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Zero Poverty 2020:

The Case of Concepcion, Philippines 1

This narrative is one out of 15 that were originally developed in 2007 as part of a project on innovative
policies for social inclusion jointly developed by the Development Planning Unit (DPU), University
College London with the Committee on Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy (CSIPD) of
United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). This narrative was complemented and edited in 2010
by the Centre for Social Studies, Coimbra University (CES), to a standard format for the Observatory
on Social Inclusion and Participatory Democracy.

Name of the policy: Zero Poverty 2020 (consisting of two programmes: Zero Poverty 2020, and
Harnessing Synergy in Integrated Population, Health and Environment [PHE])

Start date: 1999

Completion date: Ongoing (?)

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The Inclusive Cities Observatory is a space for analysis and reflection on local social inclusion policies. It contains over sixty
case studies on innovative policies for community development, access to basic services, gender equality, environmental
protection and the eradication of poverty, among others. The initiative has been developed with the scientific support of Prof.
Yves Cabannes from the University College of London (15 case studies) and a team of researchers from the Centre for Social
Studies (CES) at the University of Coimbra, which has worked under the supervision of Prof. Boaventura de Sousa Santos (50
study cases). This Observatory aims to identify and investigate successful experiences that might inspire other cities to design
and implement their own social inclusion policies.

The Inclusive Cities Observatory has been created by the Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and
Human Rights of UCLG. United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) is the global platform that represents and defends the
interests of local governments before the international community and works to give cities more political influence on global
governance. The Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights aims to contribute to
building a common voice for the cities of UCLG in the areas of social inclusion, participatory democracy and human rights. It
also aims to guide local governments in designing these policies and to that end, fosters political debates, the exchange of
experiences and peer learning among cities around the world.

For more information: www.uclg.org/cisdp/observatory

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CONTEXT

GOVERNMENTAL CONTEXT

City context: Concepcion – Iloilo Province, Philippines

The Municipality of Concepcion, a coastal town located in Iloilo Province, is composed of 25
barangays, 11 of which are island barangays that are difficult to reach and 14 of which are on the
mainland (Panay Island). It is bounded in the north by the municipality of San Dionisio, in the south by
the municipality of Ajuy, in the west by the municipality of Sara, and in the east by the Visayan Sea. It
has a total land area of 9,702.04 hectares. Residents largely depend on farming and fishing for their
livelihood. Among the major agricultural and marine resources of the municipality are rice, corn, fish,
and vegetables.

Governmental decentralization context

The 1987 Philippine Constitution has strong decentralist features. In Article II, Section 25, it is
declared a state policy that “The State shall ensure the autonomy of local governments.” This
provision is further taken up in Article X where the rights and responsibilities of local governments are
expounded. These constitutional provisions were later articulated in the Local Government Code of
1991 (RA 7160). Among the functions, powers, and responsibilities devolved from the national
government to local governments under the Code were those concerning the provision and financing
of health and education services.

Since this time, however, the Philippines has restored its traditional system of governance known as
barangays, integrating it into the formal system of local government. Each municipality or city in
Philippines is composed of a number of villages or barangays. The state guarantees and promotes the
autonomy of cities and barangays to ensure their fullest development as self-reliant communities. One
of the gains from decentralization has been greater experimentation and innovation in the provision of
local public services. Indeed, there have been several innovative practices documented since the
devolution of health and welfare functions in 1992. Some of these innovations are intended to
enhance access to health services in remote barangays by constructing satellite clinics, strategically
deploying health personnel, and tapping the private sector and individual volunteers. Other
innovations have tried to augment or secure additional funds for health from both internal and external
sources.

Institutional level of policy development: Submunicipal and Municipal

SOCIAL CONTEXT

The poor and the main excluded groups of the city of Concepcion comprised 87% of the population in
2001, 68% in 2002, and 47.5% in 2005.2 The drop was due in large part to the policies described in
this case. The socio-economic context of the city is characterized by a poor quality of education, high
population growth, depleted coastal and marine resources, high poverty incidence, and poor delivery
of social services.

2
These proportions were provided in the original case, but were not defined.
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COMPREHENSIVE NARRATIVE

Description of the policy

The overall policy entitled “Zero Poverty 2020” was started in 1999 by the Municipality of Concepcion,
Iloilo, with the aim of eradicating poverty completely by 2020. This goal was pursued through an
internal reform of the local administration so to be more responsive in addressing its mandate, and the
generation of two programmes: Zero Poverty 2020, and the Harnessing Synergy in Integrated
Population, Health and Environment (PHE) Programme. Together the programmes halved the
incidence of poverty in the area within only four years, increased income, and reduced infant mortality.

