Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY (CvSU)

DON SEVERINO DE LAS ALAS CAMPUS
Indang, Cavite
E-mail: www.cvsu.edu.ph

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

FIRST SEMESTER A.Y. 2021-2022

SECTORAL PROFILE ANALYSIS

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Architecture on
Architectural Design IX (ARCH 215)

Submitted by:

AGUSTIN, ERLJOHN M. 201817472

dela PEÑA, MARLO B. 201816881
Bachelor of Science in Architecture 5–1

Submitted to:

AR. KENN PAOLO VALERO, uap

INSTRUCTOR • ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IX (ARCH 215)

October 27, 2020

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

i. ABOUT THE REGION 1

A. SECTORAL PROBLEM ANALYSIS 9

1. INVESTIGATION OF THE PROBLEM 9

1.1 POPULATION & HOUSING 9

1.2 POVERTY 20

1.3 NUTRITION & HEALTH 28

1.4 LABOR & EMPLOYMENT 38

1.5 EDUCATION 44

1.6 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, & INNOVATION 52

1.7 PEACE, ORDER & PUBLIC SAFETY 56

1.8 VULNERABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS 76

1.9 REHABILITATION INTERVENTION 82

1.10 CULTURE & VALUES 85

1.11 TOURISM 90

1.12 ENVIRONMENT 91

1.13 AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY & FISHERIES 115

1.14 INDUSTRY & SERVICES 122

2. JUSTIFICATION 126

2.1 SOCIAL SECTOR 126

B. THESIS TITLE PROPOSAL 131

B1a. MASS MODULAR HOUSING IN A MIXED-USED COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATED WITH AQUAPONICS 131

B1b. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 158

B1c. EVALUATION & ANALYSIS 159

B1d. PROPOSAL 163

 B1e. LOCATION 164

B2a. THE PHILIPPINE PARA SPORTS TRAINING FACILITY 165

B2b. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 209

B2c. EVALUATION & ANALYSIS 215

B2d. PROPOSAL 215

B2e. LOCATION 217

B3a. FOOD & HEALTH SCIENCE MIXED-USE COMPLEX

FOR MALNUTRITION CARE 218

B2b. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM 240

B2c. EVALUATION & ANALYSIS 241

B2d. PROPOSAL 243

B2e. LOCATION 244

 ABOUT THE REGION

CALABARZON, officially designated as Region IV‑A, is an administrative

region in the Philippines occupying the central section of Luzon. It covers 5 provinces,

namely, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal, as well as one highly

urbanized city. The regional center is the City of Calamba.

The region proves to be a good alternative for investors because of its huge

population size, hub of manufacturing industries, abundance of agricultural produce

and raw materials, proximity to NCR, and strategic location that serves as gateway

from the south.

Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 16,195,042. This

represented 26.04% of the overall population of the Luzon Island group, or 14.85% of

the entire population of the Philippines. The population density is computed at

977 inhabitants per square kilometer or 2,530 inhabitants per square mile.

CALABARZON is the only predominantly industrial region. Overall, Industry

dropped by 12.5 percent in 2020 compared with the 3.6 percent growth recorded in

2019. This was mainly attributed to the decline observed in its two industries, that is

Manufacturing and Construction. Of the -9.6 percent economic performance of the

country, CALABARZON ranked third that contributed the most to its decline with -1.5

percentage points while accounting for 14.5 percent of the total GDP.

The region might be known for its ever-progressing economy, but

CALABARZON continues to face challenges when it comes to poverty, declining

agriculture, low appreciation in culture, provision of housing for increasing population,

and many more. But nevertheless, opportunity sprouts in different places throughout

the region, mainly because of the urbanization.

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(a) The provinces that makes up CALABARZON are:

CAVITE is a province in the Philippines situated in the CALABARZON region

occupying the central section of Luzon. Its capital is the city of Imus.

The province has a land area of 1,526.28 square kilometers or 589.30 square

miles. Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 4,344,829. This

represented 26.83% of the total population of the CALABARZON region, 6.99% of the

overall population of the Luzon Island group, or 3.98% of the entire population of the

Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at

2,847 inhabitants per square kilometer or 7,373 inhabitants per square mile.

LAGUNA is part of the CALABARZON (Region IV-A), just thirty (30) kilometers

south of Metro Manila. It is the third largest province in Region IV-A. The eastern

portion of the province stands astride the southernmost portions of the Sierra Madre

Mountain range. It is surrounded by Laguna Lake, formerly called “La Laguna

Encantada”, one of the only 18 living lakes in the world. Laguna Lake is the largest

inland lake in the country. The Provincial Government of Laguna is located in the

Municipality of Sta. Cruz. Laguna province has a total land area of 175,973 hectares

or 1,759.73 square kilometers. It is the third-largest province in the region which covers

about 11% of the total land area of the CALABARZON. It is considered as an inland

province that comprises the largest portion of the Laguna de Bay Region where the

Laguna Lake lies, the country’s largest inland water and the second-largest freshwater

in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by flat and rugged terrain and its slope ranges

from level to steep slope.

BATANGAS is bounded on the north by the province of Cavite, on the

northeast and east by the province of Laguna and Quezon respectively, on the south

by Verde Island passages and on the west by the China Sea. Batangas province has

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a total land area of 316,581 hectares or 3,165.81 square kilometers. It covers about

20 % of the total land area of the CALABARZON and is considered the second largest

province in the region. It has a unique cove-like shape coastal areas lying at the south-

eastern portion of the province. It consists mostly of moderately sloping to rolling and

very steep hills with scattered mountainous areas.

RIZAL is a province in the Philippines situated in the CALABARZON region

occupying the central section of Luzon. Its capital is the City of Antipolo. The province

has a land area of 1,182.65 square kilometers or 456.62 square miles. Its population

as determined by the 2020 Census was 3,330,143. This represented 20.56% of the

total population of the CALABARZON region, 5.35% of the overall population of the

Luzon Island group, or 3.05% of the entire population of the Philippines. Based on

these figures, the population density is computed at 2,816 inhabitants per square

kilometer or 7,293 inhabitants per square mile.

QUEZON PROVINCE is bounded on the north by the province of Aurora, on

the west by the provinces of Laguna and Rizal, on the southwest by the province of

Batangas and on the southeast by Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. Tiaong, its

first municipality via the Manila South Road is about 89 kilometers from Metro Manila.

Lucena City, the provincial capital, is about 137 kilometers southeast of Manila via the

Maharlika Highway. Quezon province has a total land area of 870,660 hectares or

8,706.60 square kilometers. It is the largest province in CALABARZON having 54% of

the total land area of the region. On the other hand, it has a rugged terrain with few

plains, valleys and swamps. The undulating lowlands along the coast are well-drained.

The province is very narrow, with an average width of about 30 kilometers.

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(b) The cities that makes up CALABARZON are:

BATANGAS CITY is the largest and capital city of the Province of Batangas,

Philippines. The city is also known as the “Industrial Port City of CALABARZON” and

is currently classified as one of the fastest urbanizing cities of the Philippines.

LIPA CITY, BATANGAS is bounded by the town of Santo Tomas in the

northeast, San Pablo City of Laguna and San Antonio. The city’s location, in a valley

between Mount Malarayat and Mount Makulot, makes it a low-risk area for natural

disasters. These two mountains serve as a windbreak during typhoons. Mount

Makulot, in the west, also served as shield during eruptions of the Taal Volcano.

TANAUAN, BATANGAS has taken advantage of its picturesque surroundings

and have invested in its tourism industry. The city is blessed with fresh water beaches

and lush farmlands that several notable hotels and resorts have been established in

the city. These establishments have attracted tourists and serve as the city’s premiere

venues for leisure and recreation. Some of these prominent establishments found in

the city are Vieux Chalet, Darasa Fiesta Resort, and las haciendas resort farms.

BACOOR, CAVITE serves as the gateway to Metro Manila via the Manila-

Cavite Expressway. The city is among the key areas and formerly one of the fastest

growing municipalities in Cavite together with Imus and Dasmariñas, mainly because

of their location. Two SM malls are located in Bacoor. During weekdays many

residents leave the district to go their places of work in the metropolitan areas such as

Manila and Makati cities.

CAVITE CITY is located on the coastal area of Cavite Province fronting Manila

Bay. Around 35 kilometers away from Manila, the city occupies a small peninsula that

is shaped like a hand stretched out into Manila Bay. Fishing is the most important

source of income for most of the people. Farming is also a major economic activity.

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Products include rice, root crops and vegetables. As in many other small cities of the

Philippines, manufacturing is limited to small shops producing dresses, bakery

products, home decors, and handicrafts. Tourism is another important source of

livelihood for the people. At the city center, wholesale and retail are the most prevalent

business establishment.

DASMARIÑAS CITY, CAVITE was known to be the wealthiest local

government unit in the province of Cavite according to the 2006 Commission on Audit

report. It was also the only municipality in the entire Philippines that had both SM and

Robinsons Mall, before it became a city. From an agricultural-based economy, the

town of Dasmariñas has evolved into a highly urbanized, commercialized and

industrialized city.

IMUS CITY, CAVITE is a convenient location for industrial establishments such

as the 200-hectare (490-acre) Imus Informal Industrial Estate and Anabu Hills

Industrial Estate, with a comfortable distance of 18 km from Metro Manila. 100%

Filipino-owned companies, such as Annie's Candy Manufacturing, Inc., CKL Industries

and Liwayway Mktg. Inc. Corp. Factories of companies that are partly Filipino owned,

such as Champan Garment Corp.,Hayag Motorworks & Machine Shop and San

Miguel-Yamamura Asia Corp. and foreign-owned companies such as EDS MFG, Inc.

that manufactures automotive wiring harnesses and Frontline Garments Corp. Imus is

also the birthplace of the maker of handmade paper and paper products, Anabu

Handmade Paper Products. An environment conducive to business and a climate of

hope and buoyancy in Imus will be sought by investors. As of December 1998, 18

major industrial establishments with a total capitalization of 1,311 billion pesos had

formed their base at Imus Informal Industrial Estate, providing local jobs to an

estimated 13,478 individuals. The 200-hectare informal industrial estate houses

5
manufacturing companies owned by foreign and Filipino investors, situated just along

the stretch of General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway. Imus has ventured to export to other

countries automotive wire harnesses and electrical parts, acrylic sheets and lighting

fixtures, frozen foods, shell craft, bamboo, rattan and woodcraft, furniture, clothing and

new goods. The construction of Imus will further complement the implementation of

the strategic Daang Hari Route. In many of its barangays, many subdivisions and

mass housing projects and the establishment of factories and small-scale industries

have resulted in a population migration to the town.

TAGAYTAY CITY, CAVITE is a component city in the province of Cavite,

Philippines. It is considered as one of the country’s most popular tourist destination

due to its cool climate. The city overlooks the Taal Lake in Batangas and gives one of

the iconic views of the Philippines.

TRECE MARTIRES, CAVITE evolved from an economy that features

agriculture as the major source of economy into an industrialized and commercialized.

One of the city’s major source of income comes from the real property taxes. The city

is also noted for its cleanliness and the absence of any form of gambling. With its small

land area and its income, the city is fairly manageable in terms of public works,

infrastructure and provision of basic services to the residents.

BIÑAN CITY, LAGUNA has a land area of 43.50 km2 (16.80 sq mi), about 34

kilometers (21 mi) south of Manila. It is bounded on the north by San Pedro on the

south by Santa Rosa City and on the west by Carmona, Cavite. On the eastern and

northern horizon lies the Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. The city is

also known for a type of pancake made from rice flour, topped with cheese or butter

(Puto Biñan). The best-known makers of Puto in Biñan City are located in the barangay

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of San Vicente, that’s why the city is renowned for as “The Home of the Famous Puto

Biñan in Laguna”.

CABUYAO CITY, LAGUNA known as ‘Golden Bell City’ was also known before

as the “Richest Municipality in the Philippines”. This was due to the fact of the large

immigrants who work in the city. There are also lots of industrial estates in the city

which include Nestle Philippines, Asia Brewery, Inc., San Miguel Corporation,

Tanduay Distillers, Inc., Wyeth Philippines, Inc., Procter and Gamble Philippines, Light

Industry and Science Park of the Philippines and Malayan Colleges.

SAN PABLO CITY, LAGUNA also known as ‘City of seven lakes’ is surrounded

by the seven lakes namely, Lake Sampaloc; Lake Palakpakin; Lake Bunot; Lakes

Pandin and Yambo; Lake Muhikap and Lake Calibato, San Pablo City is considered

as City of Seven Lakes.

SANTA ROSA, LAGUNA was initially known for the Coca-Cola and Toyota

manufacturing plants in its industrial estates. Recently, it has also become popular for

being the site of Enchanted Kingdom, a local theme park, as well as several housing

developments. This city contains the 3rd largest complex in Laguna, Paseo de Santa

Rosa. Santa Rosa became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 9264, which was ratified

by its residents on July 10, 2004.

LUCENA CITY, QUEZON is famous for its coconut crops and rice varieties. In

business, with enough available power from Pagbilao, heavy industries like iron and

steel, metal fabrication, chemicals, shipbuilding, paper products, and automotive and

parts are recommended. Small and medium enterprises, however, are the most viable

businesses to put up in Lucena City.

TAYABAS CITY, QUEZON is known for its weaving industry. Other cottage

industries include production of lambanog wine, macapuno candy, furniture and

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automotive shops. Agricultural products include rice, coconut, root crops, and

vegetables. The city is a potential spot for small and medium enterprises which include

coconut processing like virgin coconut oil and oleochemicals, essential oil and

fragrances, furniture and fixture, hotels and resorts, cacao and coffee production and

processing and demonstration farms.

ANTIPOLO CITY, RIZAL is an ideal place to build resorts, retirement

subdivisions, and mass housing. Commercial complexes are needed considering the

large population and the influx of tourists. The eastern mountainous areas can be

developed as upland demonstration farms for bamboo, fruit and vegetable plantations.

CALAMBA CITY, RIZAL is a favorite getaway of many people from Metro

Manila. It has numerous resorts fed by hot springs. Moreover, its historical significance

in addition to its booming economy attracts many visitors both local and foreign. The

rapid industrialization of the city coupled with the influx of tourists has made the city a

haven of real estate investors. The conversion of the former Canlubang sugar

plantation into mixed used locality presents opportunity for further growth of the city.

Its former rice fields have been turned into residential and commercial areas. New

shopping centers such as the Calamba Trade Center, Calamba Shopping Mall, Walter

Mart in addition to the Calamba Wet and Dry Market were established.

8
 SECTORAL PROBLEM ANALYSIS

1. INVESTIGATION OF THE PROBLEM

1.1 POPULATION & HOUSING

• Population

The population of Region IV-A - CALABARZON as of 01 May 2020 is

16,195,042 based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH). This

accounts for about 14.85 percent of the Philippine population in 2020.

The 2020 population of the region is higher by 1,780,268 from the population

of 14.41 million in 2015, and 3,585,239 more than the population of 12.61 million in

9
2010. Moreover, it is higher by 6,874,413 compared with the population of 9.32 million

in 2000. (Table 1)

The population of Region IV-A increased by 2.48 percent annually from 2015

to 2020. By comparison, the rate at which the population of the region grew from 2010

to 2015 was higher at 2.58 percent. (Table 2)

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 Among the five provinces comprising Region IV-A, Cavite had the biggest

population in 2020 with 4,344,829 persons, followed by Laguna with 3,382,193

persons, Rizal with 3,330,143 persons, and Batangas with 2,908,494 persons.

Quezon had the smallest population with 1,950,459 persons. (Table 3)

The City of Lucena, the only highly urbanized city in the region posted a population of

278,924 persons.

Cavite was the fastest growing province in the region with an annual population

growth rate (PGR) of 3.57 percent from 2015 to 2020. It was followed by Rizal with a

PGR of 3.07 percent, Laguna (2.30 percent) and Batangas (1.62 percent). Quezon

posted the lowest provincial PGR of 1.04 percent. (Table 4). The City of Lucena posted

a PGR of 0.98 percent.

11
 Region IV-A is composed of one highly urbanized city, 19 component cities,

122 municipalities, and 4,019 barangays.

Among the cities (excluding the City of Lucena) and municipalities in the region,

the largest in terms of population size is the City of Antipolo, Rizal with 887,399

persons. It was followed by the City of Dasmariñas, Cavite with 703,141 persons, and

the City of Bacoor, Cavite with 664,625 persons. (Table 5)

Nine of the ten least populous cities/municipalities in Region IV-A are located

in the Province of Quezon. Jomalig has the smallest population with 7,667 persons,

followed by Plaridel with 10,129 persons and Agdangan with 12,764 persons, all in the

Province of Quezon. The Municipality of Famy in Laguna ranked tenth with 16,791

persons. (Table 6)

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 Of the 4,019 barangays in Region IV-A, the largest in terms of population size

is San Isidro in Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal with 159,612 persons. It was followed by

San Jose in Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal with 141,819 persons, and Cupang in the

City of Antipolo, Rizal with 135,064 persons. The rest of the top ten most populous

barangays in the region are all located in the Province of Rizal, except San Francisco

in the City of General Trias, Cavite, which was ranked tenth with 83,629 persons.

(Table 7)

Fertility rate (CALABARZON-RDP-2017-2022-Midterm-Update)

13
 An average of 2.6 babies were born alive to women aged 15-49 in 2018. Based

on the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey, the total fertility rate of women

aged 15-49 years old was recorded at 2.6 percent which is within the 2.8 target. This

can be attributed to the preventive measures being conducted by different agencies

and LGUs, such as responsible parenthood/family session, teenage pregnancy

symposium, film showing, among others. More families observed family planning

through the use of modern contraceptives.

More families used modern contraceptives as a means of modern family

planning as observed in the increase of prevalence rate from 37.12 percent in 2017 to

47.51 percent in 2018, meeting the 35 percent target. The 10.4 percentage points

increase in the prevalence rate can be attributed to the implementation of the

Executive Order 12, s. 2017 or Zero Unmet Need for Modern Family Planning,

increase in the advocacy to LGUs, and multi-stakeholder engagement on the modern

family planning. Quezon Province has the highest prevalence rate on use of

contraceptives while Rizal has the least at 33.16 percent.

14
 • Mortality rates declined

Crude birth and death rate decreased in 2018 as compared to 2017. Crude birth

rate decreased from 12.2 percent in 2017 to 11.16 percent in 2018 meeting the 19.0

percent target. Meanwhile, crude death rate decreased from 3.84 percent to 3.64

percent compared from the previous year, meeting the 6.0 percent target. This implies

that the population, in general, is living in a relatively healthy environment with the

assistance of government programs.

Fewer mothers die during pregnancy and child birth. Maternal mortality ratio

(MMR) reduced from 49.13 deaths per 100,000 livebirths in 2017 to 39.23 deaths in

2018 which is within the 70 deaths target for 2018. The decrease in the MMR can be

attributed to PhilHealth’s Maternity Care Package, accreditation of health facilities, and

ongoing improvement and engagement of private facilities in service delivery

networks. Among the provinces, Cavite posted the highest MMR at 73.80 deaths per

100,000 livebirths exceeding the target while Quezon posted the least at 9.12 deaths.

Quezon is also the most improved among the provinces in terms of the MMR, from

86.35 in 2017 to 9.12 in 2018. The 77.23 difference can be attributed to the conducted

maternal death review (MDR), among others. The MDR provided information on the

medical, social, and health system factors to address the gaps in health and birthing

service provisions. Further, data cleaning and validation contributed in coming up with

Quezon’s accurate data.

Fewer children under-five years old died in 2018. The under-five mortality rate

(U5MR) decreased from 13.40 deaths per 1,000 livebirths in 2017 to 13.37 deaths per

1,000 livebirths in 2018, which is within the 25.0 target for 2018. Quezon has the

highest contribution with 22.02 deaths per 1,000 livebirths while Batangas has the

15
least at 7.78 deaths per 1,000 livebirths. Quezon Province’s decrease in the U5MR

can be attributed to its First 1,000 Days of Life Program which gives health

interventions and services to pregnant mothers from conception to two years old for

the first 1,000 days is important in child’s health and brain development. Also, the

continuous and strengthened advocacy campaign and promotion of maternal and child

health programs in communities and schools lessened maternal and child death.

16
Housing

The number of housing target met and the end-user financing to housing target

met in the region have significantly increased with the sufficient funds and budget

sharing among key shelter agencies (KSAs) and government finance institutions, and

the improved financing terms. The decrease in interest rate from 16 percent in 2008

to 5.5 percent in 2015 encouraged more members to avail of housing programs. This

was further boosted by improved processes, increased marketing, assistance of

accredited developers and increased capacity of citizens to avail housing loans.

Aside from the housing target met, the region also achieved its targets on the

updated Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and on the LGUs assisted in the

preparation of the Local Shelter Plan. While the target updated CLUPs was

consistently met, some were not updated in a participatory manner, and thus, the

problems on the continuity of CLUPs during changes in administration remain. On the

17
assistance in the preparation of LSPs, KSAs believe that the regional target should go

beyond LSP assistance.

On the other hand, the region’s performance in socialized housing has declined

because the financial barriers discouraged informal settler families (ISF) in availing of

the program. This may also be attributed to inadequate post-relocation services

including livelihood and utilities, which may have been better prepared through an

inter-agency approach.

Despite the achievement of the overall housing target, questions on whether or

not the housing program responds to actual housing backlog were raised.

Currently, assistance under socialized housing is demand-driven or determined

by application from communities rather than needs-based.

18
19
 1.2 POVERTY

The region’s poverty situation improved as poverty incidence among families

declined from 8.3 percent in 2012 to 6.7 percent in 2015, the second lowest among

regions, next to NCR. The poverty incidence of the region is also below the national

of 16.5 percent. The improvement was due to the various poverty alleviation programs

initiated by the government.

While the regional situation had improved, not all the provinces experienced the

same trend. Cavite’s poverty incidence among families worsened from 2.6 percent in

2012 to 4.5 percent in 2015 due to resettlement of informal settlers from the NCR and

nearby provinces.

Poverty incidence is also highest in agricultural areas; thus the need for

collective and convergence efforts in these areas to increase agricultural productivity

and provide other alternative livelihood opportunities.

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To reduce poverty in the region, the Regional Development Council initiated

convergence programs to the 35 least developed municipalities in the region. These

are the municipalities with poverty incidence higher than the national level (Figure

15.1).

21
 • Inflation

The prices of basic commodities remained stable with consumer prices

dropping to the lowest level in 2015 at 0.9 percent. Tempered price movement in

housing, water, gas, other fuels, and transportation pushed the inflation lower than the

national average of 1.4 percent. The region even posted negative inflation in the third

quarter of 2015 at 0.2 percent.

The marked decline in prices of oil in the international market contributed to the

stable prices of production cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages products.

Among the provinces, Quezon recorded the highest decrease in inflation by 4.3

percentage point. This is attributable to the decrease in prices of food and non-

alcoholic beverages and basic utilities such as housing, water, fuels, and

transportation.

An unstable inflation rate at the national level is expected to affect the inflation

rate of the region in the 2017-2022 due to pending petitions for adjustments in

electricity rates, volatilities in global commodities specially in crude oils, tax policy

reform program and protectionist policies of developed countries such as USA.

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 1.3 NUTRITION & HEALTH

In the past three years, CALABARZON has been consistent in providing quality

education, health and nutrition, and employment opportunities and services to its

populace. However, more interventions are still needed to be implemented to achieve

the Region’s goals in terms of increasing human development potential.

Nutrition data (Table 10.1) showed that under nutrition is still prevalent in the

region due to insufficient child nutrition especially breast feeding, poor food choices of

children, and food insecurity. Also considered as factors that lead to under nutrition

are lack of family planning and inadequate childcare to address feeding peculiarities.

However, while the region was able to decrease over-nutrition in the past four years

much has yet to be done to reduce proliferation of empty calorie food, having more

physical activity of children and adults and getting out of the sedentary lifestyle.

28
29
30
31
 Infant mortality rate (IMR) increased from 9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births

in 2015 to 10 infant deaths in 2016. Despite a slight increase, the Region met its target

on infant mortality rate which is 22 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016. On

under-five mortality rate, the Region recorded 13 deaths per 1,000 live births both in

2015 and 2016. Among the causes of infant deaths include pneumonia, bacterial

sepsis of newborn, fetal death with unspecified cause and respiratory distress.

Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) slightly improved in 2016 at 63 deaths per

100,000 live births. However, the Region is still far behind its target of 52 deaths per

100,000 live births. There is a need to address the weak coordination among program

implementers, poor service delivery networks and limited trained manpower which

hinders the non-achievement of the Region’s target. At the local level, the low

prioritization and lack of policies addressing maternal mortality also contributed to the

poor performance.

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 The target prevalence of underweight and severely underweight pre-school

children in CALABARZON was met. The figure decreased from 7 percent in 2014 to

5.12 percent in 2015 and to 4.90 percent in 2016. On the other hand, there is an

increasing prevalence of over-nutrition in the Region from 2.16 percent in 2015 to 4.30

percent in 2016 due to unhealthy diet and food choices and lack of physical activity

The proportion of households with per capita intake below 100 percent dietary

energy intake is still at 31 percent. This can be attributed to the lack of sustainable

local nutrition programs including key projects that are capable of delivering planned

nutrition outcomes as stipulated in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN).

Other contributing factors include poverty, disaster vulnerability of some areas, and

limited food choices.

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 • Health Services

The Region’s health manpower to population ratio significantly improved from

2015 to 2016.

The number of health facilities in the Region increased. As of 2015, there were

264 hospitals, of which 75 percent are private hospitals (197 hospitals) and only 25

percent are public or government hospitals (67 hospitals). Total bed capacity was

7,078 with 1,660 for government hospitals and 5,418 for private hospitals. These

hospitals are categorized mostly as first level and primary care hospitals.

36
SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

- New HIV infections increased. From 1,290 cases in 2016 to 1,871 cases in

2018 particularly on men having sex with men. There is a need to expand programs

on reproductive health by also considering education on safe sex among the male

population.

- Socio-economic Crisis. This happened because of the COVID-19 outbreak

where around 11 percent of the confirmed cases came from CALABARZON. The

provinces in the Region were also among the areas that are projected to have 90

percent probability of disease outbreak. The recent coronavirus causing COVID-19

disease is among the family of viruses that cause respiratory infections which can lead

to serious illnesses and death.

- Obesity and sedentary lifestyle are still a problem. However, while the

region was able to decrease over-nutrition in the past four years much has yet to be

done to reduce proliferation of empty calorie food, having more physical activity of

children and adults and getting out of the sedentary lifestyle.

- Increasing infant and maternal mortality rate. The increase in maternal

deaths can be attributed to inaccessible locations of birthing homes especially in the

rural area, limited availability of midwifes and other health professionals and

pregnancy complications, among others.

- Target on number of households with sanitary toilets and access to safe

water was not met. The region as net in-migration area is continually faced with the

challenge to provide not only sanitary toilet facilities and access to safe water but also

affordable housing especially for the informal settlers.

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 - Other regional nutrition and health concerns recognized. Mental health is

among the concern that was not prioritized during the previous years. The increasing

cases of suicide, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia must also be given

importance and interventions must be in place.

- Susceptibility of Health sector to Disasters. The Philippines has been

vulnerable to disasters due to its geographical location. With that, the Region

experienced numerous typhoons, flooding and other climate-related disasters over the

years. Typhoons from 2014 was reported to have PHP 91,556,000.00 worth of

damages on health facilities was reported in Laguna, Quezon and Rizal. These health

facilities include public and private hospitals, and rural health units.

1.4 LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

Labor Policies

Better employment and unemployment performance but

underemployment worsened. Employment increased from 2012 to 2015 (Table

10.5) but fell short by 1.9 percent in achieving its end of plan target, whereas

unemployment decreased from 8.9 in 2012 to 8.0 in 2015 surpassing the end of plan

target by 0.6 percent. This performance means that there are effective interventions

aimed at providing employment for all. The conduct of various job fairs and career

development seminars of LGUs, academe and industries helped attain this

performance. However, there is still a need to provide more employment opportunities

that will yield higher productivity. Despite better employment and unemployment rates,

underemployment worsened from 17.9 percent in 2012 to as high as 18.7 percent in

2014. This means that interventions towards the attainment of job satisfaction and

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security need to be put in place. It is a general rule high unemployment is associated

to low underemployment and vice versa (PSA). Following these premise, the

underemployment rate in the region is expected to increase, given that the

employment situation has improved. While several interventions such as

strengthening the network of career advocates in the region aimed at reducing job-

skills mismatch are already in place, there is still a need to strengthen these programs

to suitably address the growing underemployment in the region.

Labor force participation rate still at 65 percent. With the increasing

population of Calabarzon from 12.61 million in 2010 to 14.41 million in 2015, labor

force also increased with an annual average growth rate of 2.26 percent for the last

five years. This performance can still be improved. The slow increase in labor force

participation can be attributed to the difficulty of job hunters in finding a work that fits

their knowledge and skills, and lack of interest in finding gainful employment especially

for some of the children of overseas Filipinos. With this, much is to be done to

encourage labor force participation and attain gender parity in employment.

International and internal migration potentials and challenges

recognized. Calabarzon is a net in-migration area and also among the top sending

region of overseas Filipinos. Hence, the skills and competencies of in-migrants and

return migrants were also considered. Migrant’s contribution in attaining the targets of

higher productivity and in reducing unemployment and underemployment in the region

needs to be maximized. However, appropriate socio-economic opportunities and

social protection interventions must be provided. Among the challenges of internal

migration include provision of housing and other basic needs, and employment. On

the other hand, international migration needs investment facilitation mechanisms and

one-stop migration shops. More importantly, both internal and international migrants

39
need social protection services and reintegration mechanisms to maximize fully their

potential.

Employment Situation in CALABARZON: As of April 2021 (PSA)

Of the estimated 11.35 million population 15 years old and over in

CALABARZON, about 64.8 percent or 7.36 million are persons in the labor force (See

summary statistics). It means that about 648 out of 1,000 population aged 15 years

and over in the region were either employed or unemployed. The labor force

participation rate (LFPR) in April 2021 posted an increase of 3.3 percentage points

compared to the LFPR in January 2021; and about 6.5 percentage points higher than

the LFPR in April 2020.

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 Employment rate decreased by 0.3 percent. Employment rate (ER) in April

2021 slightly decreased by 0.3 percentage points from 86.9 percent in January 2021

to 86.6 percent in April 2021. Compared to the ER of 83.3 percent in April 2020, it is

higher by 3.3 percentage points. In absolute numbers, it translates to 6.37 million

employed persons as of April 2021 from 5.36 million in April 2020.

Unemployment rate is recorded at 13.4 percent. Unemployment rate is

estimated at 13.4 percent, higher by 0.3 percentage points compared to 13.1 percent

in the first quarter of 2021. As compared to the unemployment rate of 16.7 percent in

the same period last year, it is lower by 3.3 percentage points.

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 Underemployment rate is registered at 12.5 percent. Underemployed

persons in the region were estimated at 1.19 M as of April 2021. This number

represented 18.6 percent of the total employed persons in the

region. Underemployment rate was lower by 5.1 percentage points compared to the

same period last year. Note that Underemployed persons are those who were

employed but still express their desire to have additional hours of work in their present

job or to have an additional job, or have a new job with longer working hours.

Employment rate by region. Employment rate of CALABARZON is 4.7

percentage points lower than the 91.3 percent employment rate of the Philippines for

the second quarter this year. The region is second to NCR (85.6 percent) with the

lowest ER for the second quarter of 2021. Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)

registered the highest ER of 96.7 percent during the period; followed by Davao Region

(Region XI) at 95.8 percent.

In April 2020, the region registered an employment rate of 83.3 percent which

was higher than the 82.4 percent employment rate of the country. BARMM had the

42
lowest employment rate of 70.2 percent; followed by Central Luzon (Region III) with

72.7 percent. The highest ER was in Northern Mindanao (Region X) at 88.9 percent.

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Highlights

• Total labor force population in April 2021 was estimated at 7.36 million in

CALABARZON. This translates to 64.8 percent labor force participation rate.

• Total employed persons in the region for the second quarter were approximately

6.37 million population 15 years old and over or a regional employment rate of

86.6 percent.

• Total unemployed persons reached 986 thousand.

• Underemployment rate was recorded at 18.6 percent or approximately 1.19 M

employed persons.

1.5 EDUCATION

• BASIC, HIGHER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Basic education completion rate and cohort survival rate have increased over

time and surpassed the end of plan targets. However, the declining net enrollment rate

and very low achievement rate remains to be a challenge. While higher education

performance varies from the positive feats of Center of Excellence (COE), Center of

Development (COD) and number of higher education institution (HEI) graduates to the

unmet targets on program accreditation and HEI faculty with Masters and Doctorate

degrees, clearly, the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has

surpassed all its end of plan targets. Moreover, the reforms on the educational system

provides for positive future scenarios. Tables 10.3 and 10.4 shows the 2012 to 2015

performance of the education sector.

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 (Table: Basic Education Data, Calabarzon, 2012-2015 (in percent))

• HIGHER EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

AND TRAINING

HEI graduates increased from 50,329 in 2012 to 61,837 in 2015. It also

exceeded its target by 6,177. The increase in HEI graduates can be attributed to

competitive employment requirements demanded by industries and increase in

number of scholarship grants; Accredited HEI programs in the region increased from

309 in 2012 to 469 in 2015; TVET performance from 2012 to 2015 was encouraging.

In terms of enrollees and graduates, both increased from 2012 to 2015 and even

exceeded the end of plantargets. The increase can be attributed to increase in TVET

funds from the government and also to the increased interest of the youth in both rural

and informal sectors in pursuing TVET as a replacement for a four-year course.

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• SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

a. Adjustments on basic education due to reforms on educational system.

The Kindergarten Act of 2012 (RA 10157) and Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013

(RA 10533) resulted to adjustments in order to fully implement the legislations. The

implementation of K to 12 resulted to changes in the school calendar and displacement

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of teachers. However, the Calabarzon made the necessary adjustments and

preparations in terms of student enrollment and engagements of displaced teachers.

b. Declining net enrollment rates and achievement rates. Due to decrease

in school-age population; Child labor and teenage pregnancy; The said problem can

be attributed to the unparalleled questions in the national achievement test with the

teaching modules and lessons in secondary education. The decline can also be

attributed to high student-to-teacher ratio, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient

teachers training, and distractions due to technologies like mobile phones, tablets and

social media, among others. The decline in achievement rate may further be attributed

to the proximity of computer shops to schools which give access to computer games

and other computer related activities, causing distractions among learners.

c. Low civil service exam passing percentage. Despite the increasing

number of graduates, the quality of education is being questioned due to low passing

percentage professional and sub-professional civil examinations. At the national level,

the passing percentage for professional was 11.33 percent while the region’s

performance was at 14.62 percent (3,468 out of 23,719). Similarly, the region’s

performance to sub-professional exam was close at 12.75 percent with the national

passing percentage of 11.09 percent. The challenge to provide adequate and quality

education for all still remains.

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 1.6 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

R&D Expenditures Investments in research and development (R&D) and

education and capacity building are recognized as important factors for productivity

and economic growth. Key indicators to measure the development of STI is the

increased investments in R&D and increased support to the development of human

resources in various science and technology (S&T) fields.

Calabarzon had 30 percent share to the country’s total R&D expenditures which

was second to the National Capital Region (NCR) with 51 percent share. This shows

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that majority of projects on technology and innovation is concentrated in NCR.

Moreover, per capita expenditure on R&D in the region was very minimal at PHP0.35

compared to NCR’s per capita expenditure of PHP3.56. However, the region’s R&D

expenditures increased by 50 percent from 2011 to 2013. About 56 percent of R&D

expenditures came from R&D activities of industries which was higher compared to

R&D expenditures of industries in NCR.

The region ranks first nationwide in terms of R&D expenditure ratio to gross

regional domestic product in 2013 at 0.26 percent. The region surpassed NCR with

only 0.19 percent which ranked number one in 2011. This shows recognition of the

region of the importance of R&D activities to spur economic and social growth.

However, this is still below the standard set by the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of one percent for R&D of developing

countries.

R&D activities were directed to socioeconomic objectives such as agricultural

production and technology, industrial production and technology, protection and

improvement of human health, control and care of environment, development and

utilization of renewable energy, adaptation and mitigation to reduce the impact of

climate change, among others.

• Human Resource

In 2013, Calabarzon ranked second next to NCR in terms of total R&D

personnel and researchers. About 25 percent of R&D personnel and researchers in

the country were from Calabarzon with majority working in the private sector due to

numerous industrial zones located in the region. The R&D human resource is

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composed of researchers, scientific, techological and engineering personnel,

technicians and support personnel.

The number of researches completed showed increasing trend from 2011 to

2014 but declined in 2015 by 29 percent. It can also be noted that the proportion of

168 Regional Development Plan 2017-2022 published researches was limited during

the period. R&D activities are key to technological innovations that are beneficial to

growth of numerous sectors and industries. Publications of completed research works

will contribute to wide dissemination of results and outcomes to various stakeholders.

In addition, technological innovations commonly took off from R&D projects.

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 Completed research projects were commonly focused on education,

agriculture, and fisheries and were primarily conducted by SUCs (State Universities

and Colleges) that have campuses specializing in agriculture. More than 10 percent

of the researches were focused on manufacturing and services and environment

protection, natural resource management and disaster risk reduction while less than

10 percent were on IT-BPM and health and nutrition. Only about 6 percent were

conducted for IT-PBM which is one of the priority industries in the region. Other areas

of study included energy, migration and development, tourism development,

governance, infrastructure and social protection.

The completed researches were conducted by government agencies, the

higher education institutions and a private nonprofit institution. Majority of the R&D

projects were conducted by state universities and colleges followed by the government

sector.

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 1.7 PEACE & ORDER AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Calabarzon has sustained a generally peaceful environment. The use of

programmatic and sustainable approaches to combat criminality resulted in a notable

decrease in crime incidence.

The total crime volume declined from 75,884 in 2014 to 64,463 in 2015, a 15.05

percent decrease. The crime incidents based on PNP blotter cases reported a total of

46,848 or 72.67 percent of the total crime volume. Of the crime volume 15,074 or 32.18

percent were index crimes while 31,774 or 67.82 percent were non-index crimes

(Figure 18.2). Likewise, of the 46,848 crime incidents 24,381 were cleared, thereby

attaining a 47.79 percent Crime Clearance Efficiency, which is a decrease of 11.23

percent from the recorded Crime Clearance Efficiency in 2014. Crime solution

efficiency rate improved from 41.86 percent in 2013 to 48.89 percent in 2015.

The decrease in crime volume could be attributed to PNP’s effort on crime

prevention. About 789,906 police integrated patrols were mobilized as part of the

intensified implementation of Police Integrated Patrol System. The implementation of

Oplan Katok resulted in a significant reduction of loose firearms, an increase in number

of house visitation for unrenewed firearms, and an increase in the number of physically

accounted unrenewed firearm licenses. The number of police assistance rendered to

tourists had increased with the implementation of “Bantay Turista.” This program

provided safer environment for tourists, contributing to the increase of tourist arrivals

in the region.

In 2015, PNP (Philippine National Police) Region IV-A started the

implementation of the Oplan Lambat Sibat as a tool to prevent and suppress crimes

by fortifying its mobile patrol operations and going after the most wanted criminals.

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 After its implementation in April 2015, PRO Calabarzon registered a reduction

of crime incidents for the focused crimes, such as murder, homicide, theft, robbery,

and carnapping of motor vehicles and motorcycles, from 2,774 in the 1st quarter of

2015 to 2,527 in the 2nd quarter of the same year. In the same period, PNP Region

IV-A had arrested a total of 363 most wanted persons and 71 members of criminal

gangs that are included in the priority target list.

The police to population ratio improved to 1:1199 in 2014 to 1:1134 in 2015.

However, it is still far from the ideal ratio of 1:500.

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 Despite the improving peace and order situation in the region, the PNP has

recently become the subject of public scrutiny by human rights advocates as

allegations of extra judicial killings have been reported by the media. Thus, the PNP

continues to investigate the causes of deaths related to illegal drugs.

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 • Drugs Infiltration

Calabarzon is still facing the problem on illegal drugs. As of January 2016, the

Calabarzon Regional Drug Situationer from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency

(PDEA) reported that 2,025 out of 4,011 or 59 percent of barangays in Region IV-A

were affected by illegal drugs.

PDEA Region IV-A certified six towns in Calabarzon as being “drug-cleared” as

of November 2016, namely: San Luis in Batangas; Luisiana, Cavite, and Magdalena

in Laguna; and Plaridel and Pitogo in Quezon. This certification means that these

municipalities complied with the requirements of the PDEA Regulatory Board,

including the revitalization and activition of the Barangay Action Plan and Barangay

Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

• Disaster Risk Reduction Management

Disasters threaten peace and security as they affect the environment and the

community. Disaster risks increased during the past years due to climate change while

the severity and scale of disasters resulted to economic and social instability of the

region. Infrastructures also pose as risks as some are not structurally sound or disaster

resilient making them more prone to damages and increased risk.

As a mitigating measure, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and

Management Council has been actively promoting Disaster Risk Reduction

Management (DRRM). In 2015, OCD was able to train 88,126 individuals on DRRM.

All the local government units at the provincial, city, and municipality levels have

completed their respective DRRM Plans.

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As per RSET 2019:

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 1.8 VULNERABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES

Vulnerability, as defined by International Federation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies is the “diminished capacity of an individual or group to anticipate,

cope with, resist and recover from the impact of a natural or man-made hazard”. The

level of vulnerability would vary depending on an individual’s social group, gender,

age, among others. In the Philippines, the most vulnerable groups are the children,

women, persons with disability, Indigenous Peoples, older persons, overseas Filipinos

and their families, and workers in the informal and contractual workers in the formal

sector.

Social protection programs implemented to help the vulnerable groups were the

assistance to child laborers, the bridging employment assistance for youths, the

emergency employment and income augmentation for vulnerable workers, and the

provision of assistance to OFWs and families. These projects successfully met or even

exceeded their targets. The only targets not met were the number of poor households

covered by 4Ps in 2014 and the number of poor senior citizens covered by social

pension in 2013.

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SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

Despite the region’s lower poverty incidence, the region still has to improve

existing programs or develop other interventions to lessen poverty. Quezon Province,

in particular, requires more assistance, compared to other provinces, as it has the

highest poverty incidence in the Region with an estimated 22.7 percent which slightly

higher than the national level.

- The children are one of the most vulnerable groups especially during the first

1,000 days wherein brain development is critical and would lay the foundation of future

health. The children are also vulnerable to violence which refers to “all forms of

physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment,

maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse” and economic risks.

- The older persons, who are also considered as vulnerable group due to their

mental and physical health as well as their economic status, comprised 6.7 percent of

the total population of the region in 2015 and are expected to increase due to rapidly

ageing population.

- Differently abled persons are also vulnerable to many risks because of

attitudinal, physical and financial barriers.

- The Indigenous Peoples (IPs) who are mostly residing in geographically

isolated areas (GIDAs) in the region have difficulty accessing the basic services such

as health and livelihood services. Only few IPs have college education; nonetheless,

the RLAs offer programs/scholarship for them. One of the identified strategies is to

map all programs for the IPs, which upon submission to National Commission on

Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), will be distributed to the IPs.

- Workers in the informal sector (WIS) and the contractual or job orders

(JOs) in the formal economy are vulnerable to economic risks because of the

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uncertainty of sources of income or livelihood. Generally, WIS and JOs are not

covered by social security services but are still provided special assistance such as

job facilitation and emergency employment.

- Overseas Filipinos and their families despite having high income can also

be at risks to economic risks due to the structural changes and economic crises in

foreign countries where they are working.

- Natural disasters can worsen situations of the said vulnerable

individuals. Natural hazards are unexpected shocks that can further set back already

vulnerable and poor population and those that are near the poverty line. The case is

true for Calabarzon wherein many of the tropical storms and typhoons hit the

Provinces of Quezon and Batangas which have poverty incidence higher than the

national level.

1.9 REHABILITATION INTERVENTION

This part discusses the role of economic justice in inclusive growth and the

several initiatives identified to improve administration of justice. The administration of

justice must be swift and fair.

Improvement in the case review processes and proceedings coupled with

construction of new jail facilities resulted to decongestion of jails and detention

facilities. As of 2018, there were 52 existing jail facilities which increased by 24 percent

from 42 jails in 2016 (Table 6.2). Consequently, congestion rate in jail facilities also

improved from 936.66 percent in 2016 to 798.69 percent in 2018.

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 There had been a decreasing trend in the number of the rehabilitation

interventions in the past three years from 2013 to 2015. A total of 29,696 rehabilitation

interventions were conducted in 2013, 26,216 in 2014, and 19,096 in 2015. The

number of compliant clients under supervision, likewise, decreased from 3,712 in

2013, 3,572 in 2014, and 2,387 in 2015. (Table 6.1)

The reoffending rate among convicted offenders decreased and

parolees/offenders compliant to the terms and conditions of probation/parole

increased (Table 6.4) with the implementation of the rehabilitation program of the

BJMP called the Therapeutic Community Approach Training and conduct of

educational activities which made them productive and prepared to be reintegrated

back to the society. (Table 6.4)

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 The Region has five existing social welfare facilities which are being operated

by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. These are: a) Bahay Tulayan

ng mga Bata; b) the Regional Heaven; c) National Training Schools for Boys; d) Haven

for the Elderly; and e) Field Office Resource Operations Center. (Table 3.55)

• SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

- Still insufficient jail space. From 2014 to 2016 jail population had risen at

an average of 36.81percent increase from 2014 to October 2016, an average higher

than the projected four to five-percent increase annually. As of October 2016, there

were 12,015 inmates in 2014, 14,800 in 2015, and 19,015 in 2016. Of the 19,015

inmates, 11,261 (59.22%) were drug-related.

- Abuse and Inequality. Prior to 2020 ECQ, there were complaints on the

distribution of government cash and goods subsidies to individuals in need. Most

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disturbing were the reported cases of COVID-19 patients and their families, medical

and other essential or “frontline” workers in their communities, being discriminated.

There was an increase in physical abuse of women or domestic violence during ECQ.

While there was a decreased rate in overall criminality during the ECQ, the

above-mentioned concerns on the enforcement of laws and safety should also be

addressed immediately. Moreover, most of court proceedings, case resolutions, and

provision of legal aid have been suspended during the quarantine period. Investments

in ICT would ensure continuous operation of the justice system in times of public

(health) emergencies.

The administration of justice has always been viewed as slow and selective.

The justice system is limited by fragmentation, delays and congestion, low public trust

and investor confidence, and limited resources. Delays have resulted in congestion

inside the jails. Calabarzon has the most congested jails nationwide with0.1 square

meters per inmate living space. This posted the need to fast-track the jail decongestion

program.

Apart from building more jail, there is a need for more rehabilitation centers as

well as programs for drug surrenderers.

1.10 CULTURE AND VALUES

Culture, in its holistic context, is the thread that binds the social fabric of a

particular group, community, and nation. Conflicts caused by differences among

individuals can be cured by a single notion of what they value. Acceptance amidst

cultural diversity provides an engaging environment wherein members of a particular

community can freely participate, collaborate, and contribute. This eases the means

to translate and realize the unified set of goals a particular nation is geared towards.

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 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

defined culture as “set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, and emotional

features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and

literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs,"

contrast to the perceived concept of culture that is confined mainly to art. With this, the

UNESCO classified cultural heritage as tangible and intangible resources. Whereas

tangible cultural heritage is contained in the physical artifacts, historical places, and

monuments that are considered worthy of preservation, intangible cultural heritage is

reflected from the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills that

communities and groups recognized as part of their cultural heritage.

FACTS ABOUT CALABARZON CULTURE:

Calabarzon region is rich in tangible and intangible cultural resources.

Out of the 335 intangible cultural resources recognized in the country, four came from

the Calabarzon region. At most 16,754 indigenous people (IP) who portray unique

practices reside in Calabarzon. The IP communities are the Badjao, Aeta, Remontado,

and Dumagat. For the tangible resources, to date, there are 28 museums established

in the region, i.e., Angono Petroglyphs Site Museum in Rizal, Museo ng Katipunan in

Batangas, UPLB Museum of National History in Laguna, Aera Memorial Museum in

Quezon, and Museo de la Salle in Cavite, among others. There are also 116 cultural

properties in the region such as marked structures, national shrines, historical

landmarks, national cultural treasures, and works of a national artist provided by the

National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), National Historical Commission of

the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines.

