that the mapping activity was intended to
gather information about the communities – that it was not part of any
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election campaign activity, and did not carry any threat of eviction or the
promise of benefit, such as land or housing. They explained that the only
guaranteed benefit was that, once the mapping was completed with the
communities’ participation, they would be able to use the information
generated to negotiate with the government and other stakeholders.
An even bigger challenge for the mapping team was getting the
full support of local authorities for the activity during the first few
months of the mapping. While some government officials and staff
were most accommodating to the team, others were indifferent, or
even had reservations about the ongoing activity. Initially, some even
questioned why the mapping activity needed to be undertaken, when
the government was already marking the locations of informal settler
families. This reaction is indicative of the government’s lack of openness
and its propensity for top-down planning and decision making, with little
involvement from other stakeholders, especially the communities.
When the project was completed after a year, the communities’
attitude changed. The communities and the mapping team presented
the results of the mapping activities to the city stakeholders, especially
the barangay and city governments, which clearly appreciated the
information. Chair Mamerto Sevilla of Barangay Sucat said that the “data
on ISFs [information on informal settlement families] will definitely help the
government in providing the needs of the people”. And, referring to the maps
generated, he said, “We know now where our fire trucks will pass through
should there be an emergency.” Indeed, with the information gathered from
the mapping activity, five land acquisition projects have been started in
this barangay, and the five communities are now being prepared for the
CMP in collaboration with the national government’s Social Housing
Finance Corporation and the city government.
This outcome has also contributed to establishing trust between
communities and the local government. Community members of the
networks, or the so-called “technical working groups” formed in each of the
barangays that were mapped, openly discuss and engage in healthy debates
with their respective barangays and with city officials during meetings.
The success of the mapping activity also opened doors for the
continuation of the mapping activities in the other four barangays in
District 1 – Bayanan, Tunasan, Poblacion and Putatan. These were jointly
supported by the city government of Muntinlupa, UN-Habitat, and the
Global Land Tool Network under the Social Tenure Domain Model Project,
which seeks to generate a citywide profile of all informal settlement
families in Muntinlupa.

III. Mapping in The Cities of Valenzuela, Manila, Davao

and Iloilo

The mapping initiative in Muntinlupa City is just one of those in which

HPFPI and the rest of the Philippine Alliance institutions were involved
in 2015. Mapping activities in which the Alliance plays a key role are
also taking place in other areas such as Valenzuela City, Intramuros in
Manila, Davao City and Iloilo City. While the depth and scale of mapping
activities in these areas vary, the federation employs the same community-
driven approach and faces experiences and challenges more or less similar
to those encountered in Muntinlupa City.
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a. Valenzuela City

The Valenzuela People’s Network or VALPONET, an alliance of about

13 urban poor communities, led the implementation of the settlement
mapping and profiling in 16 barangays (out of 33) in the city in 2015.
The mapping activity, facilitated by HPFPI and the TAMPEI and supported
20. SDI is a network by SDI,(20) is part of VALPONET’s effort to gather data on the situations of
of community-based
informal settler families to determine their specific needs and advocate
organizations of the urban poor
in 33 countries in Africa, Asia, for their inclusion in the shelter plans of the covered barangays.
and Latin America. HPFPI has The 2015 mapping in the city is a follow-up of mapping activities
been an affiliate of SDI since in 12 communities in two barangays carried out the previous year.
the latter’s establishment in
the 1990s. A barangay planning activity was held after the mapping in Barangay
Mapulang Lupa, and this experience led to the opportunity for HPFPI to
partner with the World Bank for the Muntinlupa City mapping.
Community leaders and VALPONET volunteers trained with HPFPI
and TAMPEI on the use of GPS and the conduct of interviews and focus
group discussions, with the aim of gathering these individuals into the core
mapping team. This core team’s main duty is to teach other communities
the various mapping activities. “I had a good experience doing settlement
profiling and mapping”, said Erlinda Mosqueda, President of VALPONET.
“I learned how to use the GPS device. I want other leaders to learn as well
how to interview using the settlement profiling form. I am happy that with this
mapping activity more community leaders have learned how to interview and
fill out the form.”
In Valenzuela City, specific activities included mapping of boundaries
of settlements or communities, mapping of amenities and infrastructure,
and profiling of settlements. The mapping team deferred carrying out
the structural mapping and household surveys, especially those in
moderate risk locations, because it intended to organize and strengthen
the communities to prepare them well for possible project development.
Following the mapping of the communities and settlements, HPFPI
conducted savings orientations for communities that were ready to
organize.
Similar to Muntinlupa City’s experience, VALPONET faced many
challenges, among which was convincing communities to participate in
the mapping. “One community refused to participate and give out information
about their area for fear that the data gathered might be used against them”,
said Mosqueda. Despite hearing a number of times an explanation of the
purpose of the mapping, several communities still refused to participate.
The Alliance is keen to support the mapping initiative in the city
because it wants to make sure that the communities are able to get hold of
concrete data on informal settlements and prepare them for negotiations
with local authorities – particularly the city government, which is
currently implementing a number of government-initiated social housing
projects. This is what VALPONET also has in mind. “The important thing
about doing the settlement profiling and mapping is when one community asks
for their own data, VALPONET is ready to give them”, said Mosqueda.