Background / Origins
The programmes were launched in 1999 by the Mayor of the City of Concepcion, R. Banias. The local
municipality adopted an integrated planning approach to eliminate poverty and to create a more
sustainable balance between population and environment development initiatives that addressed
issues of health, coastal management, education, and income generation.

Policy objectives
The Zero Poverty 2020 program began from efforts to create a highly competent and dynamic local
government that would act as an agent of change in partnership with civil society. To do so, the
municipality had to reengineer its local bureaucracy so that civil servants would be more responsive to
citizen requests, would decentralize and share management, and would seek strategic partnerships
with institutions and strategic networks for resource mobilization. In addition to this internal reform,
Zero Poverty 2020 comprises several initiatives in complementary sectors:

• Human-resource development;
• Socio-economic initiatives – micro-enterprise development, livelihood enhancement, and
housing and shelter improvement;
• Resource management – people and environment coexistence (PESCODEV), Bantay Dagat
or Coastal Security, agrarian reform, community development, and community-based eco-
tourism;
• Health initiatives – social health insurance, rural health unit upgrade, and Project COPE
(Integrated Reproductive Health Program);
• Education – early childhood development and Project RAUL (Reform in Accelerated and
Unified Learning); and
• Infrastructure development (Kalahi-CIDSS).

The strategic framework for these projects is constituted by linking population, health, and
environment (PHE) and realized through three key actions:

• Community mobilization that targeted marginalized groups around the theme of PHE;
• Experience-based advocacy which used evidence from community experiences to influence
decision-making on PHE; and
• Behaviour-centered programming which identified key family planning and coastal resource
management behaviours and developed communication materials.
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Chronological development and implementation of the practice

The Zero Poverty 2020 vision was launched by the local government in 1999 and was implemented
with the support of institutional actors, international agencies, donors, NGOs, and civil society. In the
following years, through successive pilot projects and development programmes, the approach was
adopted by the adjacent municipalities of Iloilo Province. In 2006, it was cited by the UNDP as one of
10 local governments for its local implementation of one of the Millennium Development Goals.

Agents involved
Partners in the implementation of the policy are: Save the Children U.S.A., World Bank, Asian
Development Bank, Ford Foundation U.S.A., Philippines Canada Development Fund, Singapore
International Foundation, German Technical Cooperation, Canadian International Development
Agency, Gerry Roxas Foundation, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and
Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Education, Department of
Tourism, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Agriculture , Department of Public Works and
Highways, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural
Resources , Department of Trade and Industry, Food and Agriculture Organization, Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Local Government Support Program, University of the Philippines,
Iloilo Caucus of Development NGOs, Green Forum Western Visayas, Provincial Government of Iloilo,
Alliance of Northern Iloilo for Health Development, Northern Iloilo Alliance for Coastal Development,
and Couples For Christ/Gawad Kalinga.

Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the programmes are small fishermen/women, marginal farmers, rural women,
unemployed people, those in the informal sectors, micro-business entrepreneurs, and public school
children – overall, about 60% of the total population of the Municipality of Concepcion.

Participation processes implemented

The participation of both local communities and institutional actors is present in every stage of the
projects — from assessment, to enforcement of policies, to monitoring — using indigenous and
scientific approaches. Local officials and functionaries are in regular consultation with people through
both formal and informal means. Information relevant to planning and decision-making on poverty
alleviation is readily available: two- way radio systems and texting technology have facilitated
information sharing among stakeholders. This development is particularly significant to communities in
the remote island barangays.

Moreover, Family Planning Action Sessions were organized where couples participated and trained 40
adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health peer facilitators. In terms of the environment,
fishermen/women, children (involved as fish wardens), local policy decision-makers, family planning
volunteers, and municipal health and environment officers have been trained for coastal-resource
management, which has generated increased support for mangrove reforestation and facilitated
community action plans in the establishment of marine protected areas. The organization of seven
barangays and municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils has led to coastal
cleanup drives and coastal law enforcement.
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Institutionalization processes
A year after the mayor and the municipal executive crafted the vision of eradicating poverty completely
in the city of Concepcion by 2020, Save the Children received a grant from the David and Lucile
Packard Foundation to implement the multi-sectoral programmes. From that moment on, the
municipality of Concepcion involved the barangays councils in all stages of the process – from
assessment and planning, to implementation, and later to monitoring and evaluation – through
successive municipal resolutions:

• Municipal Resolution No. 45 Series 2003: “Resolution adopting the Population Health and
Environment (PHE) program of the Save the Children – USA PESCO Dev Project.”
• Municipal Resolution No. 061 Series 2003: “Resolution allocating funds for the implementation
of the Adolescent and Youth Health Care Program.”
• Municipal Resolution No. 095 Series 2003: “Resolution adopting the Marine Protected Area
management Plan.”