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 In recognition to the pronounced cultural heritage in the region and in the

country, various laws were passed to assure that the preservation of cultural

heritage was given importance. In 1966, the Republic Act 4846, otherwise known

as Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act, was legislated. This aims to

preserve, protect, and safeguard the intrinsic value of important cultural properties and

the National Cultural Treasures of the nation.

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 The Department of Education continues to implement its IP Education

Curriculum Framework4 which recognizes the right of the IPs in basic education and

is in line with the provisions of the Philippine Constitution on encouraging learning

systems and recognizing, respecting, and protecting the rights of indigenous

communities. The DepEd’s Alternative Learning System also incorporated special

curriculum for the IPs. The approved certificate of ancestral domain5 title (CADT) in

the Region are in General Nakar with 163,641 ha, Rodriguez and San Mateo, Rizal

with 19,523 ha, Catanauan, Quezon with 1,015 ha, and Tanay Rizal with 24,667

hectares.

SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESMENT

- Indigenous People Concerns. Some of the problems which beset IPs are:

1) the titled properties within the ancestral domain areas; 2) the encroachment by

lowlanders and other settlers in the area; 3) the lack of support from the local as well

as national government agencies in the development of the area; 4) the peace and

order; and 5) the delineation of their AD.

- There is a limited awareness on cultural heritage and a low appreciation

of national identity. One of the emerging issues of the lack of a single national identity

resounds from the low awareness of Filipinos of their own heritage. The rise of

technology and social media exposed Filipinos to the cultures of other nations. While

this access provided advantages in communication, networking, and trade, this also

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caused confusion and under-appreciation of history and culture specifically by the

second and third generation residing in the Philippines and abroad.

- Limited awareness led to limited participation of the communities in

advocating cultural diversity. The limited awareness and appreciation on cultural

heritage administered to the understated contribution of culture in economic growth

and social development. Because of this, little attention is given to the sector both at

the national level and in the community. Hence, advocacies that promote and foster

culture integration in programs and policies are not fully mainstreamed in different

platforms.

- There is a need to define the “malasakit” values that would foster

common good qualities among Filipinos. Although elementary history and values

education are integrated in the curriculum of basic education, there is still a gap in the

appreciation of Filipino cultural heritage due to lapses in historical information reflected

in educational materials and the lack of participatory activities that cater to Filipino

traditions and practices.

- While there are abundant cultural resources, these resources were not

properly documented and are not easily accessible. Local government units do

not have a definite mapping of their cultural properties. Moreover, data in other aspects

of culture, such as employment and GDP contribution, were given little attention.

- Bureaucratic processes hinder the realization of cultural activities in the

localities. Despite the presence of the laws and enactments that could pave way to

the strategic implementation of such policies, bureaucratic processes contribute to the

unrealized laws at the local level due to the lack of coordinating mechanism that will

ensure smooth transition of the programs and policies from the national level. Also,

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the lack of mechanism to monitor culturerelated programs led to the inability to account

the progress and extent that these activities contributed. Monitoring and evaluation of

culture-related activities should have also confirmed if the targets set were met and

the specific problems were addressed.

1.11 TOURISM

Domestic tourists continue to be the biggest contributor to the tourist arrivals in

the Region. Overnight domestic tourists increased by 45.95 percent from 2017 to 2018

while same-day visitors grew by 82.56 percent from 2017 to 2018.

The volume of same-day visitors in 2018 reached 51,237 which grew by 96.65

percent from 26,043 in 2016 (Table 9.9). Targets for overall same day visitors and

overnight tourists were exceeded by 130.10 percent and 69.82 percent, respectively.

Rizal had the highest number of same day visitors while Batangas recorded the

highest number of overnight visitors in 2018.

The increase in number of tourists may be attributed to (1) the completion and

construction of tourism roads that enhanced access and connectivity to more tourist

destinations, (2) increased compliance of tourism arrival data submission by LGU

counterparts, (3) market and product development program, (4) private and public

stakeholder linkages development, (5) intensified promotions of tourism

establishments, and (6) long weekends and holidays.

The accredited tourism establishments continue to increase during the three-

year period. (Table 9.9). Growth was propelled by policy initiative1 and aggressive

campaign of the government in coordination with LGUs, to extend the accreditation

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validity period for travel and tour agencies and star-rated accommodation enterprises

(Hotel and resorts).

The number of DOT accredited establishments also exceeded the target for

2017 and 2018, with corresponding increase in the number of rooms during the same

period. The positive performance was due to massive implementation of RA 9593 or

Tourism Act 2009. The law requires all primary tourism establishments to secure DOT

accreditation before applying for mayor’s permit. The targeted number of employees

employed by DOT accredited establishments was achieved and posted an increase

of 1.68 percent from 2016 to 2017 due to increase of part-time employees.

1.12 ENVIRONMENT

Sustained biodiversity and functioning of ecosystem services. Forest cover and

watershed improved but the area of forestland under effective management decreased

the Region’s 570,913-hectare forest cover in 2010 was expected to increase 5,601

hectares in 2017, 5,560 hectares in 2018, and 25 hectares in 2019 planted with forest

trees through the implementation of Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP).

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 The eruption of Taal Volcano on January 2020, however, severely and partially

damaged around 1,739 hectares of established NGP plantations due to ashfall in

various municipalities and cities within the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL).

In terms of area of mangroves planted, there was an increase in mangrove

forest extent from 5,751 hectares in 2010 to 6,584.25 hectares in 2018 which

exceeded the target of 5,872 hectares for the same period. The same trend was

observed in the area of rehabilitated denuded and degraded forestland from 20,970

hectares in 2016 to 33,926 hectares in 2018. The increasing trend is attributed to the

ENGP’s maintenance activities, seedling replacement, regular weeding, and watering.

However, the area of forestland under effective management decreased from 36, 531

hectares in 2016 to 34,172 hectares in 2018 due to the expiration of the 25-year

Stewardship Contract of one tenurial instrument under Community Based Forest

Management Agreement and eight other tenurial instruments. Table 20.1 shows the

summary of forest cover changes and forestland management in the Region as of

2018.

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 - Terrestrial and marine areas effectively and equitably managed. The

terrestrial protected areas in the Region increased from 17 in 2017 to 19 in 2018

(Figure 20.1) due to identification of additional protected areas under National

Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act initial components. This further

increased to 20 protected areas, 9 legislated protected areas and 11 protected areas

under the initial components per NIPAS Act, by virtue of Republic Act No. 11038 or

the Expanded NIPAS (ENIPAS). ENIPAS established 94 protected areas as national

parks nationwide and effectively placed them under government management and

protection. ENIPAS Law also expanded the composition of Protected Area

Management Management Boards. It created a Protected Area Management Office

aimed at strengthening the management of protected areas. The Natural Resource

Conservation and Development Program of the DENR, which includes the conduct of

patrolling, IEC, biodiversity monitoring system, management plan development, caves

and wetlands management, and ecotourism development, also contributed to the

increase of protected areas in the Region. Specific to biodiversity, the formulation of

the Philippine Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan 2015- 2028 will further improve

management and protection of critically endangered flora and fauna in key biodiverse

areas of the Region.

The TVPL, in particular, needs an in-depth biodiversity assessment to identify

the impacts of the January 2020 Taal Volcano eruption and for effective management

interventions, which includes assessment of vegetation status and fish stocks, and

presence of wildlife.

Classified caves managed by LGUs remained at 36 percent in 2018. The

number was maintained through the collaboration with the concerned local

government units on the development of a management plan. This, however,

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decreased from 43 percent in 2017 (Table 20.2) due to priotization of caves per DENR

Memorandum Circular.

- Quality of coastal and marine ecosystems maintained. Sustained quality

of coastal and marine ecosystems in the Region was observed from 2016 to 2018

due to the conduct of coastal cleanup and patrolling. This resulted to better water

quality that enabled the successful restocking of giant clams.

Quality of wetlands and caves maintained. Like the coastal and marine

ecosystems, the quality of the wetland ecosystems in the Region was maintained.

Table 20.3 shows that the priority inland/wetland effectively managed in remained at

eight hectares (two hectares in Batangas, five hectares in Laguna and one hectare in

Quezon) from 2016 to 2018 through the collaborative efforts of the DENR IV-A and

concerned LGUs in developing the management plan and the latter’s issuance of

Sanggunian Resolution. The number, however, declined from 12 wetlands in 2017

due to DENR IV-A’s limited resources.

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 Caves with high conservation value improved from five in 2016 to eight in 2018.

The improvement may be attributed to the prioritization of caves within protected areas

and the issuance of Memorandum Circular 2012-03, 2014-03, and 2015-08.

Meanwhile, there were eight caves effectively managed in 2018 found in the Provinces

of Laguna and Quezon as seen in Table 20.4.

Beneficiaries with secured land tenure increased. There were 5,466 residential

free patents in residential lands zoned as residential areas issued to beneficiaries from

2017 to October 2019. This is less than the 5,850 target for the same time period due

to low applications received by DENR Region IV-A. On the other hand, there were

3,741 beneficiaries with secured land tenure in public agricultural alienable and

disposable lands from 2017 to October 2019, as seen in Table 5. This is higher than

the 2,200 beneficiaries targeted for the same period. The accomplishments may be

attributed to the strengthening of the database through the implementation of land

administration and management system (LAMS). However, maintaining the effective

and efficient delivery of these services is a challenge especially during a public health

crisis such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic experienced in

2020.

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 Land Administration and Management improved through LAMS. The target of

14,000 surveys was likewise surpassed as 17,690 were inspected, verified, and

approved through LAMS from 2017 to October 2019. The shift from manual to

computerized processing through the implementation of LAMS is a major factor in the

increasing number of accomplishments for survey approval.

Meanwhile, jobs generated from reforestation and non-timber/agroforestry

enterprises increased from 8,194 in 2016 to 16,829 as of the first half of 2019. This

was accomplished through DENR IV-A’s successful collaboration with people’s

organizations. However, the number of biodiversity-friendly enterprises recognized

remained at four from 2017 to the first half of 2019, which means that the increasing

target was not achieved.

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 Despite surpassing the target in 2017, the 22-mid-term target for protected

areas developed as ecotourism destinations was not met as only 13 were developed

per DENR IV-A due to limited resources. This is further aggravated by the Taal

Volcano eruption which damaged ecotourism facilities and infrastructure in TVPL with

an estimated cost of PhP 9 million. Likewise, the number of sites in Key Biodiversity

Areas that serve as ecotourism destinations was not achieved. Quezon Protected

Landscape, Mts. Banahaw and San Cristobal Protected Landscape, Taal Volcano

Protected Landscape, Mts. Palay-Palay and Mataas na Gulod Protected Landscape,

Laguna Marsh, Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, and Tayabas Bay are the 7 Key

Biodiversity Areas that serve as ecotourism destinations from 2016 to 2018. On the

other hand, there are 4,958 hectares of agroforestry system adopted in 2017. This is

in addition to the 6,545 hectares recorded in 2016.

Meanwhile, income generated from foreshore areas increased to PhP

70,840,143 in 2018 from PhP 6,745,776 in 2016 due to the intensified collection and

appraisal of foreshore areas. The Integrated Protected Area Fund, however,

decreased from PhP 9,260,011 in 2016 to PhP 8,394,872 in 2018 due to the closure

of Mts. Palay-Palay and Mataas na Gulod Protected Landscape and non-collection in

Hinulugang Taktak Protected Landscape and Upper Marikina River Basin Protected

Landscape. Table 20.6 shows the summary of the status of land administration and

management in the Region as of June 2019.

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 • Environmental quality

- Ambient air quality in three monitoring stations generally improved but

data capture from the stations must be continuously improved. The Region has

four air quality monitoring stations which are located in the cities of Biñan and Santa

Rosa in Laguna, Antipolo in Rizal, and Indang in Cavite.

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 In 2017, the City of Santa Rosa did not meet the 25 μg/NCM standard for

atmospheric particulate matters, recording an annual average of 34.12 micrograms

per normal cubic meter of air (μg/NCM). The city still failed to pass the standard in

2018 despite improving to 27.59 μg/NCM. Air quality in the Cities of Antipolo and Biñan

passed the standard at 17.24 and 9.83 μg/NCM, respectively in 2018.

Meanwhile, air quality monitoring for the first semester of 2019 shows the cities

of Biñan and Santa Rosa are within the standard at 18.74 and 10.35 μg/NCM,

respectively.

The Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon imposed on March 2020 due

to the COVID-19 pandemic, may have significantly reduced air pollution and improved

air quality in several areas in the Region. The drop in criteria pollutants such as

particulate matters and sulfur and nitrogen oxides, among others, has helped clear the

air and eventually may have positive health impacts to the people.

- Water quality of major water bodies failed to meet Class C and SB

standards. Most of the critical water bodies including the 11 priority river systems,

Manila Bay, and Matabungkay, Lemery, and Nasugbu Beaches did not meet the

targeted water quality standards (Tables 20.8-20.11).

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 The Region’s priority river systems failed to meet water quality guidelines for

Class C Standard or for food production use from 2016 to the first semester of 2019.

Failure to meet the target is due to high BOD, chloride, ammonia, and phosphate and

very high fecal coliform content, as seen in Table 20.8.

Standard or for food production use from 2016 to the first semester of 2019.

Failure to meet the target is due to high BOD, chloride, ammonia, and phosphate and

very high fecal coliform content, as seen in Table 20.8.

Among the critical water bodies in the Region is the Manila Bay. The overall

ambient water quality in the area did not meet the Class SB water quality parameter.

The major concerns include low dissolved oxygen that threatens the health of water

bodies, huge amount of fecal coliform content which necessitates water treatment

facilities, and exceedance in the total suspended solids (TSS), as seen in Table 20.9.

The water quality of major recreational water bodies in the Region also failed

the SB Class Standard due to high fecal coliform content save for the sampling stations

in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas as seen in Table 20.10.

Another critical water body in the Region is Laguna Lake, the largest lake in the

country. From 4.67 mg/L in 2015, average BOD levels of the lake from 2017 up to the

first semester of 2019 are within the standard of less than 7 mg/L as seen in Table

20.11. The lake has a total of 7,647.39 hectares of aquaculture area as of the first

semester of 2019, which is well within the 9,200-hectare carrying capacity of the

Laguna Lake. Meanwhile, the 1,000 hectares of Laguna Lake basin planted with

seedlings until 2018 was not met since most of the critical areas are privately owned

properties; hence, there is a need to identify additional planting sites in coordination

with the LGUs.

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 In terms of water quality management areas (WQMAs), the targets from 2017

to the first semester of 2019 was met. From 1 WQMA (Imus- Ylang ylang- Rio Grande

Rivers WQMA) in 2016, the Region now has three operational WQMAs with the

addition of Cañas-Maalimango Rivers WQMA and Iyam-Dumacaa River System

WQMA.

Poor quality of air and water are linked to diseases (e.g., respiratory illnesses)

which increases the people’s risk/vulnerability to contracting viral and bacterial

infections. Pathogens/viruses may contaminate air and water bodies which can

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facilitate advanced transmission to a wider number of people in a short span of time if

no proper intervention is undertaken by the private and government sectors.

Any raw or undertreated process wastewater from commercial, industrial,

institutional establishments, hospitals or healthcare establishments and sewage

discharged into the water bodies may exacerbate contraction and spread of the virus.

Worst case is when the virus thrived in waterbodies (e.g. rivers and lakes) will

contaminate the water supply for various purposes essential to everyday living (i.e.,

drinking water, industrial, agriculture). Process wastewater from hospitals/medical

facilities, in particular, has higher potential to be contaminated with pathogens,

nonetheless, wastewater from commercial and industrial establishments should be

included considering that this can also be contaminated.

Solid waste management improved but diversion rate targets remained

unmet. In terms of solid waste management, the Region achieved most of its targets

(Table 20.14). The number of closed and rehabilitated open dumpsites and controlled

dump facilities increased from 8 in 2016 to 28 as of the first semester of 2019.

Likewise, the number of sanitary landfills in the Region increased from 23 in 2016 to

37 in the first half of 2019. Among the provinces, Quezon has the most number of

sanitary landfill at 15 as seen in Table 20.12. Accomplishment of targets in closed and

rehabilitated open and controlled dump facilities and establishment of sanitary landfills

is due to DENR-EMB’s provision of financial and technical assistance to LGUs.

Meanwchile, LGUs with approved 10- year Solid Waste Management Plan also

increased from 51 in 2016 to 93 by the middle of 2019 due to strict compliance of

LGUs. Table 20.13 shows that the Province of Laguna is the top performing province

in the Region with 88 percent of its cities and municipalities with approved Solid Waste

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 Management Development Plans. Likewise, LGU compliance with RA 9003

greatly increased from 16 percent in 2016 to 68 percent in the first semester of 2019

due to frequent monitoring of DENR-EMB.

Meanwhile, despite the increasing trend in the solid waste diversion rate from

2017 to 2019, the Region’s performance declined from 46 percent in 2016 to 38

percent in 2019.

Relative to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenge is the increase in the

generation of medical and hazardous wastes (i.e., infectious wastes such as used face

masks, gloves, and other protective equipment, testing kits, syringes, tissues etc.) in

health care facilities, and even at the household level.

To address the improper disposal of medical or pathological wastes from

hospitals or healthcare establishments, it is necessary that proper coordination be

done by these establishments with registered transporters and Treatment, Storage,

and Disposal (TSD) Facilities.

Also, hazardous wastes from the households must be disposed, segregated

and properly labelled for the protection of garbage haulers from infectious diseases.

The Local Government Units must ensure that hazardous or special wastes undergo

proper treatment and are disposed in appropriate sanitary landfills that accept/handle

treated special/pathological wastes. Information, education and communication on

proper handling of hazardous wastes in the households should also be conducted by

the LGUs.

On the other hand, solid waste generation has exhibited a significant decrease

in volume which may be attributed to the closure of establishments or nonessential

services and limited operation of markets during the enhanced community quarantine.

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 Nevertheless, when both solid and pathological wastes are improperly

disposed, there is a greater risk of exposure to diseases and could cause widespread

transmission of virus at a short period of time.

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 - Increased adaptive capacities and resilience of ecosystems. The

adaptive capacities and resilience of ecosystems in the Region improved. Out of 147

LGUs in the Region, 67 have fully functional DRRM operation centers as of 2018. In

addition, there are 3,831 identified possible evacuation centers in the Region.

Moreover, the number of LGUs with Local Climate Change Action Plans increased

form 92 in 2018 to 97 in 2018.

Casualties due to natural disasters decreased from 45 in 2017 to 28 in 2018

due to disaster preparedness and the capacity building programs. These programs

include training of 714 individuals on DRRM. The number of casualties due to human-

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induced events, however, increased from 525 in 2017 to 1,135 in 2018. The casualties

were caused by self-inflicted incidents.

Meanwhile, an emerging challenge in the Region is responding to multiple

hazard events (i.e. Taal Volcano eruption, African Swine Fever outbreak, and the

COVID-19 pandemic) occurring simultaneously. A case in point is the reported cases

of ASF in Batangas which was suspected from food wastes in evacuation centers of

Taal Volcano eruption. In addition, social distancing is not factored in disaster

management (e.g. evacuation centers), which makes the COVID-19 pandemic more

difficult to manage due to impact to critical lifelines (e.g. water, relief goods, etc.).

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As per RSET 2019:

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 1.13 AGRICULTURE. FORESTRY AND FISHERIES (AFF)

Recently, the region is becoming popular for its Agri-eco tourism farms and

organic products. This trend is expected to continue as the campaign for healthy

lifestyle intensifies. Thus, support for Agri-eco tourism and organic farming initiatives

will be pursued.

However, the share of agriculture in the region’s economy continues to decline;

hence, efforts for the continued growth of the agri-business sector must be intensified.

PERFORMANCE

From 2016 to 2018, the AFF accounted for an average of about 5.13 percent

of the total gross domestic product of CALABARZON. Notwithstanding the positive

performance attained in 2018, the gross value added remains below the minimum of

2.3 percent growth target, which is lower than the 2016 performance (Table 8.1). The

performance of the AFF was highly affected by the decline in the crops and fisheries

sub-sector (Table 8.2) due to numerous typhoons and depleted fisheries resources.

The crops and fisheries sub-sector contributed about 19.5 percent and 19.1 percent,

respectively of the 2018 total value of production in AFF.

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SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

- Crop yield performance slowed down. Majority of the priority crops in the

Region posted a downtrend in productivity performance vis-à-vis targets from 2017 to

2018 (Table 8.3). The decline in yield was caused by weather disturbances such as

typhoons and prolonged dry season which resulted to delayed planting and shift to

other crops. Government support measures were put in place to improve crop

production which mainly includes input provision to assist farmers as they start another

cropping season. On the other hand, some commodities posted a positive

performance such as palay, yellow corn, banana, coconut, cacao and abaca.

However, among these commodities, only palay and coconut were able to achieve the

target yield with palay attaining 1.25 percent more than the 2018 target and coconut

with 2.01 percent and 5.55 percent more than its 2017 and 2018 targets, respectively.

The two crops were able to sustain performance since 2016 because of the

government’s efforts to rejuvenate and/or rehabilitate old fruit bearing trees, intensive

fertilization, hybridization and farm mechanization.

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 • 2019-2020 UPDATE

Production of major crops generally decreased in 2020 compared to 2019.

Among major crops, pineapple, coffee, and banana posted declines in production from

2019 to 2020 by 18.52 percent, 14.97 percent, and 10.53 percent, respectively.

Despite the Taal Volcano eruption in January and the occurrence of three tropical

cyclones in the fourth quarter of 2020, production of corn and palay increased by 8.56

percent and 1.61 percent, respectively.

The growth in production of palay and corn can be attributed to positive growth

during the second and third quarter of the year due to favorable weather condition and

increased provision of inputs such as seeds and fertilizers.

- Fisheries production declined. The growth in the volume of fisheries

continued to decline from 2016 to 2018 (Table 8.4). The commercial and aquaculture

fishery production fell by 18 percent and 11.30 percent, respectively compared to 2017

performance. Municipal fishery, on the other hand, posted 5.70 percent growth in 2017

compared to a negative performance in 2016. However, it also suffered significant

decline of 9.5 percent in 2018. The performance of the fishery sub-sector is reflected

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in the priority fishery commodities (Table 8.5) in the Region resulting to the non-

attainment of the targets for 2017 and 2018. Tilapia and Milkfish, which are the major

contributors in the total fisheries production of the Region have declining production

since 2016 due to the effect of intense heat during the prolonged dry spell and onset

of El Niño Phenomenon in 2018. Seaweed’s production was highly affected by the ice-

ice disease and epiphytes resulting to scarcity of planting materials.

• 2019-2020 UPDATE

Fisheries production significantly declined by 18.87 percent in 2020 due to

contraction in all its subsectors, namely: aquaculture, municipal and commercial

fisheries. Among these three, aquaculture posted the highest contraction of 23.07

percent followed by commercial fisheries at 18.35 percent. This performance can be

attributed to the restrictions on fishing activities due to the eruption of Taal Volcano

and the occurrence of tropical cyclones Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses which devastated

the province of Batangas, Quezon, and Laguna.

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 - Livestock and poultry contracted in 2020. Similar to crop production,

livestock production, in general, contracted in 2020. Among commodities, hog

production posted the highest decline at 11.89 percent followed by cattle production

at 6.54 percent. The decline in hog production is due to the wide prevalence of African

Swine Fever (ASF) in the region which resulted to the culling of a number of hogs in

many farms. Lower cattle production can be attributed to limited stocks available for

slaughter.

The production of chicken shrank by 7.60 percent as some poultry farms

temporarily suspended their operations during the enhanced community quarantine.

Chicken production was also negatively affected by lockdown restrictions which

resulted in the temporary closure of restaurants and hotels which is a main market for

this farm commodity.

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 - Weather disturbances and Climate Change. The AFF remains vulnerable

to weather disturbances which not only affect the volume of harvested crops and

fisheries but changes in planting schedules, shifting to other crops, decline in fish

unloading and damages in fishery paraphernalia. Likewise, the sector is highly

susceptible to dry spell and El Niño phenomena which results to damages in crop

production and fish kill due to increase in temperature.

- Animals are prone to diseases. The livestock and poultry sub-sector is

prone to losses due to diseases. The poultry sub-sector was threatened by the Avian

Flu in 2017 while the livestock sub-sector was affected by the African Swine Fever in

2019. The vigilance of the government and private sector in implementing preventive

and control measures resulted to maintaining a positive performance of the livestock

and poultry sub-sector. However, as the livestock and poultry sub-sector remains to

be the growth drivers of the AFF sector in the Region, disease management remains

a challenge that needs to be addressed.