b. Intramuros, Manila

Early in 2015, the Intramuros Administration (IA) explored partnering

with the Philippine Alliance team of HPFPI, TAMPEI, PACSII and

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LinkBuild to address the shelter and development concerns of nine

informal settlements in vacant lots within the national heritage site of
Intramuros, or the “Walled City” in Manila, which covers four barangays.
There has not been any systematic attempt to understand the situations
of the informal settler families in this area. No baseline information is
available on the physical, socioeconomic and tenure situation and on
how upgrading in the informal settlement communities should be
undertaken.(21) The Philippine Alliance agreed to facilitate the mapping 21. The settlements are
and profiling of the informal settlement communities with the IA as the located in vacant lots within
Intramuros, which houses an
coordinating body. The Philippine Business for Social Progress, which was
estimated 1,700 families, based
brought in by IA, extended technical assistance for the project. on barangay and 2010 National
Mapping activities on the site started in April 2015 with members of Statistics Office data.
informal settlements taking the lead in the various mapping processes, such
as the settlement and structural mapping. Since there was no local organized
community to facilitate the focus group discussions for the settlement
profiling and interviews for household surveys, HPFPI and TAMPEI, with
the help of architecture student interns, at first took on these tasks with the
intent of later training core leaders of communities within the area.
The Intramuros mapping faced a number of challenges in its
implementation. First was the reluctance of the communities in the
beginning to participate because of their past experiences with previous
administrations of Intramuros, which had harassed them or duped them
into participating in surveys that were later used as a basis for evicting
them. The mapping team had to explain carefully to the communities
that the mapping was intended to gather data that the communities
could use to negotiate with the IA and government agencies.
The second challenge was that the authorities in the four barangays
within which the nine settlements were located refused to cooperate and
support the activity, afraid to change the status quo that protected their
political and/or business interests. The barangay officials dismissed the
current IA administrator’s call for support, and the efforts of the mapping
team to persuade the city officials of Manila to intervene and convince
the uncooperative barangays came to naught. As a result, the team was
only able to map two of the nine settlements in the area, with only one
barangay participating in the activity, out of the targeted four within the
IA jurisdiction.
Despite having been able to map only two settlements/communities,
the information gathered by the team was enough for stakeholders to
convene and discuss shelter options in a public forum. This was held
during the Community Architects’ Network (CAN) Regional Workshop in
June 2015 in Manila, which used the occasion of the mapping activity in
Intramuros as an opportunity for learning and for extending support to
other community initiatives by CAN delegates from different countries in
Asia and other parts of the world. The forum was attended by key national
government agencies, especially the Social Housing Finance Corporation
and the Philippine Commission for the Urban Poor. Several proposed
shelter options were developed by the team:(22) 1) onsite upgrading for 22. Options are based on the
the nine settlements/communities; 2) mixed-use development of IA assumption that there are 913
informal settler families on
properties; and 3) relocation to abandoned buildings and other nearby
the site. This figure is based
(in-city) locations. Under option 1, a schematic shelter plan was further on a survey by the Intramuros
developed for the one community (Banana Island) that went through Administraton in 2014, which
the mapping process and whose members formally established their needs to be updated. The
families occupy a total land
organization with the support of HPFPI.
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area of about 10,476 square The mapping results and the forum brought to light the situation
metres, if the land area of
of the Intramuros communities for the first time, setting off a dialogue
all nine settlements is put
together. between the communities and other urban stakeholders. Weeks after the
forum, the Department of the Interior and Local Government reported
the availability of funds to address the shelter needs of the Banana Island
community in Intramuros. However, the funds can only be used for an
off-site relocation project by the community.
Although dismayed by the government’s restrictions on the use of
funds, HPFPI believes that the mapping initiative in Intramuros was a
significant event for the participating communities. By locating their
own homes (through hand-drawn maps) and relating their community
histories, the communities gained a deeper understanding of their
strengths and capacities. “The mapping succeeded in raising awareness
among the community members which is the first step towards getting them to
act on their situation”, says Ruby Papeleras, HPFPI National Capital Region
Coordinator.