- Effect of Taal Volcano eruption in 2020. The Taal Volcano eruption during

the onset of 2020 spewed ashes that gave off a necrotic effect to the leaves of the fruit

bearing trees and crops resulting to fruit dropping and death of some crops. On the

other hand, the livestock and poultry raisers in lockdown barangays were not able to

feed their animals resulting to sickness and death of the animals. Most affected were

the chicken layers, quails and swine which resulted to lower production of poultry eggs,

high mortality on farms and decreased farm gate price of live animals. For the fisheries

subsector, fish cages were damaged resulting to fishes being released into the lake.

This led to the oversupply of fish and lower prices. The misinformation on the safety

of the fish caught from the Taal Lake drove prices even lower as people were afraid

to consume fish. Apart from income loss due to the very low prices of fish and

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production losses, the eruption has also resulted to displacement of livelihood and

income of farmers and fisherfolks.

- AFF sector is at risk from biological hazards like COVID-19. The pandemic

enhanced community quarantine affected the food supply chains, food security and

agricultural livelihoods in the Region. The harvesting activities were affected as

laborers had great difficulty in going to the farms with the absence of public transport.

The restriction on transportation affected the flow of goods resulting to disrupted

supply chains of agricultural and fisheries commodities. Relatedly, the ECQ led to

lower demand for agricultural produce with the closure of hotels, restaurants and

commissaries which are major markets of agricultural and fisheries produce. On the

bright side, there is an increased demand for healthy fresh farm produce to strengthen

the immune system and combat the virus.

- Inefficient and challenging data gathering in areas near volcanic

activities. the limited data on AFF makes it difficult to estimate the damages and

losses which make planning and projections challenging. During the Taal Volcano

eruption, the reports from the LGUs were under estimated due to the absence of a

database on livestock in the affected areas. Validation could not be conducted due to

the continued volcanic activity. Likewise, the data on the number of farmers,

organizations, area planted and infrastructure are inadequate which constrains the

government in providing appropriate inputs.

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1.7 INDUSTRY AND SERVICES (I&S)

The industry sector remains the economic driver of CALABARZON, accounting

for 62.3 percent of the Region’s economy.

Industry output was driven largely by the sustained performance of the

manufacturing sub-sector which grew from 3.7 percent in 2016 to 8.0 percent in 2018.

The growth rate registered by the construction sub-sector also contributed to the

overall output of the industry sector.

Also present in the Region are food, beverage, and tobacco, machinery

(Including electrical machinery), metal and non-metallic, chemical and

pharmaceuticals, textile, and automotive sub-industries. Laguna is dubbed as the

automotive capital or “the Detroit of the Philippines.” Steel and petrochemicals are also

among the most important indicators of heavy industrialization.

However, CALABARZON’s economy decelerated from 7.1 percent in 2018 to

4.5 percent in 2019 which was below the target growth of 5.5 to 7.2 percent. The

slower growth is due to the significant deceleration of the industry sector combined

with the stationary growth in the services sector. These sectors comprised 94.51

percent of the regional economy. Despite slower growth, CALABARZON remained the

second largest economy in the country contributing 14.6 percent to the Gross

Domestic Product. The Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at constant 2018

prices amounted to PHP 2.8 trillion.

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 The industry sector remained the main driver of regional growth in

CALABARZON comprising half of the region’s economy in 2019 amounting to PHP

1.43 trillion. Significant deceleration in the manufacturing subsector contributed to

slower growth in the industry sector from 8.3 percent in 2018 to 3.1 percent in 2019

which was also below the regional target of 5.4 to 7.1 percent.

The manufacturing subsector which comprised 84 percent of the industry sector

was affected by the deceleration of the global economy with a marginal growth of 2.9

percent. There was slower growth in the export of electronic products, one of the main

priority industries of the region. In addition, contraction was recorded on production of

machinery and transport equipment, and petroleum products. The strong growth in the

remaining subsectors was not able to offset the weak performance of the

manufacturing subsector due to the heavy reliance of the industry in this subsector.

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 On the other hand, the services sector which comprised 44.1 percent of the

regional economy in 2019, posted a constant growth of 6.5 percent from 2018 to 2019.

This performance is due to the lower demand for commercial and industrial estates.

In addition, depressed oil prices and slower growth of the global economy have

affected the financial and insurance activities in the region.

All other services subsectors posted positive growth with significant

improvements on human health and social work activities, and other services

comprised of arts, entertainment and recreation, activities of membership

organizations, repair of personal and household goods, and other personal service

activities. The total regional output in the services sector amounted to PHP 1.25 trillion.

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SUBSECTOR CHALLENGES AND ASSESSMENTS

- From 2019 report, Industry sector decelerated. This is due to the

deceleration of manufacturing subsector that is greatly affected by global economy of

marginal growth. There was slower growth in the export of electronic products, one of

the main priority industries of the region.

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2. JUSTIFICATION OF SECTOR BASED ON INVESTIGATION

2.1. SOCIAL SECTOR

According to Jan Fletcher, social sector refers to that part of social and

economic activity done for the purpose of benefiting society and which is funded, in

part or whole, through charitable gifts. Other common terms relating to those

organizations in this sector are nonprofit, not-for-profit, philanthropic sector, mission-

based sector, non-governmental organizations, and tax-exempt organizations. Since

not all charitable giving goes to entities that have official tax-exempt status bestowed

by a governmental entity, the term "tax exempt" is not as inclusive in its definition, as

are the other terms.

Well-known examples of these entities include international organizations such

as the Red Cross, Chambers of Commerce, and not-for-profit hospitals. Although

businesses are not directly included, much capital flows from businesses to this sector

through corporate giving. Businesses seek the social goodwill expressed in the

charitable sector through making donations.

Working in the social sector is challenging for many, because salaries are

generally lower than comparable positions in industry or government. Another

potential pitfall is “compassion fatigue.” This describes the phenomenon in which

charitable workers suffer emotional distress, and even physical exhaustion, because

they attempt to ameliorate human suffering using limited resources.

Based on the data gathered by the researchers, the subsectors or topics that

could be under social sector are: demographics, poverty & housing, nutrition &

health, labor & employment, education, peace & order, rehabilitation intervention and

culture & values. There are also some who could be under economic sector, and it

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includes: Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (AFF) and Industry & Services (I&S). Topics

that could be under both social and economic are: science, technology and

innovation.

This conclusion was in reference to the Sectoral Problem Analysis and

Regional Sectoral Problem.

• Sectoral Problem Analysis

(Table: No. of weaknesses & threats per sector)

Based on the pie chart above, the social sector has the highest percentage of

contribution in SPA among all sectors, with 72 weaknesses & threats out of 201 total

enlisted regional problems. It accumulates 35.82 percent in total.

Not that much of a gap with economic sector with 60 weakness & threats,

which covers 29.85 percent of the total enlisted regional problems.

These are followed by institutional sector with only 42 (20.90 percent) and

infrastructure sector with only 27 (13.43 percent) respectively.

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 Based on the gathered information and statistics by the researchers from the

Regional Development Plan 2017-2022, out of 17 regions in the Philippines, Region

IV-A ranks as top region to contribute a lot to sectoral problems. It contributed 14.93

percent (30 problems), of the total 100 percent of the computed tabular data.

This table illustrates the ranking of problems in each region per sector.

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 THESIS TITLE PROPOSAL

B1a. TITLE NO.1: A PROPOSED MASS MODULAR HOUSING IN A MIXED-USED

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INTEGRATED WITH AQUAPONICS

“According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, shelter is one of the physiological

needs that humans should satisfy in order to survive and to attain self-actualization -

a time when a person can do what they are born to do. In fact, in the national survey

for Ambisyon Natin 2040, shelter is one of the identified aspirations of the Filipino.

Thus, the region, through the Regional Development Plan aims to have safer and more

secure housing projects in the region to cater the existing needs of the population as

well as the additional population brought about by in-migration.”

- Building Safe and Secure Communities, Chapter 12, CALABARZON RDP 2017-2022

Regardless of economic condition, the Philippine housing sector believes that

every Filipino family has the right to live in dignity in their own home. By 2030, it hopes

to have cleared the housing shortage.

As demand for living spaces continues to rise, the Philippine housing sector

offers immense scope for expansion. The sector intends to maintain its strong growth

and development through a number of industry-led initiatives — all at accessible costs

for Filipino families.

Towards this vision, the industry's objectives are:

1. Increase housing production capacity to sustain 12% annual volume growth

2. Implement a comprehensive government housing subsidy for targeted segments

3. Improve the regulatory environment for housing

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4. Generate and mobilize funds for end-user financing

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011

How Does Housing Affect Health?

Healthy homes promote good physical and mental health. Good health

depends on having homes that are safe and free from physical hazards. In contrast,

poor quality and inadequate housing contributes to health problems such as chronic

diseases and injuries, and can have harmful effects on childhood development. Poor

indoor air quality, lead paint, and other hazards often coexist in homes, placing

children and families at great risk for multiple health problems. For example:

▪ Lead poisoning irreversibly affects brain and nervous system development,

resulting in lower intelligence and reading disabilities.

▪ Substandard housing such as water leaks, poor ventilation, dirty carpets and

pest infestation can lead to an increase in mold, mites and other allergens

associated with poor health.

▪ Cold indoor conditions have been associated with poorer health, including an

increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Extreme low and high temperatures

have been associated with increased mortality, especially among vulnerable

populations such as the elderly.

▪ Residential crowding has been linked both with physical illness, such as

tuberculosis and respiratory infections, and with psychological distress among

both adults and children.

Neighborhood Conditions and Health

Along with conditions in the home, conditions in neighborhoods where homes

are located also can have powerful effects on health. Social, physical and economic

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characteristics of neighborhoods have been increasingly shown to affect short- and

long-term health quality and longevity.

A neighborhood’s characteristics may promote health by providing places for

children to play and for adults to exercise that are free from crime, violence and

pollution. Access to grocery stores selling fresh produce—as well as having fewer

neighborhood liquor and convenience stores and fast-food outlets—can make it easier

for families to find and eat healthful foods. Social and economic conditions in

neighborhoods may improve health by affording access to employment opportunities

and public resources including efficient transportation, an effective police force and

good schools.

Not all neighborhoods enjoy these opportunities and resources, however, and

access to neighborhoods with health-promoting conditions varies with household

economic and social resources. Concentration of substandard housing in less

advantaged neighborhoods further compounds racial and ethnic as well as

socioeconomic disparities in health.

Housing Affordability and Health

Housing is commonly considered to be “affordable” when a family spends less

than 30 percent of its income to rent or buy a residence. The shortage of affordable

housing limits families’ and individuals’ choices about where they live, often relegating

lower-income families to substandard housing in unsafe, overcrowded neighborhoods

with higher rates of poverty and fewer resources for health promotion (e.g., parks, bike

paths, recreation centers and activities).

The lack of affordable housing affects families’ ability to meet other essential

expenses, placing many under tremendous financial strain. High housing-related costs

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place a particular economic burden on low-income families, forcing trade-offs between

food, heating and other basic needs. One study found that low-income people with

difficulty paying rent, mortgage or utility bills were less likely to have a usual source of

medical care and more likely to postpone treatment and use the emergency room for

treatment. Another study showed that children in areas with higher rates of

unaffordable housing tended to have worse health, more behavioral problems and

lower school performance.

Public and Private Housing Policies

Substandard housing is much more of a risk for some families than others;

housing quality varies dramatically by social and economic circumstances. Families

with few financial resources are most likely to experience unhealthy housing and

typically least able to remedy them, contributing to disparities in health across

socioeconomic groups. In light of evidence about the many ways housing can affect

health, strategies must be multifaceted ─ focusing on physical quality of housing,

health-promoting conditions in neighborhoods, and access to affordable housing for

all. The below approaches include strategies affecting multiple aspects of housing and

involve a range of actors, from local to state to national government and non-

governmental agencies and groups.

Sustaining and expanding Healthy Homes initiatives at the federal, state and

local levels, including public-private collaborative programs

Support for high utilities costs through the Low-Income Home Energy

Assistance Program and similar programs that assist households with unaffordable

heating, cooling, and electricity bills

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 Strengthening enforcement of fair housing laws, including the Fair Housing Act

and other state and local regulations prohibiting racial discrimination in housing

markets

Exploring private initiatives, such as Habitat for Humanity, to create affordable,

healthy housing

Continuing federal involvement in lending and fairness standards for banking

and loan institutions, and improving banking and lending procedures to create equal

opportunities for credit.

• ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM

On a publishment released by the industry.gov.ph, there are 3.9 million

households on the waiting list for housing in the Philippines. Even if annual housing

development averaged 200,000 units from 2012 through 2030, the backlog would still

exist, reaching 6.5 million residents by 2030. Economic housing would have the largest

demand, followed by socialist housing, and finally low-cost housing.

A major portion of housing creation is made up of low-cost, socialized, and economic

housing units. Housing production in the high-end, mid-range, and low-cost categories

increased from 2010 to 2011, while housing production in the economic and socialized

housing categories remained relatively stable. Economic, socialized, and low-cost

housing accounted for about 70% of total housing creation between 2000 and 2011.

During the same time period, the socialized section accounted for 27%, the economic

segment for 29%, and the low-cost segment for 13%.

The housing industry has 3,164 players as of 2011. Despite the large number

of companies involved in the housing business, only a few companies dominate it. The

majority of these companies are vertically integrated developers who work on a variety

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of real estate projects in addition to housing. Retail real estate, hotels, commercial

office buildings, and industrial estate development are all areas where many other

companies operate.

The Subdivision and Housing Developers' Association (SHDA) is the

Philippines' largest housing developer group, with 160 members from Luzon, Visayas,

and Mindanao. Members of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders' Associations

(CREBA), the Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (REBAP), the

Philippine Association of Real Estate Brokers (PAREB), the National Real Estate

Association of the Philippines (NREA), and the Organization of Socialized Housing

Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP) are among the industry's other participants

(OSHDP).

On September 13, 2020, The Manila Times published an article discussing

about the housing problems of the Philippines and the difficulties in dealing with the

solutions for it. The whole article reads:

“WHEN it comes to the housing problem in the Philippines, how we wish the

solutions are as clear as the problem. At a recent forum organized by The

Manila Times, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development

(DHSUD) reported that the country’s backlog stood at 6.75 million units. Worse,

the number could balloon to 22 million units by 2040 if that problem was not

properly addressed today.

An effective housing program could check countless boxes on our list of country

needs. Ramped-up housing construction could stimulate the economy because

of its high multiplier effect. It could also bolster the current government’s

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campaign, encouraging people to relocate away from urban centers,

particularly if house building would be concentrated in the provinces.

Also, owning a decent yet affordable home is a common aspiration of people

even though that evokes a different mental imagery these days because of the

pandemic. For many, their gaze has shifted from the roof over their heads down

to the four walls that have kept people shielded from society. The abode has

transformed from the place where people retire to at the end of the day to a

one-stop shop for a variety of human endeavors — to a home office for the

adults in the family and a school for the young. But at least, they have a home.

Others less fortunate live on the streets even with the government mandate to

stay indoors and maintain physical distancing. And with the economic fallout

from the pandemic, the rate of extreme and relative poverty is bound to

increase, and more people will likely face that grim prospect of being homeless.

So, what now? As mentioned earlier, no panacea exists for this problem. And

the set of required responses touches on other issues that are in themselves

complicated and difficult to resolve.

Off the bat, there is a need to further cut red tape. At The Times forum, the

DSHUD reported that it was working to simplify processes, including those

required to issue construction permits. That is a good start, but the private

sector apparently believes that more could be done.

Also at the forum, Noel “Toti” Cariño recommended setting up a housing one-

stop processing center, or HOPC, to centralize and fast-track the issuance of

permits, clearances and licenses in accordance with the Ease of Doing

Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. Mr. Cariño,

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the president of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Association, also

mentioned the need for fiscal incentives, such as value-added tax exemption

and a two-year property tax holiday.

Even if such measures address the issue of demand, there are other issues.

During the forum, other speakers pointed out that there was adequate supply

of socialized housing in the market. The problem is that there are no takers,

perhaps, because the houses are located far from where jobs are available.

Also, socialized housing is impoverished in terms of design and general appeal.

These are not trivial points, as those compelled to work from home probably

know. An answer to this, of course, is to spend more, but given the tough times,

that may not be an option for many. Nonetheless, the market is apparently

responding, as private developers construct more townships outside Metro

Manila and other urban centers.

Simply building more, however, is not without its own perils. All over the country,

farmlands are converted to housing developments. There ought to be a better

solution to the housing backlog than sacrificing food supply. A better approach

would be to have a national land use policy. Unfortunately, attempts to pass

such a law have failed for decades.

Lastly, there is the matter of the environment. If housing development is not

“green” and sustainable, then we would be exacerbating the problems common

in cities or worse, spoiling the countryside.

Clearly, the housing problem is a tangled web of issues. But the country needs

to sort it out somehow; first by giving the problem more national attention. We

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 seem to forget that long before the health crisis at present, another type of

national malady had been festering.”

As the population continues to rise, problems in the social sector that are still

not properly addressed, particularly the housing problems, will lead to other secondary

problems. There and re a lot of considerations that ae needed to be incorporated as

the governing bodies tries to solve the issues on the housing demands in the

Philippines. There are impactful ideas that can be applied which will require bigger

steps than what is usual. In the modern time where new problems emerge, the

governing bodies need to come up with modern solutions.

• MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM

The problems on the housing demands are visible all throughout the country.

The housing demands in Philippines is presented on the latest information released

by HUDCC (Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council) Philippine

Development Plan, Chapter 5: Accelerating Infrastructure Development. The figures

show:

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 The table above shows the estimation of the housing need for the year 2016,

which is now five years ago. On the said estimation, Regions 3, 4B, and NCR account

for almost half of the total housing need, according to the National Urban Development

and Housing Framework (NUDHF) 2009-2016.

• Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

On July 7, 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that the

total population of the Philippines as of 01 May 2020 is 109,035,343. This figure is

based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH). The President of

the Philippines has declared this count to be official for all purposes by issuing

Proclamation No. 1179 on July 6, 2021.

The Philippine population increased by 8,053,906 from 100,981,437 in 2015,

resulting in a 1.63 percent annual population growth rate (PGR). In comparison, the

country's population grew at a faster rate from 2010 to 2015, at 1.72 percent.

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 Region IV-A (CALABARZON) gained the most population since the 2015

Census of Population (POPCEN 2015), with an increase of 1,780,268 people in 2020

compared to its population in 2015. Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region

in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been the fastest-growing region since the

POPCEN 2015, with an annual PGR of 3.26 percent from 2015 to 2020. The PGR in

Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) was 0.50 percent.

Acquired from the data gathered from 2015 Census of Population (POPCEN

2015), the total number of households in the country was 22.98 million in 2015, in

which the country’s average household size (AHS) in was 4.4 persons.

Region IV-A had the most households (3.40 million), followed by the NCR (3.10

million) and Region III (2.57 million) among the country's 18 regions.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) had the fewest households, with

396 thousand. See Table 7.

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 • PRESENT STATUS

The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, yet

it is facing a homeless crisis. There are approximately 4.5 million homeless people,

including children, in the Philippines, which has a population of 106 million people.

Homelessness in the Philippines is caused by a variety of reasons, including lost jobs,

insufficient income or lack of a stable job, domestic violence and loss of home due to

a natural disaster. The government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are

working to address this issue.

Causes of Homelessness

In the Philippines, families end up homeless for many reasons, including:

- Poverty: Although the unemployment rate in the Philippines is low (5.3% in

March of 2020), 16.6% of Filipinos’ wages remained below the country’s

poverty line in 2018. Low income can make it difficult for many families in the

Philippines, especially those living in Manila, to pay rent.

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 - Domestic violence: Women and children in the Philippines are in danger of

domestic abuse, exploitation and trafficking. Approximately one in five

women between the ages 15-49 in the Philippines experience domestic

violence in their life. Women who escape their abusive partners could lose their

source of income and have difficulty finding a place to stay. Shelters for women

tend to have long waiting list.

- Human trafficking: In the Philippines, there are approximately 100,000

people trafficked each year. Many trafficked victims are promised jobs in the

cities. However, after moving to a city, they are exploited and forced into

prostitution.

- Natural disasters: In addition, some families have lost their homes due to

natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes and volcano eruptions. In

2019, more than 20 typhoons battered the Philippines. One of the typhoons that

hit the country damaged over 500,000 houses. A volcano eruption that

happened in January impacted half a million people and forced the relocation

of 6,000 families.

Types of Homeless Families

According to the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Homeless Street

Families (MCCT-HSF) program, homeless families fit into four different categories:

• Families on the street: “Families on the street” represent 75% of the homeless

population. They are families who earn their livelihood on the street, but

eventually return to their original communities. This category includes both

“displaced homeless families” and “community-based street families”.

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 • Families of the street: “Families of the street” are families who live on the street

for a long time and have created communities among themselves. They

perform daily activities, like cooking, bathing or playing in the public spaces they

live in. They are visible by their use of a “kariton,” also known as a pushcart that

contains their family’s belongings, which they move around within Manila.

• Displaced homeless families: “Displaced homeless families” are families who

have lost their homes due to natural disasters or live in their communities. They

are families who leave their rural communities of the Philippines to find a job in

the cities. This category also may also include families and children who may

be escaping abuses at home. Displaced homeless families may also push

around a kariton that contains their personal belongings.

• Community-based street families: “Community-based street families” are

families who are from rural communities, but move to urban areas for a better

way of life; however, they often end up returning to the rural area they are from.

Homeless Children

Homeless children are among the most vulnerable of the homeless in the

Philippines. There are approximately 250,000 homeless children; however, that

number could be as high as 1 million. Children leave home and end up on the streets

because of the excessive beating from their parents, poverty or sexual exploitation.

When children are on the streets, they can face problems such as sexual

exploitation, abuse and prostitution. Although victims of circumstances beyond their

control, children who live on the street are often viewed as criminals or future criminals

resulting in discrimination from the police. Additionally, to numb their pain and their

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hunger, some children may turn to drugs. Both the external and internal factors that

children face make it very difficult for them to escape the street life.

NEDA Regional Development Plan 2017-2022

Housing

The number of housing target met and the end-user financing to housing target

met in the region have significantly increased with the sufficient funds and budget

sharing among key shelter agencies (KSAs) and government finance institutions, and

the improved financing terms. The decrease in interest rate from 16 percent in 2008

to 5.5 percent in 2015 encouraged more members to avail of housing programs. This

was further boosted by improved processes, increased marketing, assistance of

accredited developers and increased capacity of citizens to avail housing loans. Aside

from the housing target met, the region also achieved its targets on the updated

Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and on the LGUs assisted in the preparation

of the Local Shelter Plan. While the target updated CLUPs was consistently met, some

were not updated in a participatory manner, and thus, the problems on the continuity

of CLUPs during changes in administration remain. On the assistance in the

preparation of LSPs, KSAs believe that the regional target should go beyond LSP

assistance. On the other hand, the region’s performance in socialized housing has

declined because the financial barriers discouraged informal settler families (ISF) in

availing of the program. This may also be attributed to inadequate post-relocation

services including livelihood and utilities, which may have been better prepared

through an inter-agency approach.

Despite the achievement of the overall housing target, questions on whether or

not the housing program responds to actual housing backlog were raised. Currently,

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assistance under socialized housing is demand-driven or determined by application

from communities rather than needs-based.

The figure above shows the status of the housing demands and supply for the

years 2001-2011, posted on industry.gov.ph. The new housing need is also posted for

the years 2012-2030.

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 The new housing average that is needed to be provided annually estimates

about 345,941 for the years 2012-2030.

The site also indicated that if there is no special housing program is created,

the estimated backlog would be about 6.5 million.

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Labor and Employment

The region is the largest source of labor force in the country, as it contributes

13.2 percent to the nation’s labor force. Employment rate consistently increased from

90.3 percent in 2011 to 92.0 percent in 2015 due to the growing economic activities

and employment generation initiatives of the government. Consequently,

unemployment rate decreased from 9.7 percent in 2011 to 8.0 percent in 2015 as

employment opportunities expanded in information and communication,

manufacturing, construction, administrative support service activities, and human

health and social work services subsectors. However, underemployment increased

from 17.9 percent in 2011 to 18.2 percent in 2015, which is below the target of 17.5

percent. This could be attributed to job-skill mismatch, inadequate increase in the

minimum wage adjustments and minimal expansion and investment in the industry

and services sectors. While the region continuously generates jobs, it still has high

unemployment and underemployment due to migrants who flock to the Region seeking

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employment. On the other hand, the region has the biggest number of OFs with 17.9

percent of the country’s OFs coming from CALABARZON. As such, the region initiated

the establishment of One-Stop Shop Migration Centers in the five provinces to assist

the OFs and their families handle the challenges brought by migration. The centers

also help the OF families maximize the benefits of remittances for investment

opportunities.

• GOVERNMENT ACTIONS or PROGRAMS

The Philippines has a fairly high poverty rate with more than 16% of the

population living below the poverty line. About 17.6 million Filipinos are unable to buy

basic essentials due to the large number of individuals who rely on agriculture for a

living and wealth inequality. Poverty decreased from 21.6 percent to 16.6 percent

between 2015 and 2020. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines wants to reduce

poverty to 14% by 2022. The Philippine government's AmBisyon 2040 initiative aims

to eliminate extreme poverty by 2040. Furthermore, the government has adopted a

number of programs and reforms aimed at reducing poverty, particularly in the areas

of education, healthcare, and the economy as a whole.

• Combating Poverty in the Philippines

1. Access to Education. In impoverished places, a lack of access to education

is a component in systemic poverty. Education provides people with basic skills and

increases work prospects, which can help the Philippines battle poverty. As a result,

in 2017, the Philippines enacted the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education

Act to encourage more people to participate in higher education and to address the

issue of educational disparity. Tuition and other expenses such as school supplies are

subsidized by the government for students at State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

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A tuition subsidy is also available to private universities. The Act aims to decrease the

number of dropouts in higher education and promote the idea that higher education is

available to all.

2. Greater access to healthcare. President Duterte signed the Universal

Healthcare Act in February 2019 in an effort to modernize the healthcare system. By

enrolling citizens in the National Insurance Program and granting health coverage to

all, the UHC Act ensures that everyone has access to comprehensive healthcare.

While healthcare is not totally free, individuals who are poor will have more access to

it.

3. Family Aid. In 2007, the government launched the Pantawid Pamilyang

Pilipino Program (4Ps) to support citizens even further. The 4Ps program is a

conditional cash transfer program for low-income families. The program provides

payments to families who meet certain criteria, such as keeping their children in

school, getting regular health checks, and having their parents or guardians attend

Family Development Sessions. About 20 million Filipinos benefit from the 4Ps

initiative, with 9 million of them being children. As a result, the program reaches around

20% of the population, with the purpose of reducing poverty.

4. Economic Investment. President Duterte signed the Rice Tariffication Law

in February 2019, revising the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, with the purpose

of eliminating poverty through economic growth. The law imposes a 35 percent levy

on imported rice with the purpose of prioritizing and stabilizing local rice production for

the populace. The tariff also intends to aid local farmers by making the agricultural

system more efficient and competitive.

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 5. Build, Build, Build. In 2017, the Duterte administration also launched the

"Build, Build, Build" infrastructure initiative. The program's initial goal was to complete

75 projects, but Duterte changed his mind and now wants to accomplish 100. New

public transit and airport upgrades are two examples such projects. The government

has started around 34% of the projects and expects to finish 56 percent of them by

2022. The government had finished two of the original 75 projects by 2019. The

Philippines will use ‘Build, Build, Build’ as a plan to help the country recover from the

COVID-19 outbreak, with the help of loans. The government hopes that by

strengthening the country's infrastructure and combating the pandemic's impacts, the

economy would be stimulated and more employment will be created. The initiative,

however, has been chastised for its poor execution as a result of underspending.

There are also programs and services implemented by the government to help

the country reach its goals in eliminating poverty thru - housing.

The Philippine housing sector believes that every Filipino family, regardless of

economic level, has the right to live in dignity in their own home. Its goal is to eliminate

the housing shortage by 2030.

As demand for living spaces continues to rise, the Philippine housing sector

has immense growth potential. The sector aspires to maintain its robust growth and

development – at reasonable rates for the Filipino household – through a number of

industry-led initiatives.

The low-cost, socialized, and economic housing units account for a large share

of housing production. From 2010 to 2011, housing production in the high-end, mid-

end, and low-cost categories increased, while production of houses in economic and

socialized housing was relatively flat. From 2000 to 2011, economic, socialized, and

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low-cost housing cornered close to 70% of total housing production. During this same

period, the socialized segment accounted for 27%, the economic segment accounted

for 29%, and low-cost segment 13%.

The low-cost, socialized, and economic housing units account for a large share

of housing production. From 2010 to 2011, housing production in the high-end, mid-

end, and low-cost categories increased, while production of houses in economic and

socialized housing was relatively flat. From 2000 to 2011, economic, socialized, and

low-cost housing cornered close to 70% of total housing production. During this same

period, the socialized segment accounted for 27%, the economic segment accounted

for 29%, and low-cost segment 13%. Because of these, programs such as Pag-IBIG

Affordable Housing Program, Community Mortgage Program, Abot-Kaya Pabahay

Fund Development Loan Program and Industry Development Program is made.

- Pag-IBIG Affordable Housing Program

The Home Mutual Development Fund (HMDF, or Pag-IBIG) offers the

Affordable Housing Program (AHP), which is designed for minimum wage earners or

whose gross monthly income does not exceed P17,500. Up to P750,000 may be

borrowed under this program, with interest rates of 4.5% or 6.5% in the first ten years

of the loan, depending on the gross monthly income of the borrower.

The Pag-IBIG AHP housing loan may be used to finance the following:

• Purchase of a fully developed residential lot or adjoining lots not exceeding

1,000 square meters;

• Purchase of a residential house and lot, townhouse, or condominium unit;

• Construction or completion of a residential unit on a lot owned by the member.

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 An eligible Pag-IBIG member can borrow up to P394,722.32 under the AHP,

with a monthly amortization of P2,000 for the first ten (10) years of the loan, according

to calculations. This example is based on a 4.5 percent interest rate and a repayment

duration of 30 years. For individuals working in the NCR and OFWs, the gross monthly

income necessary for this loan amount and interest rate cannot exceed P15,000, and

P12,000 for those in other regions.

- Community Mortgage Program (CMP)

The Community Mortgage Program (CMP) attempts to improve the living

conditions of homeless and poor Filipinos by providing them with cheap funding to

establish tenure on the property they now occupy.

The Community Mortgage Program (CMP) is a mortgage financing program

that helps legally organized groups of residents in blighted or depressed areas buy the

lots they live on, giving them security of tenure and allowing them to improve their

neighborhood and homes to the extent that they can afford it.

- Abot-Kaya Pabahay Fund Development Loan Program (AKPF – DLP)

The Abot-Kaya Pabahay Fund Developmental Loan Program (AKPF – DLP)

intends to assist low-income families in key Philippines urban regions and other places

with high housing demand with affordable home packages. The DLP financing aid is

intended to be used as a seed fund for the development of land and the construction

of housing units on it.

- Industry Development Program

Meetings are held by the housing sector technical working group (TWG) to

discuss and answer industry concerns and challenges. Its activities include:

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• New Requirements for High-Rise Buildings (Old and New). The

requirement of an accelerograph for all high-rise buildings and an Automatic

Fire Suppression System (AFSS) to vertical projects is deemed to be in

conflict with BP 220, the National Building Code, and Fire Code IRR. The

proposed amendment to the IRR of the Fire Code and the rationalization of

the installation of accelerograph for buildings have been worked closely with

the DILG and DPWH, respectively, in 2014 and these are among the

industry’s continuing effort/initiatives in 2015.

• New Category for Socialized Housing. The proposal is to include medium-

rise buildings (MRBs) of P550,000 (excluding land) and P840,000 for urban

areas. It is under NEDA/HUDCC’s evaluation. Likewise, the proposal to

amend R.A. 7279 Section 18 to include the definition of socialized MRB, and

the provision for government to make in-city development affordable, is

being discussed by the TWG in Congress.

• Reverse Trade Arrangement (RTA). The intention is to have preferential

supply arrangements between the housing developers and construction

materials manufacturers/associations (e.g., paints, iron & steel, PVC pipes).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was entered into by the SHDA and

Pacific Paint (BOYSEN) Philippines, Inc.’s during the HUDCC-SHDA

National Developers Convention in September 2014 in Cebu City. DTI-BOI

and SHDA is looking into pursuing RTAs or similar partnerships with other

paint manufacturers, Cambridge Paints, Inc. and Davies Paints Philippines,

Inc.; with ceramic tile producers, Mariwasa and Ten Zen Tiles; and with

electrical wires producers who are members of the Philippines Electrical

Wire Manufacturers Association.

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 • Assistance to Yolanda-affected Areas. The guidelines to encourage

housing developers to construct their socialized housing compliance projects

in the Yolanda Stricken-areas have been finalized and approved by the BOI

Board.

• Government Policies

- IPP 2014-2016

Economic and Low-Cost Housing (horizontal and vertical) (based on a price

ceiling of Php3.0 million and subject to geographical considerations) is among the

preferred activities listed in the IPP. This covers the development of economic and

low-cost housing and the manufacture of modular housing components.

a. Economic and Low-Cost Housing

The following are the qualifications for registration:

• The selling price of each housing unit shall be more than

Php450,000.00 but not exceeding Php3.0 million;

• Minimum of 20 livable dwelling units in a single site or building;

• Must be new or expanding economic/low-cost housing project;

• For vertical housing projects, at least 51% of the total floor area,

excluding common facilities and parking areas, must be devoted to

housing units.

In cases of un-incorporated joint venture and similar arrangements between

landowner and developer wherein the sharing scheme is in terms of the number of lots

or units built, only the share of the developer may qualify for registration.

Projects that have already been completed and have incurred sales (booked sales) of

housing packages shall not qualify for registration.

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Any of the following may be considered as an expansion project:

• Construction of additional floors or annexes intended for housing units;

• If the project will locate adjacent or contiguous to an existing housing

project owned by the same entity and shall share common facilities including

access to the existing project.

All economic/low-cost housing projects must comply with the following:

• Socialized housing requirement (SHR) by building socialized housing

units in an area equivalent to at least 20% of the total registered project area or total

BOI registered project cost for horizontal housing and 20% of the total floor area of

qualified saleable housing units for vertical housing projects.

This may be done through any of the following modes:

• Development of a new settlement directly undertaken by the registered

entity;

• Development of a new settlement through joint venture arrangements with any

of the following: (a) Local Government Unit, (b) Affiliate or other related enterprise of

the BOI-registered entity, (c) Developer accredited by the HLURB.

In the case of joint venture projects, the BOI registered entity shall be required to

provide proof of funds transferred to the implementing entity.

• Development of a new settlement through donation of land with basic

infrastructure facilities (roads, water system, etc.) and/or construction materials

intended for the calamity-stricken areas as identified in the “Comprehensive

Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan of the Areas Battered by Yolanda” in partnership

either with any of the housing agencies, relevant LGUs, or with HLURB accredited

NGOs.

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 In lieu of the above modes for compliance with the SHR, vertical housing

projects may opt to donate provided: (1) the donation is made to BOI accredited NGO

and (2) the amount to be donated shall be equivalent to 30% of (20% of the building

construction cost based on the actual number or equivalent total floor area of qualified

saleable low-cost housing units) or not less than 40% of the estimated ITH. Equivalent

total floor area refers to the sum total of the floor area of all the registered low-cost

housing units.

• For purposes of ITH availment, compliance with the 20% socialized housing

requirement shall be computed based on the actual units sold during the ITH availment

period. Failure to submit proof of compliance shall result to forfeiture of ITH for that

particular taxable period.

• Non-compliance with the 20% SHR on previous registrations using the ITH-

based Compliance (IBC) shall result in denial of applications for registration for

succeeding projects.

• Project shall conform with the design standards set forth in the Rules and

Regulations to Implement B.P. No. 220/P.D. No. 957 and other related laws.

Eligible projects in NCR, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao may only be granted

three (3) years ITH unless the SHR compliance of the said projects would be

undertaken in any of the identified calamity-stricken areas in the “Comprehensive

Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan of the Areas Battered by Yolanda”. In such cases,

said projects may be eligible to four years of ITH.

Interest income arising from in-house financing shall not be entitled to ITH.

Application for registration must be accompanied by a copy of the Development

Permit issued by HLURB or concerned LGU.

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 Prior to registration, horizontal housing project applicant must submit copies of

License to Sell (LTS) and Certificate of Registration (CoR) issued by HLURB. For

vertical housing project, applicant may submit a copy of its temporary LTS provided

that the copies of the final LTS and CoR shall be submitted prior to start of commercial

operation. b. Modular Housing Components

This covers the manufacture of modular housing components preferably using

indigenous materials. These include roof/framing systems, wall/partition systems,

flooring systems, door/window systems, and finishing/ceiling systems. Application for

registration must be accompanied by an endorsement from Accreditation of Innovative

Technologies for Housing (AITECH).

B1b. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

Urbanization must drive and influence the creation and transformation towards

culturally, socially, economically, and politically inclusive development.

Permanent and Lasting Peace is the third strategic theme of the Governance

Framework: Duterte Administration 2016-2022, which is bolstered by greatly

increased welfare through housing, particularly for the marginalized and destitute.

Despite the rising demand for suitable housing, production levels and budget

allocations for residential developments and accompanying services remain

insufficient. This is reflected in the persistent housing shortage as well as the rising

prices of housing units over time.

The scope of the problem is at a national level, but may also be limited to

regional due to constraints and different sectors that acts in each region. Every region

is still struggling and figuring out how to cope up and formulate a solution that is

applicable and in line with the goals of the country in general. The proposal will be

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benefited by every Filipino specially those who are impoverished and below the

poverty line. This study also serves as an instrument or a guideline that could

contribute to the future problems in the Philippines, as this tackles subjects such as

poverty, housing, agriculture, employment, development of a growing community and

much more.

B1c. EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS

The researchers had evaluated and analyzed the current status of poverty,

housing and employment in the Philippines. This subject takes a huge part in national

problems that our country is facing today as it spikes high during this time of pandemic.

In this study, the researchers have gathered data that states the status of the said

problems, detailed as follows:

1. Population - With an annual growth rate of 2.58 percent between 2010 and

2015, the Region’s population is expected to double in 2042, a rate that is much faster

than that of the Philippines and NCR. The region has a density of 888 person per sq.

km., indicating that there is still room for expansion. But with relatively high rate of

increasing population, housing might be a problem thus needed an immediate

solution. People who are impoverished in the region are at risk in being poorer

because of this problem.

2. Poverty - is primarily due to low earning capacity of the poor and to their

limited access to regular and productive jobs. Behind these are the two interrelated

root causes of in-work poverty—low education of the poor, and the scarcity of

productive job opportunities. Poverty incidence among population in 2015 is 23.3%

and declined to 16.6% in 2018. Though the country improved in clearing poverty, the

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government still has a lot to do, in line with the goal of completely eliminating it by

2040.

3. Housing – Due to increasing population in the country especially those who

are impoverished, housing became a problem. The Philippine housing industry

believes that every Filipino family has the right to live with dignity in the comfort of

one’s own home regardless of economic status. It aims to eliminate the housing

backlog by the year 2030. The housing backlog is 3.9 million households. Assuming

that production of housing units would average 200,000 units every year from 2012 to

2030, the backlog would still persist and hit 6.5 million households by 2030. The

highest demand would come from the economic housing segment, followed by

socialized housing, and lastly by low-cost housing.

4. Employment - skills represent a key driver of development and growth in the

Philippines. Educational background of people is the root and reason of employment

nowadays. In this, the country is regionally successful within Southeast Asia, it has yet

to reach the standards of more developed countries.

From the perspective of workers’ welfare, it argues that pervasive in-work

poverty is the main challenge facing labor policy. Poverty is primarily due to low

earning capacity of the poor and to their limited access to regular and productive jobs.

Behind these are the two interrelated root causes of in-work poverty—low education

of the poor, and the scarcity of productive job opportunities.

These three problems are the main reasons behind the country’s slow growth

in people welfare. Government is still working in solving these matters through laying

down plans and goals for the following years to come.

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 When it comes to legislatively, there are standards, restrictions and regulations

when it comes to housing in the Philippines. Here are some of them, based on Housing

and Development Coordination Council (HUDCC):

• The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Department of Human

Settlements and Urban Development Act (IRR Republic Act. 11201)

This act shall develop and adopt a national strategy to immediately address the

provision of adequate and affordable housing to all Filipinos, and shall ensure the

alignment of the policies, programs, and projects of all its attached agencies to

facilitate the achievement of his objective,

As the sole and main planning and policy-making, regulatory, program

coordination performance monitoring entity for all housing settlement and urban

development concerns, primarily focusing on the access to and the affordability of

basic human needs.

• Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (RA 7279)

This Act aims to provide for a comprehensive and continuing urban

development and housing program and establish the mechanism for its

implementation.

It first stipulates the principles governing the urban development and housing program,

for instance the state shall ensure the rational use of land, provide the affordable

housing for underprivileged and homeless citizens. The Act then requires the

government to establish inventory of lands and identify the sites for socialized housing,

and sets out rules on land acquisition and disposition.

Crucially, the Act provides strategies and requirements for the socialized

housing programs. It specifies the eligibility criteria for beneficiaries, provides

incentives for National Housing Authority and private sectors, as well as sets

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standards on basic services and livelihood component for those housing. It also sets

out procedural safeguards on eviction and resettlement. The Act further creates the

Community Mortgage Program to assist underprivileged and homeless citizens to

purchase and develop a tract of land under the community ownership.

Lastly, the Act establishes a framework for the program implementation and

stipulates roles and responsibilities for the relevant housing agencies.

• Balanced Housing Development Requirement (RA 10884)

To further increase the low-cost housing stock available to underprivileged

families and homebuyers, Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279 (Balanced Housing

Development) was amended to include the residential condominium projects in

complying with the balanced housing requirement.

Section 18 of RA 7279, as amended by Republic Act No. 10884, requires that

owners and/or developers of proposed subdivision and condominium projects develop

an area for socialized housing, at the option of the developer, equivalent to:

• At least fifteen percent (15%) of the total subdivision area or subdivision

project cost

• At least five percent (5%) of condominium area or project cost.

The balanced housing requirement should be accomplished within the same

city or municipality, whenever feasible, and in accordance with the standards set by

the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and other existing laws.

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B1d. PROPOSAL

With the arising problems in land conversion, increasing population in

urbanized areas, slow decrease in progress of solving poverty, unemployment of

unskilled Filipino workers, and the struggle of people to cope with high cost of living,

the government are still on the process of making actions for their goal which is to

build a prosperous, pre-dominantly middle-class society where no one is poor and

everyone will have roof above their heads.

One of the most pressing issues in the Philippines’ construction sector is a

chronic housing shortage. At a recent forum organized by The Manila Times, the

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) reported that

the country’s backlog stood at 6.75 million units. Worse, the number could balloon to

22 million units by 2040 if that problem was not properly addressed today.

The Constitution mandates that the state, in collaboration with the private

sector, implement a long-term program of urban land reform and housing to offer

quality homes and essential amenities to underprivileged and homeless individuals in

urban centers and resettlement regions at a reasonable cost.

Mass housing was listed as one of the 2020 Investment Priorities Plan of the

Philippines. This covers the development of mass housing units based on a price

ceiling of PHP 2.0 million. It was also one of the priorities under ‘CALABARZON

Priority Development Agenda’, that emphasizes the implementation of alternative and

innovative solutions in addressing housing needs.

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 In regional perspective, CALABARZON has the highest total estimated regional

breakdown of housing demand from 2016-2030. This includes socialized, economic,

low-cost, mid-cost and high-end with socialized being the highest.

The proposal of a mixed-use modular mass housing and community

development integrated with aquaponics was intended to answer the said problems in

current housing backlogs situation. It also considers other aspects that greatly affects

the status of living including supply of food for people, employment, education, and

recreational activities. These provisions are the main factors needed to solve the

country’s concurring issues about poverty and population.

B1e. LOCATION

Based on the data gathered by the researchers, CALABARZON ranks first in

the most populated regions throughout the whole country with 16.2 million residents

growing at 2.48% (2015-2020). Among the 5 provinces (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,

Rizal, Quezon Province), Cavite has the highest number of populations with 4.3 million

and also has the most density with 3,489 per sq.km.

Even if the proposal was set to solve a national problem, the researchers

intentionally chose the location based on provided statistics that proves the feasibility

and significance of such proposal to Cavite. The researchers believes that the

existence of the sustainable community development will contribute in eliminating

disposition of the poverty-stricken people and to amplify their role in our society.

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B2a. THE PHILIPPINE PARA SPORTS TRAINING FACILITY

Disability According to Department of Health

Persons with disabilities (PWDs), according to the UN Convention on the Rights

of Persons with Disabilities, include those who have long-term physical, mental,

intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may

hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

refers to disability as “an umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations, and

participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an

activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or

action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in

involvement in life situations”. The ICF’s definition of disability denotes a negative

interaction between a person (with a health condition) and his or her contextual factors

(environmental and personal factors). A comprehensive approach in interventions is

then necessary for persons with disabilities (PWDs) as it entails actions beyond the

context of health, but more on helping them to overcome difficulties by removing

environmental and social barriers (WHO, 2013).

According to Republic Act No. 10524 (Larissa C. Dalistan-Levosada, 2017)

(An Act Expanding the Positions Reserved for PWDs, amending for the purpose

RA No.7277 (Magna Carta for Persons with Disability) in April 2013, expanded

employment opportunities for PWDs. Its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)

were published on Aug. 15, 2016; the full text of which the Bureau of Internal Revenue

(BIR) circulated through Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 48-2017 dated 30 June

2017).

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 Under RA 10524, Persons with Disability (PWDs) refer to individuals who suffer

long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, upon interaction

with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an

equal basis with others.

The seven types of disabilities mentioned in RA No. 7277 are psychosocial

disability, disability due to chronic illness, learning disability, mental disability, visual

disability, orthopedic disability, and communication disability. They are defined in the

Department of Health A.O. No.2009-0011 as follows:

- Psychosocial Disability — any acquired behavioral, cognitive, emotional,

social impairment that limits one or more activities necessary for effective

interpersonal transactions and other civilizing process or activities for daily

living, such as but not limited to deviancy or antisocial behavior.

- Chronic Illness — a group of health conditions that last a long time. It may

get slowly worse over time or may become permanent or it may lead to death.

It may cause permanent change to the body and it will certainly affect the

person’s quality of life.

- Learning Disability — any disorder in one or more of the basic psychological

processes (perception, comprehension, thinking, etc.) involved in

understanding or in using spoken or written language.

- Mental Disability — disability resulting from organic brain syndrome (i.e.,

mental retardation, acquired lesions of the central nervous system, or

dementia) and/or mental illness (psychotic or non-psychotic disorder).

- Visual Disability — impairment of visual functioning even after treatment

and/or standard refractive correction, with visual acuity in the better eye of less

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 than 6/18 for low vision and 3/60 for blind, or a visual field of less than 10

degrees from the point of fixation. A certain level of visual impairment is defined

as legal blindness. One is legally blind when the best corrected central visual

acuity in the better eye is 6/60 or worse or side vision of 20 degrees or less in

the better eye.

- Orthopedic Disability — disability in the normal functioning of the joints,

muscles or limbs.

- Communication Disability — is an impairment in the process of speech,

language or hearing, further broken down into two types: (a) Hearing

Impairment is a total or partial loss of hearing function which impede the

communication process essential to language, educational, social and/or

cultural interaction; and (b) Speech and Language Impairment means one or

more speech/language disorders of voice, articulation, rhythm and/or the

receptive or and expressive processes of language.

PWDs can further be classified as a Qualified Person with Disability, which

includes an individual with disability who, with reasonable accommodations, can

perform the essential functions of employment position that such individual holds or

desires.

For accreditation purposes, PWDs with non-obvious disabilities such as

psychosocial, learning, mental/intellectual, visual and hearing disabilities should

secure a certification from the Department of Health through its regional hospitals,

medical centers, and specialty hospitals attesting to the individual’s impairment.

As provided in the law, equal employment opportunity shall be given to PWDs

in the selection process based on qualification standards for an appointment to a

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position in government and requirements set by employers in private corporations.

They shall also be subject to the same terms and conditions of employment,

compensation, privileges, benefits, incentives, or allowances as an able-bodied

person.