c. Davao City

In November 2014, the local government of Barangay Ilang in Davao

City asked for the assistance of HPFPI in its plan to relocate about
2,000 informal settlement families living along the coastline within the
barangay. The area has been identified by government as a high-risk
area. HPFPI suggested that they first carry out mapping to determine the
families’ actual situation and needs. Training sessions on mapping were
conducted and participated in by HPFPI in Davao, TAMPEI architects,
student interns, and a number of leaders from the five zones or purok in
the settlement. The participants were taught the use of GPS devices for
mapping boundaries, community infrastructure and resources. They were
also taught how to conduct interviews and focus group discussions in the
profiling of settlements and household surveys.
While most families were very cooperative, the mapping activity
in the settlement was not without its challenges. As in the other cities
carrying out mapping initiatives, some community members hesitated
to participate for fear of being evicted and losing their homes and
livelihoods. The families nearest to the shore had been the most
resistant, explaining that they were fishers and had to live near the sea.
A community association in Zone 3-B refused to participate altogether
because it reasoned that the previous administration had already issued
23. Batas Pambansa Blg. 220
or Presidential Decree No. 220
a presidential proclamation declaring the settlement a site for social
(1982) is an act authorizing the housing. The association said that it had a list of all its 200 members and
Ministry of Human Settlements thus the area they occupied did not need to be mapped. Years earlier,
to establish and promulgate the community had submitted a proposal, for shelter development of the
different levels of standards
and technical requirements area, to the barangay. But this was rejected because it did not conform to
for economic and social the requirements of the building code for social housing.(23)
housing projects in urban A planning meeting was held in August 2015 to present the
and rural areas. A number
of sectors, especially civil
preliminary mapping results to the communities and the barangay.
society groups and urban poor Representatives from the city planning office and from national agencies,
organizations, are lobbying such as the Department of Public Works and Highways, Housing and
Congress to assess and revise
Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), Presidential
some provisions that they
deem irrelevant in the present Commission for the Urban Poor and Housing (PCUP), and Housing and
context. Land Use Regulatory Board, also attended the meeting. This became the

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occasion for a dialogue among the informal settler families (including

the president of the registered association), barangay, and government
agencies to clarify issues and discuss development options for the
settlement. Following the meeting, the local inter-agency committee,
which was chaired by the city mayor, was convened to further discuss and
work on the issues raised during the planning, including the identified
hazards in the settlement and the impact of the government’s road
development project, which may result in some families being relocated,
among other concerns.
Attaining security of tenure for the informal settler families in this
coastal community still entails a lot of hard work. But Janeth Mandin,
Coordinator of HPFPI Southern Mindanao, remains hopeful. “The results
of the mapping activity have been positive”, she said. “Even the representatives
from the national agencies, especially HUDCC, highly appreciate the conduct
of the participatory mapping which was able to generate information on the
actual situation of families.” It is hoped that the process of collaboration,
which was started by the participatory mapping, will encourage more
dialogue and discussions of key issues between the community and
government, contributing to and perhaps hastening the achievement
of this goal.