Employment of ration of PWDs

Government agencies shall reserve at least 1% of their regular and non-

regular positions for PWDs.

Private corporations, on the other hand, who employ at least 100

employees are encouraged to reserve at least 1% of all positions for PWDs.

Those who employ less than 100 employees are encouraged to hire PWDs.

Incentives for employing PWDs

To promote active participation, private corporations that hire PWDs are

entitled to the following incentives under the IRR:

1. The 25% additional deduction from the private corporation’s gross income of

the total amount paid as salaries and wages to PWDs.

To avail of this incentive, private corporations are required to present

proof that they are employing PWDs who are accredited or registered with the

Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Health as to their

disability, skills, and qualifications.

2. Private entities that improve or modify their physical facilities in order to

provide reasonable accommodation for PWDs shall be entitled to an additional

deduction from their net income, equivalent to 50% of direct costs of the

improvements or modifications.

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 Facility improvement under this incentive should be different from the

requirement of Batas Pambansa (BP) Blg, 344 otherwise known as an Act to Enhance

the Mobility of Disabled Persons by requiring certain buildings, institutions,

establishments, and public utilities to install facilities and other devices. Under BP Blg.

344, buildings, institutions, establishments, and public utilities are required to install

facilities and other devices to allow the mobility of disabled persons.

The IRR further provides that the conditions of hiring and employment of PWDs

should be made with the welfare of PWDs in mind. This means that accommodation

of PWDs should not impose undue or disproportionate burden, but must ensure the

exercise of equal opportunity for PWDs in all fundamental rights. As may be

practicable, a work schedule given to a PWD should be modified to favor the

employee.

Installation of auxiliary aids and assistive devices in a workplace should also be

considered to ensure that PWDs are able to perform their assigned task with ease.

RA 10524 and its IRR aim to provide equal work opportunities to PWDs and at

the same time incentivizing the private sector for its participation. More than the

incentive, integrating PWDs in the workforce means rehabilitation, self-development,

self-reliance and affirmation of PWDs as productive members of society.

• Para Sports

Parasports are sports played by people with a disability,

including physical and intellectual disabilities. Some parasports are variations on

existing able-bodied sports, while others have been specifically created for persons

with a disability and do not have an able-bodied equivalent. Disability exists in four

categories: physical, mental, permanent and temporary. At a competitive

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level, disability sport classifications are applied to allow people of varying abilities to

face similar opposition.

Para-athletics is an athletics sport practiced as a parasport by people with

disabilities. The athletics events available in the parasport are mostly the same as

those available to able-bodied people, with the exception of two major exceptions:

wheelchair racing and the club throw, which are division-specific. Disability athletics,

disabled track and field, and Paralympic athletics are all names for the sport. Elite

athletes with disabilities are top-level competitors.

Deaf athletes, athletes with a physical disability, and athletes with an intellectual

disability are the three broad categories of competitors. Deaf athletes typically

compete among themselves, whereas athletes with physical and intellectual

disabilities are typically evaluated and assigned a para-athletics classification, which

groups athletes with similar ability levels together. The International Paralympic

Committee (IPC) governs these classifications, which consist of a single letter and a

number: T for Track or F for Field, followed by a number defining the level of ability. In

competition, events may take place between athletes of the same class if the numbers

are sufficient; otherwise, events may take place between athletes of different classes.

International governance operates outside of the sport's able-bodied governing

body World Athletics (until 2019: IAAF) and is divided among those categories, with

deaf athletics overseen by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf

(CISS),[3] para-athletics for the physically disabled overseen by the World Para

Athletics subcommittee of the IPC, and para-athletics for the intellectually disabled

through the International Sports Federation for the Intellectually (INAS). There are also

organizations dedicated to specific conditions, such as the International Dwarf Sports

Federation and the International Athletics Association for People with Down

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Syndrome. The majority of rules for para-athletics are the same as those for able-

bodied competitions, with exceptions that account for competitors' abilities, such as a

visual signal instead of a starting pistol in races for the deaf.

Since 1960, Paralympic athletics has been one of the Paralympic Games'

sports, though deaf athletes and athletes with intellectual disabilities compete

separately at the Deaflympics and Special Olympics World Games. The World Para

Athletics Championships, World Deaf Athletics Championships, and INAS World

Athletics Championships are the three major sport-specific world championships for

para-athletics. The IWAS World Games and the INAS Global Games also host major

para-athletics competitions.

The sport's name is a portmanteau of the words Paralympic and athletics – the

former term is a portmanteau of the words: paraplegic and Olympic, though it now

refers to athletics for all disabilities. Some para-athletics competitors (particularly deaf,

visually impaired, and amputee athletes) also compete in the able-bodied division of

the sport; however, competitions involving a mix of elite disabled and able-bodied

athletes are not typically classified as para-athletics.

• The Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC)

A National Paralympic Committee (NPC) is a national organization that

participates in the Paralympic Games around the world. NPCs are in charge of

coordinating their people's participation in the Paralympic Games under the

supervision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where

athletes with physical disabilities compete; this includes athletes with mobility

disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. There are Winter and Summer

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Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their respective Olympic

Games, in the same host city.

The IPC currently has 182 NPC members as of 2021. Athletes at the

Paralympic Games can only be entered by NPCs in good standing. Within countries,

some NPCs serve as the national governing body for one or more sports, while others

are solely responsible for the Paralympic Games as an IPC member.

The Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC), formerly known as the Philippine

Sports Association for the Differently Abled—National Paralympic Committee of the

Philippines, is the national sports organization for physically impaired athletes, tasked

with spearheading the development of sport competency for Filipinos with disabilities.

The International Paralympic Committee has recognized the Philippine National

Paralympic Committee.

The Philippine Sports Commission finances the PPC's operations and sporting

competitions. The Philippine Paralympic Committee, like the Philippine Olympic

Committee, is a parallel organization that sends qualified disabled national athletes to

represent the country in international competitions ranging from regional to elite,

Paralympic level.

The formation of the national sports association that focuses on sports played

for Persons with Disabilities or PWDs started as an idea by Michael Barredo, then-

former board member of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons

(NCWDP) appointed by former president Fidel V. Ramos in December 1996, after the

series of consultations between stakeholders of the sport together with the Philippine

Sports Commission and the national strategic planning workshops through the help of

then-PSC chairman Philip Ella Juico, NCWDP, and the consultants of Australian

Sports Commission who involved in the development and promotion of Olympic and

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Paralympic sports in Australia. The PHILSPADA was founded in 1997 and registered

with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1998. PHILSPADA became one of

the first accredited members of the International Paralympic Committee three years

later. Philspada opened its main office in Building E of the Philsports Complex in Pasig

during Butch Tuazon's tenure as PSC Chairman. Under President Joseph Estrada's

administration, funds were allocated for the promotion of Paralympic sports in the

Philippines, including the establishment of Philspada chapters across the country's 17

regions, as well as relationships with the Deped, DILG, PSC, POC, other government

agencies, and the private sector.

PHILSPADA joined the Asean Parasport Federation as a founding member in

2002. The moniker National Paralympic Committee of the Philippines was added to

the organization's name in 2006–07 owing to IPC rules for those who were considered

National Paralympic Committees. 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball, powerlifting, the first

national squad in the 2000 Summer Paralympics, and the hosting of the 3rd ASEAN

Para games in 2005, coinciding with the Southeast Asian Games, are just a few of the

projects that Philspada successfully conceived during its early years.

Headed by Chief de Mission Gerardo "Ral" Rosario for PhilSPADA-NPC

Philippines, the Philippine delegation of 65 Filipino differently abled athletes competed

in the 2015 ASEAN Para Games, a multi-sport event held from 3 to 9 December 2015,

in Singapore. Among the athletes were Paralympians, seasoned veterans and a few

debutants to the Games. The para-athletes won a total 59 medals which placed the

Philippines at 7th place out of 10 ASEAN nations, bringing home:

● 16 Gold medals (Athletics, Chess, Powerlifting, Swimming, Table Tennis)

● 17 Silver medals (Athletics, Chess, Sailing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tenpin

Bowling)

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 ● 26 Bronze medals (Athletics, Chess, Sailing, Swimming, Table Tennis,

Powerlifting, Tenpin Bowling, Wheelchair Basketball)

The national para-athletes will compete in upcoming regional sports events

aside from the Paralympics:

● 2017 ASEAN Para Games, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

● 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta - Palembang, Indonesia

● 2019 ASEAN Para Games slated to be held in home turf Metro Manila, the

Philippines

• About the Paralympics

Paralympic Games, major international sports competition for athletes with

disabilities. Comparable to the Olympic Games, the Paralympics are split into Winter

Games and Summer Games, which alternately occur every two years. Many of the

same Olympic events are included—such as Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and

biathlon for winter sports and cycling, archery, and swimming for summer sports—

although sports equipment for the Paralympics may be modified for specific

disabilities. Since the late 20th century, the Paralympics have been held in the same

city that hosts the corresponding Olympic Games; the Paralympics follow shortly after

the Olympics conclude. The International Paralympic Committee, which was founded

in 1989 and is based in Germany, governs the Paralympic Games.

Paralympic athletes compete in six different disability groups—amputee, cerebral

palsy, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disability, and “les autres”

(athletes whose disability does not fit into one of the other categories, including

dwarfism). Within each group, athletes are further divided into classes on the basis of

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the type and extent of their disabilities. Individual athletes may be reclassified at later

competitions if their physical status changes.

The Paralympics developed after Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports

competition for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries in England in

1948. A follow-up competition took place in 1952, with athletes from the Netherlands

joining the British competitors. In 1960 the first quadrennial Olympic-style Games for

disabled athletes were held in Rome; the quadrennial Winter Games were added in

1976, in Sweden. Since the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games (and the 1992 Winter

Olympics in Albertville, France), the Paralympics have been held at the Olympic

venues and have used the same facilities. In 2001 the International Olympic

Committee and the International Paralympic Committee agreed on the practice of “one

bid, one city,” in which every city that bids to host the Olympics also bids to hold the

related Paralympics.

The size and diversity of the Paralympic Games have increased greatly over the

years. The Paralympics in 1960 hosted 400 athletes from 23 countries participating in

eight sports. Just over 50 years later, at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London,

more than 4,200 athletes representing 164 countries participated in 20 sports.

The Philippines made their Paralympic Games debut at the 1988 Summer

Paralympics in Seoul, with three men competing in athletics and one in swimming. It

returned for the 2000 Games in Sydney, with a male athlete in the javelin event and a

female powerlifter, Adeline Dumapong. Dumapong won her country's first Paralympic

medal when she took the bronze medal in the Up to 82.5 kg event, lifting 110 kg. In

the 2004 Athens edition, the Philippines were represented by two powerlifters.

In the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, Dumapong was due to compete, but was a non-

starter in her event. The country's other representatives were in Paralympic Sailing, in

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the Mixed Two Person SKUD18 keelboat event who likewise finished last.[2] The

much better funded Philippine Olympic athletes had likewise failed to win any medals

in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The 2012 London Paralympic Games saw 9 Filipino athletes competing in four

sports. The Philippine Paralympic team was the biggest Philippine delegation since

the 1988 Paralympics in South Korea. Just like the Filipino athletes who competed in

the 2012 Summer Olympics, no medals were won by the 9 para-athletes. However,

Josephine Medina's table tennis game ranked 4th overall in Paralympic Table Tennis

standings and was the best finish for the Philippines.

In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games, the Philippines earned its

second Paralympic medal, ending the country's 16-year medal drought. Medina

bagged the bronze medal at the women's single table tennis after defeating Julianne

Wolf of Germany.

Starting in 2017, Paralympic athletes winning medals at the Paralympic games

will be entitled to government incentives through the Philippines Sports Commission

per R.A. 10699.

• Para Sports Facility in the Philippines

In the present, there are about three accessible sport complexes in the Philippines

that can be used for the training of the Paralympics athletes, in which one, the

Philippines Institute of Sports Multi-Purpose Arena (ULTRA) in Pasig City, because of

the pandemic outbreak, is temporarily converted into a quarantine facility.

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“We already had a semblance of it at the ULTRA in Pasig City, but it was unfortunate

that it was converted into a quarantine facility by the government, so we virtually lost

a year’s training in 2020,” said the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) president

Michael Barredo on an interview published on Philippine Star website.

The Paralympic Committee calls for the government and the private sector to

join forces in setting up a permanent and regular facility for the national para team.

The scarcity for the said facility affects the competitiveness of the para-athletes

towards their competitors on the international level.

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• ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM

a.1. Global Issues:

PWD Can: A Look at the Status of the Person with Disabilities, the World’s

Largest Minority (By +SocialGood Connector Clarisse Joy Mañabat):

The Person with Disability (PWDs) is the world’s largest minority, comprising

15% of the world’s population or an estimated 1 billion people. According

to United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With

Disabilities (CPRD), PWDs include those who have long-term physical, mental,

intellectual, or sensory impairments, which in interaction with various barriers

may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with

others.

Between 110 million and 190 million adults have significant difficulties in

functioning. Even though there are advancements in the medical field and

technology, these figures are still rising. Inaccessible health programs and

centers, poverty, unhealthy lifestyle, spread of chronic diseases, ageing, war,

and natural disasters are only some of the reasons.

The United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has

the highest number of signatories of any UN Convention, with 163 countries

included in the agreement. However, even with the convention’s adoption in

2006, only 45 countries have anti-discrimination and other disability-specific

laws.

Globally, there are about 80% PWDs that live in low-income or developing

countries. The majority of them are poor and lack access to basic social

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services such as health, education, employment, and transportation. These

gaps compound and help make PWDs the world’s most vulnerable population.

- Health: PWDs report seeking more health care than those people without

disabilities. According to the World Health Organization, between 76% and

85% of people with mental disability living in developing countries receive no

health treatments. As seen in the above video, in Brazil, thousands of children

and adults with disabilities are confined inside institutions for their entire lives.

After the Human Rights Watch researchers visited the institutions, they found

out that they did not provide basic needs and carried out abusive practices.

- Education: The scale of disability and its concentration in the world’s poorest

countries contributes significantly to marginalization in education. According to

the UN, 90% of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend

school. This and other barriers keep the literacy rate for adult PWDs at a

shockingly low 3%.

- Employment: PWDs are often unemployed or in a job which pay them less.

In the Philippines, only government offices and corporations with more than 100

employees are required to reserve at least 1% of their job positions to the

PWDs. The financial and physical constraints of employing PWDs have

discouraged private companies from employing them, in spite of their

qualifications. Only 100,000 out of 70 million of PWDs in India are employed.

- Transportation: Public transportation plays a vital role for accessing

education, health, employment, as well as public and basic services, but a large

portion of the world’s transportation remains inaccessible for PWD. In New York

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City, only 118 out of 472 subways stations are compliant with the Americans

with Disabilities Act or are PWD friendly.

As a result of lack of accessible services and transportation, PWDs have poorer

health, lower or no education achievements, less economic independence, are

more isolated, and experience higher levels of poverty than people without

disabilities.

“A Study on Employment Profile of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) In

Selected Regions in The Philippines” (by Soledad R. De Luna-Narido &

Miraluna S. Tacadao Institute For Labor Studies):

“PWDs are among the vulnerable groups in our society. They are often

excluded and denied of their human rights. Social exclusion, low educational

attainment, unemployment, low self-esteem, and limited opportunities to

participate in social and political life are few of their challenges, which are

effects of disability-based discrimination. Under international treaties, PWDs

are entitled to exercise their civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights

on an equal basis with others. The principle of the right to equality is the

foundation of the rights of individuals with disabilities.”

Excerpts from “Overcoming Disability Challenges in the Philippines” (by

Maria Isabel T. Buenaobra, 2011)

For a long time, Filipinos with disabilities have suffered from

discrimination. Their economic, social, and political rights have not been

recognized and their access to educational opportunities and government

services has been limited. Despite the passage of Republic Act 7277 or the

Magna Carta for people with disabilities in 1991, which guarantees their right to

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employment, health, education, and auxiliary services, there are still

significant barriers that keep them from fully participating in society, including

the stigma surrounding a disability and society’s poor understanding of the

abilities and aspirations of the disabled people. Often, they face a life that is

segregated and debased, and many live in isolation and insecurity. Many

recognize women with disabilities as all the more disadvantaged, experiencing

exclusion on account of both their gender and their disability. Statistics on

disability in the Philippines have not been properly established. There is still a

heavy reliance on World Health Organization estimates that 10 percent of the

country’s given population have some form of disability. The Department of

Education claims that less than 3 percent of children and youth with disabilities

have proper access to education, due to a lack of teachers trained to handle

students with special needs and inadequate allocation of resources for

educational materials in alternative formats to accommodate their needs.

One way of boosting the differently abled persons social inclusion is through

sports activities where they can participate and develop skills. However, in the

Philippines, despite the various laws that are intended to cover the issues

experienced by the said minority, the country still lacks fields and platforms, as

well as amenities/facilities to showcase the skills of the differently abled. These

concerns hinder the participation of the differently abled to the development of

the social sector.

Based on the Philippine Sports Association of the Differently Abled, there are

only three accessible sports complexes in the Philippines:

1. Philippine Institute of Sports Multi-Purpose Arena (ULTRA) in Pasig City

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2. Ninoy Aquino Stadium (Rizal Memorial Sports Complex), in Vito Cruz, Manila

(limited only for Table Tennis, Basketball and Volleyball)

3. Philippine Sports Regional Training Center, Baguio City (limited only for

Track and Field facility)

Due to the pandemic, the Philippine Institute of Sports Multi-Purpose Arena

(ULTRA) was temporarily being converted into a quarantine facility by the

Philippine government in 2020. This results for the Philippine Paralympic team

to lose for about a year of preparation for the international competition.

Other countries have been dominating the said para sport athletics for years,

which can be traced from the allocated facility that their country provides

specifically to the para-athletes. With this, a call of the Philippine Paralympic

Committee for an exclusive training facility for parasports in the Philippines is

starting to emerge.

• MAGNITUDE AND EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

Since there is very little to no data available to public about the

parasports in the Philippines, the researchers chose to rely on the PWD

population since the minority covers the parasports athletes as well. The

researchers also plan to target the differently abled population in the study.

- National and Regional

The data on the table shows the number of total PWD Registered voters in the

Philippines in the year 2013 and 2016, giving the basis of the (least) total

population of Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines.

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These are (at least) the numbers that are affected by the national and local

government’s actions pertaining to the minority’s welfare and development.

Persons with Disability in the Philippines (Results from the 2010 Census)

(January 10, 2013)

▪ About 16 per thousand of the country’s population had disability

Of the 92.1 million household population in the country, 1.44 million persons or

1.57 percent had a disability, based on the 2010 Census of Population and

Housing (2010 CPH). The recorded figure of persons with disability (PWD) in

the 2000 CPH was 935,551 persons, which was 1.23 percent of the household

population.

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Among the 17 regions, Region IV-A had the highest number of PWD at 193

thousand. This was followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 167

thousand PWD. The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), on the other hand,

had the lowest number of PWD at 26 thousand.

Ten regions had a proportion of PWD higher than the national figure. These

were Region VI (1.95 percent), Region IVB and Region V (both 1.85 percent

each), Region VIII (1.75 percent), Region II (1.72 percent), Region I (1.64

percent), CAR (1.63 percent), Region XI and Region VII (both 1.60 percent

each), and CARAGA (1.58 percent).

▪ There were more males than females among persons with disability

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Of the total PWD in 2010, males accounted for 50.9 percent while females

comprised 49.1 percent. These figures resulted in a sex ratio of 104 males with

disability for every 100 females with disability.

Males with disability outnumbered females in the age groups 0 to 64 years. The

largest excess in the number of males was in the age group 0 to 14 years with

a sex ratio of 121 males per 100 females. On the other hand, there were more

females with disabilities than males in the age group 65 years and over. This is

because of the higher survival rate of women than men. In this age group, there

were 70 males with disability per 100 females.

▪ Disability was highest among persons aged 5 to 19 years

For every five PWD, one (18.9 percent) was aged 0 to 14 years, three (59.0

percent) were in the working age group (aged 15 to 64 years), and one (22.1

percent) was aged 65 years and over.

Persons with disability were more likely to be in the ages 5 to 19 years and 45

to 64 years. By five-year age group, among the household population with

disability, children aged 10 to 14 years comprised the largest age group (7.2

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percent). This was followed by those in the age groups 15 to 19 years (6.9

percent), 5 to 9 years (6.7 percent), and 50 to 54 years (6.6 percent).

- Provincial

PWDs in Cavite

(According to Cavite Ecological Profile 2019)

Disability is the condition judged to be impaired relative to the usual condition

of an individual (United Nations). It often refers to the physical, sensory,

cognitive, and intellectual impairment of an individual. Persons with disabilities

(PWDs) have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, and

economic opportunities. Thus, the government has passed different acts that

focus on helping them. Through these government proclamations, they are

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entitled to various benefits like discounts, employment opportunities, and

others.

In 2019, a total of 48,738 citizens of Cavite were considered PWDs. Most of

them are male, which accounted for 53.04 percent of the PWDs population.

Most PWDs reside in the City of Dasmariñas with a total of 10,195 individuals.

It accounted for 20.92 percent of the total PWD population. The Cities of Bacoor

and Imus followed with 9,350 and 7,795 individuals. Maragondon has the least

number of PWDs with only 158 individuals, accounting for only 0.32 percent of

the PWD population.

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• PRESENT STATUS

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) (Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022

Chapter 11- Reducing Vulnerability of Individuals and Families)

Disability is closely linked to poverty as one may cause the other. The

poor may experience bad living and working conditions, which increase the risk

of acquiring disability, and their exclusion and marginalization may reduce their

economic productivity. Many PWDs become vulnerable to physical and

psychological violence because of their disability. Disadvantages include lack

of: (a) data on PWDs; (b) physical accessibility in schools and training facilities,

government offices, public transportation, and government shelter and facilities;

and (c) disability-support services to access information, communication and

technology including personal assistance and sign language interpretation.

Also, there are still individuals who hold limited and, sometimes, negative views

toward disability and PWDs.

2016 National Disability Prevalence Survey/Model Functioning Survey

(NDPS/MFS 2016)

The NDPS/MFS is a nationwide survey which covered around 11,000 sample

households, with one member, age 15 years or older, randomly selected in

each sample household yielding a total of 10,240 completed interviews of

sample individuals.

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189
Almost half (47%) of individuals age 15 and over have a moderate level of

disability. About one-fifth each belong to the mild disability category (22%) and

to the no disability category (19%). Those who experienced severe disability

are about 12 percent (Figure 3.2)

Figure 3.3 shows that females are more likely than males to experience

moderate disability (51% vs. 49%) and severe disability (60% vs. 40%).

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Complementarily, a higher percentage of males than females are in the no

disability category (56% vs. 44%) and in the mild level disability category (57%

vs. 43%).

Figure 3.4 illustrates that prevalence of moderate to severe disability increases

with age. Those who are aged 15 to 39 had the lowest (6%) severe disability

prevalence followed by those who are aged 40 to 59 (14%). Those who are age

60 and older had the highest (32%) severe disability. Prevalence of moderate

disability among age 15 to 39 was 42 percent vis-à-vis the 53 percent and 54

percent prevalence among older ages 40 to 59 and 60 and over age groups,

respectively.

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With regard to highest educational attainment, most persons with severe

disability reached Elementary level (23%), Completed high school (21%), and

completed elementary (19%). In contrast, those who have no disability and

those with lower levels of disability (mild and moderate), have attained higher

level of education by Graduating in high school (30%, 30% and 26%,

respectively) (Figure 3.5).

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Severe disability is experienced by some respondents who are either Married

or Living together with a partner (62%); likewise, by those who are Never

married (17%), Separated/divorced/annulled (3%), and Widowed (18%) (Figure

3.6).

Figure 3.7a shows that 12 percent of respondents who Ever worked

experienced severe disability. On the other hand, for those who Never worked,

ten percent experienced severe disability.

Figure 3.7b demonstrates that 13 percent of respondents with severe disability

have Never worked, 38 percent are not working. Those who are currently

working are mostly Self Employed without an employee (18%) or Work for a

private establishment (15%). On the other hand, those with lower levels of

disability also mostly Work for private establishments- no disability (32%), mild

(33%), and moderate disability (23%) (Table 3.5a).

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Figure 3.7c presents the reasons cited for having not ever worked for pay. For

individuals with severe disability, more than two in every five reported that they

have never worked due to their Health condition or disability (43%). Personal

family responsibilities (21%) and still engaged in training or studying (19%)

were the other top reasons cited for never have worked (Table 3.5b).

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Figure 3.7d reports the reasons why individuals, who have worked before, are

currently not working. More than half (54%) of those with severe disability

reported that they are currently not working due to their Health condition or

disability, some (21%) attributed it to Personal family responsibilities while

another 20 percent has already Retired due to old age. Dealing with Personal

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 family responsibilities was the top reason cited by individuals with moderate

(44%), mild (58%) and no disability (52%).

The data presented above shows the participation of the PWDs in different fields of

living based on the type of disability they have.

As the Philippine sports continues to get recognition, the para sports field also gets to

have acknowledgement given that the Philippines has numerous competent para-

athletes. They are supported by the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC)

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• GOVERNMENT ACTIONS OR PROGRAMS

There are now laws passed that protect the rights of PWDs. While

implementation is still optional for most LGUs, at least PWDs know what laws

they can use to claim their benefits and enforce their rights:

Non-government organizations

The National Council on Disability Affairs regulates a list of non-

government organizations officially partnered with the government. There are 8

NGOs recognized by the NCDA that cater to Filipino PWDs on a national level.

Local government units also keep track of local non-government agencies or

associations that cater to PWDs. Every city or municipality maintains a PWD

Affairs Office under the office of the City Mayor that facilitates the needs of its

constituents in the area. Some cities like Baguio City have required all their

barangays to maintain a PWD Desk or Committee in order to efficiently reach

out to their PWD constituents.

Government policies and legislation

The recognition of PWDs is stated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Article XIII, Section 13 states that “[t]he State shall establish a special agency

for disabled persons for their rehabilitation, self-development, and self-reliance,

and their integration into the mainstream of society.” The established agency

was named the National Council on Disability Affairs or NCDA. Some of the

laws concerning PWDs include Republic Act No 7277 (Magna Carta for

Disabled Persons), Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 (Accessibility Law), Republic Act

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6759 (White Cane Act) and ILO Convention No. 159 (Vocational Rehabilitation

of Persons with Disability).

Republic Act No. 7277

This law, the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, is “an act providing for the

rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their

integration into the mainstream of society and for other purposes.” It outlines

the rights and privileges of disabled persons and the prohibition on

discrimination of PWDs. It was ratified on March 24, 1992.

Batas Pambansa Blg. 344

The Accessibility Law is an act enhancing the mobility of disabled persons that

requires buildings, institutions, establishments and public utilities to install some

facilities and other devices. This law requires the installation of sidewalks,

ramps and railings for the PWDs in public spaces. It was ratified on December

7, 1982.

Republic Act 6759

The White Cane Act declares August 1 of every year as White Cane Safety Day

in recognition of the visually impaired PWDs’ need for assistance and as a

reminder for the public of their duty to care for and respect them. The act was

ratified on September 18, 1989.

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Republic Act No. 10754

The Republic Act No. 10754 is an expansion of the benefits and privileges of

PWDs in the Philippines as an amendment to the Magna Carta for Disabled

Persons. It highlights the basic and societal benefits and privileges of PWDs. It

was signed on December 1, 2016.

Qualifications

Persons with Disability (PWD) are those who have long-term physical,

mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various

barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal

basis with others. Identification Cards shall be issued to any PWD with

permanent disabilities due to any one or more of the following conditions:

psychosocial, chronic illness, learning, mental, visual, orthopedic, speech and

hearing conditions. This includes persons suffering from disabling diseases

resulting to the person's limitations to do day-to-day activities as normally as

possible such as but not limited to those undergoing dialysis, heart disorders,

severe cancer cases and such other similar cases resulting in temporary or

permanent disability.

Benefits

Under R.A. 10754, the benefits of persons with disabilities (PWDs) are the

following:

✔ 20% Discount and Value Added Tax Exemption on the purchase of

certain goods and services such as Lodging Establishments,

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 Restaurants, Recreation Centers, Purchase of Medicines and Foods

for Special Medical Purposes, Medical and Dental Services,

Diagnostic and Laboratory Fees and Professional Fees of Attending

Doctors, Domestic Air and Sea Travel, Land Transportation Travel,

Funeral and Burial Services for the Death of a PWD

✔ Educational Assistance

✔ Benefits from GSIS, SSS and Pag-Ibig based on their respective

charters

✔ Special Discounts in Special Programs

✔ Express Lanes

Tax benefits

The Bureau of Internal Revenue provides tax benefits and privileges to qualified

persons with disability (PWD) as well as their benefactor or someone who cares

and lives with the PWD under Revenue Regulations 5-2017. The BIR already

provides tax benefits as early as 2009 through RR 1-2009.

The beneficiaries of BIR's regulation entitled PWD and their benefactors to at

least 20 percent discount on the sale of select goods and services. RR 5-2017

specifically stated that benefactors regardless of citizenship must have a fourth

civil degree of consanguinity or affinity with the PWD while the previous

regulation, RR 1-2009 did not have this restriction.

Education

The RA 7277 ensures that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have

adequate access and opportunities to quality education. Under this Magna

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Carta for Disabled Persons, it is unlawful for any learning institution "to deny a

disabled person admission to any course it offers by reason of handicap or

disability."[1] In formulating educational policies and programs, the State should

take into consideration special needs or requirements for PWDs, and it shall

also encourage learning institutions to do the same. Financial assistance such

as scholarships, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives are

also granted by the State to "economically marginalized but deserving disabled

students pursuing post-secondary or tertiary education" in both public and

private schools. At least five percent of the allocation of the Private Education

Student Financial Assistance Program is set aside for students studying

vocational and technical degree courses.

Special education

The Department of Education (DepEd) currently recognizes 648 Special

Education (SPED) centers and regular schools in the Philippines offering the

SPED program. Out of the 648, 471 cater to elementary students while 177

cater to High School students.[12] Among the government or public special

schools are Jose Fabella Memorial School, NOH – School for Crippled

Children, Philippine National School for the Blind, and Philippine School for the

Deaf.[13] The SPED program offered by DepEd caters to learners with visual

impairment, intellectual disability, learning disability, autism spectrum disorder,

communication disorder, physical disability, emotional and behavioral disorder,

multiple disability with visual impairment, and those who are orthopedically

handicapped, chronically ill, and gifted and talented.

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 A SPED program may include a Self-contained/Special Class which is a

separate class for one type of exceptionality, Itinerant Teaching or where a

teacher provides direct consultations with the student at home or at school, or

Inclusion wherein all children with different types of disabilities are taught

together in one classroom. Enrolling a child with disability into a regular class

may also be done through what is called Mainstreaming or Integration. Under

Partial Integration, a student in a special needs class joins regular students in

non-academic activities such as physical education, arts programs, and work

education. If qualified, the student can eventually join in regular academic

subjects. On the other hand, a child with special needs going through Full

Integration takes part in both regular academic and non-academic classes.

For universities and colleges, the National Council on Disability Affairs

maintains a list of institutions which accept students with disabilities.

University of the Philippines (UP) also has a special UP College Admission Test

(UPCAT) which accommodates PWDs who wish to take the examination by

providing materials such as a Braille test booklet and even sign language

interpreters as well. Students with disabilities may take the exam under the

circumstance that they pass the cut-off grade set by each campus.

Equal employment

There are government policies that aims to promote the equal

opportunity for employment of PWDs. Republic Act (RA) No. 10524 and

Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 10524 ensures that a

qualified employee with disability shall have the same terms and conditions of

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employment and the same compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits,

incentives or allowances as a qualified able-bodied person. Also, persons with

disability shall not be discriminated against on the basis of disability that

involves matters concerning all forms of employment, including conditions of

recruitment, hiring and employment, continuance of employment, career

advancement, and safe and healthy working conditions. To ensure that PWDs

also get an opportunity in government agencies, offices, or corporal ions, one

percent (1%) of all positions are reserved for persons with persons with

disability and private corporations with more than a hundred (100) employees

are encouraged to reserve at least one percent (1%) of all positions for

PWDs.[16] In accordance to this, the welfare of the PWDs must also be upheld

and must not create or impose any burden on the PWD being employed.

Republic Act No. 1179 is an act that aims to help the blind and other

PWDs in terms of employment. Through the establishment of the Vocational

Rehabilitation Office, provides vocational rehabilitation services to PWDs to

prepare them for suitable employment by adopting and maintaining the

Vocational Rehabilitation Plan to facilitate the rehabilitation of disable

individuals including the census and placement of employment opportunities.

There are also studies about the employment of PWDs. In one study on

the employment of PWDs in selected regions of the Philippines, most PWDs

are being employed by private institutions, particularly PWD institutions that

provide training and equip PWDs with necessary skills for jobs. Among these

institutions are Vibes massage clinics, owned and managed by blind massage

therapists and Tahanang Walang Hagdan, a rehabilitation center for physically-

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impaired individuals. Tahanang Walang Hagdan provides projects wherein they

have a metal craft workshop and manufactures wheelchairs, educational toys,

bags, and other novelty items. However, there are also companies that include

hiring PWDs in their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) like the Lamoiyan

Corporation in Parañaque and economic zones like the Clark Development

Corporation (CDC). The Asia Foundation's Fully Abled Nation (FAN) program

through the partnership of The Australian Embassy and The Asia Foundation

in the Philippines also created a campaign, "May 1% Ka Ba" whose goal is to

improve the employment percentage of PWDs through the promotion of

inclusive employment in accordance to RA 10524.

In September 2015, United Nations (UN) set the Sustainable

Development Goals (SDG) as a set of goals to be accomplished by the year

2030 and Philippines is one among the 149 countries that are participating in

this global call of action. The SDGs aim to build on the work of the previous

Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in order to address poverty, inequality

and climate change. SDG Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth aims to

promote the equal employment for all. The goal is by 2030, everyone including

young people and persons with disabilities achieve full and productive

employment as well as an equal pay for work of equal value.

Implementation of the Special Education program is also funded by the

National Government, which shall ensure a complete, adequate, and integrated

system of the program for disabled persons.

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Employment incentives

RA 10524 and its IRR aims to provide equal work opportunities to PWDs,

promote rehabilitation, self-development, self-reliance and affirmation of PWDs

as productive members of society while providing benefits for the private sector.

Private corporations that employ PWDs receive an additional deduction of 25%

from the private corporation's gross income of the total amount paid as salaries

and wages to PWDs. In order to receive this deduction they must submit a proof

of employing PWDs registered in the Department of Labor and Employment

(DOLE) and Department of Health (DOH). There is also an additional deduction

from their net income if their modified facilities cater to PWDs given that these

modifications are separate from the requirement of Batas Pambansa (BP) Blg,

344, or the Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons.

Sports

Disabled sports or para sports in the Philippines are handled by the

Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC, previously the Philippine Sports

Association for the Differently Abled—National Paralympic Committee of the

Philippines or PHILSPADA—NPC). The country boasts a men's national

wheelchair basketball team which has competed in tournaments around

Asia. The country has also participated in the Summer Paralympic Games

since 1988. The first medal of the country in the Games was a bronze by

weightlifter, Adeline Dumapong who competed at the 2000 Summer

Paralympics

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Republic Act No. 11214 otherwise known as Philippine Sports Training Center

Act

(News article from PNA, 2019)

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed a law establishing a state-of-the-art

and highly-scientific sports complex to be known as the Philippine Sports Training

Center (PSTC).

Republic Act No. 11214 otherwise known as Philippine Sports Training Center

Act signed by Duterte on Feb. 14 was in line with the government’s policy “to promote

and develop sports in the country”.

It also aims “to achieve excellence in international sports competitions, to

ensure success in the country's quest to achieve competitiveness in the Olympic

Games and to promote international amity among nations”.

The proposed PSTC will have a budget of PHP3.5 billion for the construction of

the sports training center which will serve as “official home and primary venue” of the

national teams and its correspondent training pools.

According to the law, scientific principles and programs as well as proven

training techniques and modern equipment and facilities “that are at par with

international standards” will be used in the development of the national athletes.

The proposed sports training center will undergo a six-month planning period

and afterwards is targeted to be constructed within 18 months.

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 The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is tasked to manage the center once

operational.

The law said the location of the sports training center shall be "conducive to

high-level training of athletes, coaches, and referees".

The PSTC shall have sports and training facilities and amenities for at least 39

national sports associations (NSAs).

Some of the proposed facilities inside the PSTC are athletes and coaches’

dormitory, baseball field, beach volleyball courts, bowling center, covered swimming

and diving pool, football field, gymnastic center, track and field oval, tennis courts,

velodrome, rugby pitch, sports science building among others. (PNA)

Regional Development Plans for the PWD Sector

● Strengthen inclusion programs. Improving the mechanisms for mapping,

profiling, and tracking of learners and school-aged children will ensure that

learners with special needs, indigenous peoples, and out-of-school children

and youth are provided with the appropriate educational interventions.

Intensifying and expanding the ALS will enable those not reached by the formal

system to complete basic education or acquire lifelong learning. Education

inputs should also focus on areas with poor education performance – targeting

the needs of hard-to-reach and vulnerable learners (such as street children,

indigenous peoples, PWDs, children-in-conflict with the law [CICL], and

children in conflict areas).

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● Enhance community-based training for special groups. Community-based

training will be promoted by identifying and supplying the specific skills

requirements of different barangays. It will be area-specific, resource based,

flexible, holistic, and product and service-oriented. It will use the community-

driven approach to training delivery, and continuous consultations and

collaboration at the grassroots levels with other government agencies. Attention

will be given to informal workers, indigenous peoples, farmers, fisherfolk, drug

dependents, rebel returnees, women victims of abuse and human trafficking,

returning and repatriated OFs, and PWDs so that they can become active

participants in the development process.

● OPG – Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO)

PDAO ensures that policies, programs and services for persons with disabilities

are implemented for them to fully participate in building an executive society for

all; and carries out the task of monitoring, evaluating, data gathering, need

assessment, planning, establishing a production center, creation of job

opportunities and advocacies for PWDs.

● Strategies:

In order to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and families, the region should

deliver interventions that could build the capacities of the people to be resilient

to risks by directly addressing the root causes of the various types of risks. The

region has identified strategies that would focus on improving the

implementation of social protection program as follows: (for PWDs)

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 o Strict implementation of laws related to persons with disability.

The region has to ensure that all agencies and LGUs implement

policies for PWDs i.e., allocation of budget, construction of PWD-

friendly facilities, addition of employment opportunities and other

benefits among others.

o Increase the number of social safeguard programs. Including the

Comprehensive Elderly Care Program, Comprehensive PWD

Welfare Program, Comprehensive Child Protection Program and

Occupational Safety and Health Program as social protection

programs would help increase the vulnerable sector covered by

the current social protection program.

o Enactment of Disability Support Trust Fund for rehabilitation

services and capacitate LGUs in building their own trust funds

o Amend accessibility law to include ICT

B2b. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

Despite the various provisions of laws inclined with the welfare and development of

the PWDs in the Philippines, there are still issues on the minority’s inclusivity not met.

The following are the results of the 2016 National Disability Prevalence Survey/Model

Functioning Survey regarding the issues that the PWD community still faces given the

government actions that are stated in the previous section.

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Mobility

Mobility refers to moving by changing body position or location or by transferring

from one place to another, by carrying, moving or manipulating objects, by walking,

running or climbing, and by using various forms of transportation. As expected,

extreme problems with mobility are reported disproportionally by persons with severe

disability. Among respondents who experienced severe disability, the top three most

affected daily life areas are Walking a kilometer (41%), Engaging in vigorous activities

(39%) (i.e., jogging, shoveling, washing clothes, gathering of firewood, chopping wood,

etc.), and getting where you want to go (30%). About one in every four (25%) persons

in the severe disability group rated that Using transportation and Walking 100 meters

(24%) are also problematic areas, while, almost one in every five (19%) persons

reported that standing for long periods (30 minutes) and Standing up from sitting down

(15%) were rated as either quite extremely or extremely problematic for them (Figure

3.10)

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Interpersonal Relationships

Interpersonal relationship refers to getting along with people close to you such as

family and friends including participation in your community and dealing with conflicts.

Extreme problems regarding interpersonal relationships are reported mainly by people

with severe levels of disability. The most notable areas are on Dealing with people

they do not know (14%) and Having Intimate relationships (10%). Some seven percent

of this same group also have quite an extreme-to-extreme problem with Initiating and

maintaining friendships and some five percent on Getting along even with people close

to them (Figure 3.16).

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Stress and Affect or Emotional Functions

Stress is a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in life, work,

etc. of a person. Handling stress refers to controlling the important things in the life of

an individual and coping with doing all the things necessary. Affective or emotional

functions refer to feeling depressed, worried or anxious.

Figure 3.17 shows that about one-fourth (24%) of individuals with severe

disability relate quite extreme to extreme problems in Coping with all the things they

have to do, and more than one in ten (12%) in Handling stress.

Similarly, extreme problems with emotional functions are more widely

experienced by persons with severe disability— almost one in every four persons

(24%) report problems with Feeling worried or being nervous while one in five (20%)

reported extreme problems on Feeling sad, low or depressed (Figure 3.17).

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Community and Citizenship Participation

In this survey, respondents were asked about their community and citizenship

participation which include doing things for relaxation and pleasure, joining community

activities (i.e., festivities, religious activities and others), and engaging in local or in

national politics and in civil society organizations (i.e., Rotary Club, Red Cross, etc.).

Figure 3.21 shows that the highest proportion of persons with severe disability levels

report quite extreme or extreme problems in Engaging in politics or in civil society

organizations (26%), Joining community activities (23%), Voting during the last

election (17%), and Doing things for relaxation and pleasure (15%).

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General Environment

The respondents in this survey were asked to rate different aspects of their

general environment in terms of the degree as to being very hindering to very

facilitating. Results indicate that the general environment like Place for socializing or

community activities (45%), Shops, banks, and post office (44%), and Transportation

(43%) are hindering factors most especially for individuals with severe disability.

Furthermore, likewise regarded as hindering by mostly those with severe disability are

other aspects of general environment such as Health facilities (38%); Lighting, noise

and crowds (35%); Temperature, terrain and climate (32%); Workplace and school

(32%); Dwelling (26%); Toileting in dwelling (22%); and Places of worship (21%).

The lack of a sports facility intended for para sports that should at least start to

address the issues based on the presented data above still poses hindrances on the

differently abled sector as they include themselves in the development of the society,

especially in sports.

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B2c. EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS

With the figures and data presented, the researchers have analyzed the recent

situation of the para sports athletes and recognized that there is a need to address the

need in setting up a permanent and regular facility for the Philippine para sports team.

The researchers believe that the addressment of this issue will provide support as well

as unlock opportunities for minorities to compete efficiently on the international field.

The private sector and the government units, both national and local, play a role in

dealing with the comfort level of these individuals as they involve themselves in the

environment they choose to belong. And focusing on projects and programs that will

cater those needs will not only meet their demands for enough attention but will also

elevate the region’s status as it tries to provide Pagbabago: Inequality-Reducing

Transformation which is the focus point of the Regional Development Plan 2017-2022.

B2d. PROPOSAL

“PWDs are among the vulnerable groups in our society. They are often

excluded and denied of their human rights. Social exclusion, low educational

attainment, unemployment, low self-esteem, and limited opportunities to participate in

social and political life are few of their challenges, which are effects of disability-based

discrimination. Under international treaties, PWDs are entitled to exercise their civil,

political, social, economic, and cultural rights on an equal basis with others. The

principle of the right to equality is the foundation of the rights of individuals with

disabilities.

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Worldwide, PWDs are successfully working in various industries and have gainful

employment. They are either entrepreneurs, professionals, technicians, clerical

support workers, service workers, trade-related workers, and skilled workers. Almost

all jobs can be performed by someone with a disability, given the right environment

and assistance.”

-Luna-Narrido & Tadeo, 2016

CALABARZON, being the most populous region in the Philippines, tends to put

hindrance on the way the vulnerable sector, especially the persons with disabilities,

live and participate in the fast-growing society where they must adapt. Despite its

growth as one of the urban developing regions with 67% of the population residing in

urban areas, Region IV-A still poses challenges to the PWD sector as it develops.

Hostile environments and very little attention the PWD community gets from the

society forces them to participate less in the community where they belong.

In the previous decade, with the help of media and technology, awareness for

the differently abled sector has been slightly growing, giving them small but sprawling

attention and raising concerns on achieving a disability-inclusive environment.

The Philippine Para Sports Training Facility Proposal is intended to provide

services that are inclined to the welfare and social inclusion of the PWD minority in the

Philippines, particularly in Region IV-A (where the PWD population is the highest)

through sports. It is believed to stimulate the differently-abled persons’ morale and

highlight their belongingness in the society by creating a center for sports that will meet

their needs as citizens of the country. The said proposal is intended to cater interests

among the said minority when it comes to their active participation in different fields

216
through skill training and development, particularly in sports which is gaining attention

in the present. This will also serve as a public awareness for them (PWDs and the

differently abled) to be recognized in the region where PWD population is the highest.

It is believed that the proposal will start to promote the adaptation of disability-inclusive

development within CALABARZON and eventually, to the other neighboring regions.

B2e. LOCATION

The said proposal is expected to be erected in the province of Cavite where the

PWD population, based on the previous stated facts, is highest. Even though the

proposal is intended to cater the para sports facility needed on the national level, the

researchers intentionally placed the proposal in a vicinity where the structure itself can

promote the call for participation of the differently abled. The researchers believe that

the existence of the said facility where the majority of the differently abled persons live

can give awareness about their inclusivity in society. It will also unlock differently abled

careers and opportunities on the sports field. The region where the facility will be

located is considered as one of the urbanizing areas in the Philippines and having a

para sports facility is an indication of how it slowly adapts and addresses the problems

of the said minority.

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B3a. A FOOD & HEALTH SCIENCE MIXED-USE COMPLEX FOR MALNUTRITION

CARE

Based on World Health Organization, malnutrition refers to deficiencies or

excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient

utilization. The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and

overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight, and

micronutrient deficiencies.

• Undernutrition

There are 4 broad sub-forms of undernutrition: wasting, stunting, underweight,

and deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. Undernutrition makes children in particular

much more vulnerable to disease and death.

Low weight-for-height is known as wasting. It usually indicates recent and

severe weight loss, because a person has not had enough food to eat and/or they

have had an infectious disease, such as diarrhea, which has caused them to lose

weight. A young child who is moderately or severely wasted has an increased risk of

death, but treatment is possible.

Low height-for-age is known as stunting. It is the result of chronic or recurrent

undernutrition, usually associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, poor maternal

health and nutrition, frequent illness, and/or inappropriate infant and young child

feeding and care in early life. Stunting holds children back from reaching their physical

and cognitive potential.

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 Children with low weight-for-age are known as underweight. A child who is

underweight may be stunted, wasted, or both.

• Micronutrient-related malnutrition

Inadequacies in intake of vitamins and minerals often referred to as

micronutrients, can also be grouped together. Micronutrients enable the body to

produce enzymes, hormones, and other substances that are essential for proper

growth and development.

Iodine, vitamin A, and iron are the most important in global public health terms;

their deficiency represents a major threat to the health and development of populations

worldwide, particularly children and pregnant women in low-income countries.

- Overweight and obesity

Overweight and obesity is when a person is too heavy for his or her height.

Abnormal or excessive fat accumulation can impair health.

Body mass index (BMI) is an index of weight-for-height commonly used to

classify overweight and obesity. It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided

by the square of his/her height in meters (kg/m²). In adults, overweight is defined as a

BMI of 25 or more, whereas obesity is a BMI of 30 or more.

Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance between energy consumed

(too much) and energy expended (too little). Globally, people are consuming foods

and drinks that are more energy-dense (high in sugars and fats), and engaging in less

physical activity.

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 - Diet-related noncommunicable diseases

Diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) include cardiovascular

diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke, and often linked with high blood pressure),

certain cancers, and diabetes. Unhealthy diets and poor nutrition are among the top

risk factors for these diseases globally.

In 2018, stunting affected an estimated 21.9% or 149 million children under the

age of 5 years, while wasting affected 7.3% or 49 million children under the age of 5

years. Around 45% of deaths among children under the age of 5 years are linked to

undernutrition. These mostly occur in low- and middle-income countries. At the same

time, in these same countries, rates of childhood overweight and obesity are rising.

Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition. Combating

malnutrition in all its forms is one of the greatest global health challenges.

Women, infants, children and adolescents are at the highest risk of malnutrition.