d. Iloilo City

HPFPI in Iloilo City has a long history of strong collaboration with the
city government, beginning with the creation in 2005 of the Iloilo City
Urban Poor Network, which consists of three urban poor federations,
including HPFPI. This partnership has afforded HPFPI and PACSII the
chance to participate in various technical working groups and planning
bodies to formulate guidelines on the government’s programmes, such
as its social housing programme, resettlement and monitoring, housing
and basic services provision. The Philippine Alliance provided inputs
and recommendations on the 2012 Comprehensive Land Use Plan
(CLUP) of the city, as well as taking part in the formulation of the city
shelter plan based on the recommendations proposed by the urban poor
network.
The Alliance in Iloilo City takes a proactive stance in its participation
in city planning by way of undertaking mapping activities in various
informal settlement areas. The mapping team in Iloilo consisted of HPFPI
volunteers, TAMPEI technical professionals and interns, and community
leaders doing settlement profiling and mapping and counting of
structures. As of November 2015, the team has mapped, profiled and
enumerated structures in nine settlements in five city districts.
The mapping team in Iloilo reported encountering several
challenges, including dealing with uncooperative barangay authorities
and community leaders and the sceptical attitudes of residents towards
the team. The team emphasized that it is important to make courtesy calls
to the authorities before conducting mapping activities. During these
courtesy calls, the team can request guides to the relevant communities.
Participation of communities and local government, from the purok
level up to the city, facilitates the mapping activity because, among
many other reasons, it builds the trust that allows them to engage in
the process.

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IV. Conclusions: Some Lessons Learned in Community

Mapping

In the mapping of informal settlements in different cities, HPFPI may

seem to be following the same pattern of activities each time. But the kind
of mapping that it does is actually specific to each particular area. “We
do not follow any single model because the situation of informal settlements
and our engagement with local government units differ in each mapping area”,
said Papeleras. “Moreover, our mapping activities are still evolving and as we
proceed to the next area, we learn new things from all those involved in the
mapping, but especially from the people.” However, the federation does face
similar issues and challenges across cities while carrying out mapping.
Informal settlement communities visited by the mapping teams
have typically been guarded when approached to participate in mapping
activities. Their informal tenure status and the unpleasant treatment of
the communities by local authorities in the past have engendered distrust
among the residents towards anyone who asks for information about
them. One can only be patient in explaining the purpose of the mapping.
It is tempting to make promises of a “better life” for the residents to
get their cooperation. But the communities must understand that the
mapping of their areas does not guarantee land or housing – it only
guarantees information that they can use to lobby for their agenda with
government and other stakeholders. This lets them decide on their own
and think of solutions for themselves.
This said, it is important to get the informal settlement communities
to participate in the actual mapping. While it is easy to let the architects
or student interns use the GPS devices and administer the interviews, the
“end goal should be to let the community leaders handle, manage and conduct
the profiling and mapping by themselves”, according to the Iloilo mapping
team. Community mapping is an effective way for the people to learn not
just about maps and doing interviews but about their communities and
the issues that affect them. The process allows them to connect with other
members and other communities, bringing them together to talk about
their concerns, develop solidarity and act on their situation.
At the same time, the participation of local government units is needed
to facilitate the mapping because their presence validates the activity.
Government collaboration in the mapping gives credence not only to
the process that involves the community but also to the results, once
they are presented to the barangay and city officials, including the city
councillors. The barangay officials are also obliged to formally call on the
communities to participate, and residents can ask government for support
in the mapping activities, such as the photocopying of survey forms.
Also, for the community general assemblies, the barangay government
can facilitate the provision of the place (usually a multi-purpose hall or
basketball court) for the activity. When mapping team members go visit
the areas, government provides vehicles or transportation fares or sends
personnel with the team as area guides.
More important, when the government participates, it has to share
the information it has on the communities, attend coordination meetings
where it can learn more about the communities, contribute to enhancing
the mapping outputs, and facilitate the resolution of issues that need to
be addressed immediately. In relation to this, the federation hopes to get
from government not just token gestures of support but the establishment
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of community mapping as part of the cities’ planning processes, which

often fail to determine and consider the needs of the informal settlement
communities.

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