Optimizing nutrition early in life – including the 1000 days from conception to a child’s

second birthday – ensures the best possible start in life, with long-term benefits.

Poverty amplifies the risk of, and risks from, malnutrition. People who are poor

are more likely to be affected by different forms of malnutrition. Malnutrition increases

health care costs, reduces productivity and slows economic growth, which can

perpetuate a cycle of poverty and ill-health.

According to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 2020, Stunting has

declined steadily since 2000 – but faster progress is needed to reach the 2030 target.

Wasting persists at alarming rates and overweight will require a reversal in

trajectory if the 2030 target is to be achieved.

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221
222
COUNTRY (NUMBERS AFFECTED BY THOUSANDS TABLE)

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 • ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM (BASED ON FOREIGN STUDY)

According to Dr. Mandal, A. (2019), there are tons of root causes. In developed

countries like UK or USA the cause may be more varied. For example, those with a

high calorie diet deficient in vital vitamins and minerals are also considered

malnourished. This includes the obese and the overweight.

The causes of malnutrition include:

• Lack of food: this is common among the low-income group as well as those

who are homeless.

• Those having difficulty eating due to painful teeth or other painful lesions of the

mouth. Those with dysphagia or difficulty swallowing are also at risk of

malnutrition. This could be due to a blockage in the throat or mouth or due to

sores in the mouth.

• Loss of appetite. Common causes of loss of appetite include cancers, tumors,

depressive illness and other mental illnesses, liver or kidney disease, chronic

infections etc.

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• Those with a limited knowledge about nutrition tend to follow an unhealthy diet

with not enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals and are at risk of malnutrition.

• Elderly living alone, disabled persons living alone or young students living on

their own often have difficulty cooking healthy balanced meals for themselves

and may be at risk of malnutrition.

• The elderly (over 65 years of age are), especially those living in care facilities

are at a higher risk of malnutrition. These individuals have long term illnesses

that affect their appetite and ability to absorb nutrients from food and they may

also have difficulty feeding themselves. In addition, there may be concomitant

mental ailments like depression that affect appetite and food intake.

• Those who abuse drugs or are chronic alcoholics.

• Those with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa have difficulty maintaining

adequate nutrition.

• Those with digestive illnesses like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease or

malabsorption syndrome have difficulty in assimilating the nutrients from diet

and may suffer from malnutrition.

• Those with diarrhea or persistent nausea or vomiting.

• Some medications tend to alter the body’s ability to absorb and break down

nutrients and taking these may lead to malnutrition.

• The demand for energy from food exceeds the amount of food taken. This

includes those who have suffered a serious injury, burn or after major surgical

procedures. This also includes pregnant women and children whose growth

and needs for the unborn baby causes increased demand for nutrients and

calories that may be deficient in a normal diet.

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 • Among children lack of knowledge of adequate feeding among parents is the

leading cause of malnutrition worldwide.

• Premature babies are at a higher risk of malnutrition as are infants at the time

of weaning.

• Childhood cancers, heart defects from birth (congenital heart disease), cystic

fibrosis and other major long-term diseases in children are the leading cause of

malnutrition.

• Neglected children, orphans and those living in care homes are at risk of

malnutrition.

This graph shows the conceptual framework for the cause of malnutrition

adapted from UNICEF in 1998.

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 • WHAT DOES GOVERNMENTS / ORGs. AROUND THE WORLD DO?

Globally, World Health Organization (WHO) works with Member States and

partners towards the goal of ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030 as part of the

Sustainable Development Goals? Meeting this goal is contingent on securing universal

access to effective nutrition interventions and to healthy diets from sustainable and

resilient food systems.

To this end, WHO advocates for policies that promote nutrition on a global scale

and develop evidence-informed guidance for their implementation. This work is framed

by the 2012 World Health Assembly resolution 65.6: Comprehensive implementation

plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition. It also contributes to the United

Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016–2025. Actions to end malnutrition are

also vital for achieving the diet-related targets of the Global action plan for the

prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020, the Global strategy

for women’s, children’s, and adolescent’s health 2016–2030, and the 2030 Agenda for

sustainable development.

Across regions, UNICEF nutrition programs share a universal premise:

Prevention comes first, in all contexts. Where prevention fails, treatment is a must.

UNICEF works to prevent all forms of malnutrition by improving children’s and

women’s access to nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable diets. We support

quality nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and social protection services that keep

children well nourished. We also promote optimal feeding, hygiene and care practices

for children and women. Where prevention falls short, UNICEF prioritizes the early

detection, treatment and care of malnourished children to help them survive, recover,

and go on to live healthy and productive lives. Through nutrition programs in 130

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countries, we seek to reach children, adolescents and women everywhere – at key

moments in life.

MALNUTRITION IN THE PHILIPPINES

For nearly 30 years, rates of both wasting and stunting have been nearly flat.

The rate of stunting among children under five recorded for 2019 (28.8 percent) was

only slightly lower than the level in 2008—the prevalence of underweight in 2019 was

19 percent, and the prevalence of wasting was 6 percent. Based on the World Health

Organization’s classification of undernutrition rates, the prevalence of stunting in

children in the Philippines is of “very high” public health significance. The 29 percent

stunting rate also places the Philippines fifth among countries in the East Asia and

Pacific region with the highest prevalence of stunting and among the 10 countries

globally with the highest number of stunted children.

Beyond these visible anthropometric differences (stunting, underweight, and

wasting), micronutrient undernutrition—so-called hidden hunger—is also highly

prevalent in the Philippines. The most recent available data show alarmingly high rates

of anemia both among children (38 percent among infants 6–11 months old, down

from 48 percent in 2018, and 26 percent among children 12–23 months old) and

among pregnant women (20 percent). According to the 2018 ENNS, nearly 17 percent

of children 6–59 months old suffer from vitamin A deficiency, of which children 12–24

months old have the highest prevalence (22 percent), followed by children 6–12

months old (18 percent) (FNRI 2018).

In the Philippines, the key determinants of undernutrition are multisectoral. First

outlined in the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) conceptual framework of

child undernutrition in 1990, the determinants fall into three categories: immediate,

228
underlying, and basic. At the immediate level, a child becomes undernourished

because of inadequate or inappropriate dietary intake, ill health, or both—these two

factors often negatively affect one another. These immediate factors stem from

household or community deficits in food security (for example, lack of access to a

diverse diet); inadequate care and feeding practices for mothers and children; and

inadequate access to health and environmental services. These three deficits or lack

of access, often summarized as “food, health, and care,” expanded these are the basic

causes of malnutrition in the country:

• ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM (IN THE PHILIPPINES AND ITS

REGIONS)

1. Access to health services

Prenatal care services provide pregnant women with essential nutrition

services, including iron and folic acid supplementation, energy and protein

supplementation for undernourished women, and nutrition counseling to promote

optimal infant and young child feeding practices. However, only 53 percent of pregnant

Filipino women are reported to have made the recommended four prenatal care visits,

and only 54 percent had received iron with folic acid.

2. Inadequate access to diverse foods

Currently, poorer Filipinos eat a diet heavy in rice, with low levels of diversity

and limited animal protein. According to 2015 data from the Family Income and

Expenditure Survey (FIES), Filipinos consume 159 percent of the recommended

consumption of starchy staples (particularly rice), but only 22 percent of the

requirement for vegetables, 10 percent for fruits, 12 percent for eggs, 79 percent for

meat and pulses, 33 percent for milk, and 29 percent for fats and oils (PSA 2015).

Moreover, a healthy diet is expensive in the Philippines. Applying the cost of the

229
recommended diet (CoRD) methodology to 2015 FIES data found that the minimum

cost of the recommended diet substantially exceeds what households spend on food,

on average. In 2015 the CoRD was ₱68 per adult per day. In contrast, households

spent approximately ₱48 per adult per day on food.

3. Unhealthy household environment

The more well-established consequences of unhealthy environments are

childhood diarrheas, which occur more frequently among households without

improved toilets and access to safe drinking water as well as those practicing open

defecation, which is still seen in marginalized areas of the country. Childhood

environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is less recognized but is known to cause

subclinical gastrointestinal infections that prevent nutrient absorption even in the

absence of diarrhea. EED has been linked to unsanitary physical environments and

contributes to childhood stunting. According to the 2017 NDHS survey data, while 94.7

percent of Philippine households have access to improved sources of drinking water,

only 83.7 percent of households in the poorest quintile and 70.9 percent of ARMM

households have such access. Unimproved sanitation facilities are used by 24.3

percent of households on average, but this share is much higher (31.6 percent) among

ARMM households. Handwashing and household-level food preparation and storage

require behavior change interventions.

4. Inadequate care and nutritional practices for women

Early deficits in fetal and child growth usually stem from inadequate maternal

macro-nutrition and micronutrition before and during pregnancy. In the Philippines,

22.9 percent of pregnant women in 2019 were “nutritionally at-risk.” Early marriage

and adolescent pregnancy can lead to higher maternal and neonatal mortality, low

birthweight, and stunting of children. Adolescent fertility and childbearing are on the

230
rise in the Philippines. In 2017 the adolescent fertility rate was about 54 births per

1,000 women ages 15–19 years. Furthermore, pregnant women under the age of 20

are more likely to be deemed nutritionally at-risk than women above the age of 20

(28.5 percent and 22.3 percent, respectively), according to the ENNS for 2019 (FNRI

2019).

5. Poverty

One of the most important basic causes of undernutrition is poverty. In the

Philippines, 42.4 percent of children from households in the poorest quintile are

stunted compared with 11.4 percent of children from households in the wealthiest

quintile (FNRI 2019). The Philippines is an archipelago that is vulnerable to natural

calamities such as typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions— “emergencies”

that can lead to displacement and loss of livelihood, compromising the nutritional well-

being of infants and young children.

6. Governance structures

Governance also poses significant challenges for the country’s efforts to

combat undernutrition. Municipalities, particularly municipalities with a high prevalence

of childhood undernutrition, face several problems in the effort to implement nutrition

interventions. Chief among them is the limited budget allocated for nutrition programs;

the lack of a full-time provincial, city, or municipal nutrition action officer; and the

scarcity of health personnel. Nutrition often must compete with a long list of other

infrastructure projects in the budget priorities of local government units (LGUs).

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 • MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM

- EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The global social and economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic

poses grave risks to the nutritional status and survival of young children. Initial

indications show that hunger in the Philippines rose sharply following the start of the

pandemic. The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey asks how often a family had

experienced hunger or not had anything to eat during the 30 days preceding the

survey.

Results from the September 2020 survey show that 30.7 percent of families

were suffering hunger by this measure and 8.7 percent were suffering severe

hunger— in both cases the highest levels recorded in more than 20 years. These

results make it likely that the levels of childhood undernutrition will rise in 2021. Millions

of Filipino children who survive these deficits will suffer the consequences of poor

school performance and low productivity as adults unless immediate action is taken.

- THE FIRST 1,000 DAYS OF LIFE

There is only a narrow window of opportunity for adequate nutrition to ensure

optimal health and physical and cognitive development. It spans the first 1,000 days

of life, beginning with the day of conception through to the child’s second birthday. Any

undernutrition occurring during this period can lead to extensive, largely irreversible

damage to physical growth, brain development, and, more broadly, human capital

formation. Therefore, interventions to improve nutritional outcomes must focus on

children in this age group and on women of child-bearing age.

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 - PATTERNS OF NUTRITION IN THE PHILIPPINES

For nearly 30 years, rates of both wasting and stunting have been nearly flat.

Figure 2.1 shows undernutrition trends in the Philippines for children under age five.

Wasting indicates that a child has low weight for his or her age and is a sign of acute,

short-term malnutrition. The prevalence of wasting in 2019 (5.8 percent) was similar

to what it was 20 years previously. Stunting, meanwhile, indicates that a child is,

loosely speaking, short for his or her age. The rate of stunting fell through the early

2000s but has remained almost flat since then. The rate of stunting recorded for 2019

(28.8 percent) was only slightly lower than the 2008 level. Globally, one in five children

under the age of five is stunted (21.9 percent, about 149 million children), which

represents a 10 percent drop from 165.8 million children in 2012. This progress is too

slow to achieve the 2025 global nutrition target on stunting (that is, around 100 million

children). Globally, the prevalence of wasting was 7.3 percent in 2018, compared with

5 percent in 2012; again, the world is not on course to reach the 2025 global target: to

reduce wasting and hold the level below 5 percent.

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 - STUNTING IN THE PHILIPPINES

Stunting has become the leading single measure of child malnutrition used

worldwide. Stunting captures whether a child’s height-for-age is more than 2 standard

deviations below the median of a reference population. Linear growth retardation and

stunting are associated with the consequences of child malnutrition: delayed child

development, reduced earnings in adulthood, and increased risk of developing chronic

diseases. Stunting is not, however, itself a direct cause of these outcomes. Rather

stunting is a marker that indicates a higher probability of the underlying conditions that

cause poor outcomes. This is an important distinction for two reasons. First, an

individual child who is short and correctly categorized as stunted does not necessarily

suffer from undernutrition. Stunting is much more suitable as a marker of

undernutrition at the population level than as a definite identifier of poor nutrition at the

individual level. Second, merely boosting the height of children will not improve

outcomes. (Administering doses of growth hormone, for example, would probably

increase height but not have an impact on long-term outcomes.)

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 • PRESENT STATUS

- NUTRITION IN CALABARZON

In the past three years, CALABARZON has been consistent in providing quality

education, health and nutrition, and employment opportunities and services to its

populace. The Regional Development Council has also been actively engaging its

partners and stakeholders in providing these development initiatives. With the

implementation of several laws and policies such as Universal Access to Tertiary

Education, First 1000 Days, Universal Health Care Act, and Zero Unmet Needs for

Family Planning, enabling mechanisms were well placed to ensure the provision of

quality social services. However, more interventions are still needed to be

implemented to achieve the Region’s goals in terms of increasing human development

potential.

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 Nutrition data from 2013 and 2015 indicated an increasing prevalence of

stunting, wasting, and overweight among children under 5. However, the Region fared

better than other Regions. Insufficient child nutrition particularly during the first 1000

days of life, as well as lack of family planning, inadequate mother and infant care to

address feeding peculiarities, and high prevalence of teenage pregnancy are factors

contributing to malnutrition in the Region. While CALABARZON was able to decrease

over-nutrition, much has yet to be done to reduce proliferation of empty calorie food,

having more physical activity of children and adults and getting out of the sedentary

lifestyle.

The limited capacity of some LGUs in the implementation of health and nutrition

programs, absence of Local Nutrition Committee and Population Committee, and

limited budget for nutrition programs are among challenges faced by the Region’s

health and nutrition.

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Number of malnutrition cases in CALABARZON, Philippines in 2018

237
 • GOVERNMENT ACTIONS or PROGRAMS

The reviews conducted for this study reflect national commitment and the

government’s understanding that nutrition is foundational to the country’s economic

development. For example, the Philippine Development Plan for 2017–22 has an

explicit nutritional goal: to reduce the prevalence of stunting in children under five to

21.4 percent by 2022 (NEDA 2017). The Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN)

for 2017–22 is the government’s blueprint of actions for nutrition improvement and is

consistent with the Ten-Point Economic Agenda of the Duterte administration and the

Health for All Agenda of the Department of Health (DOH) (NNC 2017). PPAN is a

results-focused plan designed to achieve outcomes on various forms of malnutrition:

stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, high adult body mass index, and obesity.

It has four main strategies: (a) focus on the first 1,000 days of life; (b) offer a

complement of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs; (c) intensify the

mobilization of government units, prioritizing the 38 areas with the highest burden of

stunting; and (d) harmonize national and local government action.

Specifying in detailed, during the first quarter meeting of the Regional Gender

and Development Committee (RGADC) on February 2019, NEDA Region IV-A

Director and RGADC Chairperson Luis Banua presented an issue paper on

addressing the problem of malnutrition and stunting in the Philippines. In his

presentation, Director Banua emphasized that even though malnutrition in the

region is not as serious compared to the other regions, it is important to reduce

and eventually eliminate the malnutrition issues. The following courses of action

were recommended: a) advocacy activities on the implementation of the First 1000

Days; b) pushing for the zero unmet needs for family planning; c) reducing cases of

teenage pregnancy; d) convergence efforts between government and private sectors;

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and e) creating more livelihood opportunities. Moreover, these activities can be

charged to the GAD fund of the different agencies, state universities and colleges, and

local government units.

The national strategy is to establish an organizational structure at all levels of

government. In this structure, the operational platform for delivering and managing

nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive activities is anchored in LGUs, which serve as

the focal points for planning, coordinating, and implementing nutrition and nutrition-

related activities across the concerned sectors. LGUs have the administrative

autonomy to raise local revenues, to borrow, and to determine local expenditures,

including expenditure on health and nutrition. Although the LGUs’ rhetoric conveys

broad political commitment to nutrition programs, in practice they do not show

sufficient understanding of the importance of adequate financing for these programs

or accord them high budgetary priority. LGUs that strongly support nutrition programs,

with adequate financing and more structured nutrition planning sessions, tend to

perform better and to have a low prevalence of undernutrition among children under

five.

Overall, although the government is implementing nutrition-specific and

nutrition-sensitive interventions targeting women and children, progress on improving

the nutrition status of children has been very slow. The lack of a clearly defined

minimum comprehensive package of evidence-based interventions has contributed to

fragmented implementation of these interventions at a local level. Moreover, the low

coverage of these interventions and other government programs to date accounts for

their suboptimal impact on nutrition outcomes. Stronger financial as well as human

resources and institutional capacity are needed to implement high-quality nutrition-

specific and nutrition-sensitive government programs at scale.

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 The image below shows that malnutrition is one of the national priority plans for

2021 and the succeeding years. Malnutrition reduction program is one of the projects

that involves direct feeding of rice-mongo based complementary foods for 6 moths to

below 3 years old children, and nutrition education of mothers/caregivers, and these

are all implemented and supported by Food Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).

B3b. SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

In recent decades, rates of both stunting and wasting—the two principal

markers of undernutrition—have fallen only slightly in the Philippines. Nearly one in

three children under five years of age is stunted. Rates of stunting are worse in rural

areas and for boys; they are sharply higher for the poorest Filipinos. Although

undernutrition rates vary substantially across municipalities, they remain high

throughout the country. Micronutrient deficiencies are also frequently recorded,

notably in iron as well as in vitamin A and zinc. Even the gradual (and modest)

improvements in the nutritional status of Filipino children achieved in recent years are

now threatened by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wasting and

micronutrient malnutrition rates are expected to rise, along with child morbidity and

mortality. Unless immediate action is taken, millions of Filipino children who survive

these deficits will suffer the consequences of poor school performance and low

productivity as adults.

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 This study aims to solve a national problem but could be limited on a regional

level for better effectivity. It focuses on solving malnutrition by considering related

literatures about fusions of science (for medical related solution in nutrition) and

agriculture (for natural and organic solution). The proposal will be beneficial to the

Filipinos specifically to those who are in the Region 4A, where malnourishment is still

prevalent.

B3c. EVALUTION AND ANALYSIS

Based on the gathered data by the researchers, malnutrition refers to

deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired

nutrient utilization. It is stated that 149.2 million are stunted, 45.4 million are wasted

and 38.9 million are overweight, all of these are children affected under 5 years old.

Moreover, there are more people in different ages are still undernourished. Prone to

this are women, infants, children and adolescents.

Pregnant women in the Philippines are recorded to be nutritionally-at-risk with

22.9% in 2019. Prenatal care services provide pregnant women with essential nutrition

services, including iron and folic acid supplementation, energy and protein

supplementation for undernourished women, and nutrition counseling to promote

optimal infant and young child feeding practices. Without proper care and nutritious

supply in prenatal, it affects the health of a baby that eventually leads to greater risk

against diseases as the baby grows.

CALABAZON was known to be the most populated region in the whole country

with 14.4 million as of 2015. It is one of the fastest growing economy thus urbanization

is present. But its growth also implies that the population could lead into congestion in

241
the region and insufficiency in providing the people’s needs. One problem that is

present and could rise because of urbanization is malnutrition.

Though from the past years CALABARZON was consistent in providing quality

health and nutrition, more interventions are still needed to be implemented to achieve

the Region’s goals in terms of increasing human development potential.

There are plans and recommended projects made by the government that

would help the country fight the problem against malnutrition. ‘Mother-Baby-Friendly’

hospitals in line with Republic Act no. 10028: Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act

of 2009 as well as Republic Act no. 7600: Rooming-In and Breast-feeding Act of 1992

(Congress of the Philippines 1992, 2010). Both of these policies seek to promote

breastfeeding while a mother and her newborn baby stay in a health facility by

enforcing rooming-in and early initiation of breastfeeding.

In 2013 The Lancet published a comprehensive review of interventions to

address undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in women and children. It

identified a package of high-impact, nutrition-specific interventions to accelerate

improvements in nutrition outcomes. The interventions are complementary and

mutually reinforcing, with some addressing the prenatal period and others the

postnatal period. It is therefore recommended that persons living with a high burden

of undernutrition receive the full package of interventions rather than only a partial or

piecemeal package. In addition, delivering these interventions as a package and at

scale (with at least 90 percent coverage) will result in very high economic returns. In

2017 the World Bank estimated the rate of return from 90 percent coverage of this

package of high-impact, nutrition-specific interventions in 34 countries, including the

Philippines, that together account for 90 percent of the world’s stunted children.

242
According to these estimates, the Philippines would have one of the highest rates of

return, reflecting the country’s low cost per capita to deliver this package, high rate of

return to education, and high rate of GDP growth. Under a certain set of assumptions,

for every US dollar that the Philippines invests in this package of high impact, nutrition-

specific interventions, adult income would increase an estimated US$66, compared

with US$2 for Malawi, US$13 for Ethiopia, and US$48 for Vietnam.

B3d. PROPOSAL

Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well

as physical capacities. This means that health is a resource to support an individual's

function in wider society, rather than an end in itself. A healthful lifestyle provides the

means to lead a full life with meaning and purpose, but this scenario isn’t what

everyone had. Some countries had high incidences of poverty that leads to

insufficiency in daily needs like nutritious foods, and these greatly affects the future of

everyone specially infants, adolescents, and children.

For children, the right to health is vital because they are vulnerable beings,

more at risk to illness and health complications. When children are spared from

disease, they can grow into healthy adults, and in this way, contribute to the

development of dynamic and productive societies.

According to the FNRI, they revealed that stunting, or the impaired growth and

development that children experience from poor nutrition and repeated infection, is

prevalent in the Philippines, with one in three children under five becoming stunted,

and 11 of the 17 regions in the country reporting high stunting occurrences.

Meanwhile, one in four pregnant women in the country were recorded as “nutritionally

at risk” by the FNRI.

243
 This became the focus of the government since President Rodrigo Roa Duterte

started his term as the country’s leader. Nutrition and childcare are one of the 10-point

agenda of Duterte’s Administration. It is also a priority development agenda in

Calabarzon region where population continues to increase and poverty incidence is

still high.

The proposal of Food and Health Science Mixed Use Complex for Malnutrition

Care is intended to solve or at least lessen the incidences of malnutrition in the country.

That is by providing an agricultural space where the community can grow greeneries

and appreciate the value of nutritious foods. These foods are also the main elements

needed for the research facility where they are studied and enhanced for the

community to use. The products of research are the key in maintaining the healthy

lives of people; supplying basic nutrition, educating them about healthcare, and

emphasizing the significance of connection between a person’s fulfillment in the future

and the food they eat in the present.

B3e. LOCATION

Based on the data gathered by the researchers, BARMM ranks first in having

high malnutrition rate throughout the whole country with 45.2% (2015). But the

researchers still chose the CALABARZON, which ranked third in least rate of

malnutrition. Because of the lack of resources, insufficient and inefficient technologies

from Mindanao, the proposal might encounter difficulties in terms of connectivity

specially in research facilities; insurgency in the lower part of the Philippines is also a

factor that researchers reconsidered.

Among the 5 provinces (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon Province),

Rizal has the highest rate of malnutrition, followed by Batangas and Quezon.

244
 Even if the proposal was set to solve a national problem, the researchers

intentionally chose the location based on provided statistics that proves the feasibility

and significance of such proposal in Rizal. The researchers believes that the existence

of the Food and Health Science Mixed-use Complex for Malnutrition Care will

contribute to the enhancement in food technology, production of nutritious food for

poor people through community farm, awareness and wellness of family centered

parenthood, and also to cater the needs in having healthy maternal and childcare.

245
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