Further, the programmes’ components were institutionalized beyond the term of the implementing
administration and project funding.

Financing
Funding sources for “Zero poverty 2020” program:

Funding Sources 2001 2002 2003 Total (Pesos)

Save the Children 650,000 750,000 500,000 13,883,000

World Bank 2,437,225 2,283,452 8,354,641 13,075,320

Singapore International Foundation 100,000 700,000 800,000

Ford Foundation 4,086,833 1,821,250 5,908,083

Philippines Canada Development Fund 1,500,000 1,500,000

GTZ 350,000 380,000 730,000

Asian Development Bank 13,583,000 13,583,000

Canadian International Devt. Agency 200,000 790,000 1,100,000 2,090,000

Department of Health 1,000,000 1,760,000 1,500,000 4,260,000

Department of Trade and Industry 1,000,000 1,000,000

Department of Labor and Employment 500,000 480,000 980,000

Department of Social Welfare and 500,000 500,000 750,000 1,750,000

Development

Department of Agriculture 500,000 500,000 500,000 1,500,000

Department of Environment and Natural 500,000 500,000

Resources

Local Government Unit of Concepcion 1,354,200 4,205,188 7,272,195 12,831,583

TOTAL 62,407,986
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Funding sources for “Harnessing Synergy in Integrated Population, Health and Environment” (PHE
program):

Funding Sources 2002 2003 2004 Total (Pesos)

World Bank 2,283,452 7,459,486 4,079,684 13,822,622

Asian Development Bank 300,000 13,583,000 13,883,000

Ford Foundation 4,096,833 1,821,250 5,918,083

Save the Children 750,000 500,000 200,000 1,300,000

Philippines-Canada Development Fund 210,000 210,000

GTZ 120,000 380,000 500,000

Canadian International Devt. Agency 190,000 190,000

Department of Health 100,000 100,000 23,850 223,850

Department of Labor and Employment 500,000 490,000 990,000

Department of Environment and Natural 500,000 500,000

Resources

Local Government Unit of Concepcion 8,692,979 10,952,337 6,319,604 25,964,920

TOTAL 63,502,475

Key results and achievements

The main results achieved from both programmes – Zero Poverty 2020 and Harnessing Synergy in
Integrated Population, Health and Environment – were the improvement of the quality of life in
different sectors and the reduction of the population living at or below the poverty level from 87% in
2000 to 47% in 2004.

Beyond these results, the policy has resulted in a transformed bureaucracy that is more responsive to
constituents’ needs, especially in delivering social services to eradicate poverty. In its first year of
implementation, 55% of the 98 households in the Poverty Free Zone were provided with a sustainable
alternative livelihood that added 35% to their income; 499 households accessed micro-finance for
micro-enterprises, which resulted in a 25% increase in income; 59 households accessed micro-finance
to improve their shelters; and 175 beneficiaries mobilized their savings and built up capital.

Regarding population health, statistics indicate that morbidity decreased from 14.6% in 2002 to 10.7%
in 2003; mortality decreased from 3.53 per 1,000 population in 2002 to 3.43 per 1,000 population in
2003; maternal mortality declined from 240 in 2001 to 128 in 2002 and to 0 in 2003; and water-borne
diseases decreased from 5.34% in 2002 to 3.92% in 2003. Further, family-planning acceptors
increased from 28% to 38%, and social health insurance was distributed to 1,233 beneficiaries.

In education, 750 preschool children benefited from the construction of 20 daycare centers during the
past six years; eight elementary and primary schools were constructed during the past three years;
and 3,111 pupils were provided with workbooks and textbooks. The result was a 15% increase in
reading proficiency. Moreover, through the establishment of Gulayan sa Eskwelahan (Vegetable Farm
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in the School) in 34 schools, additional fresh food was provided. The construction of 23 infrastructure
projects benefited more than 16,000 residents or 60% of the population in 22 barangays in the
municipality. The construction of a modern children’s playground, a reading center, and a training
center in barangay Loong benefited more than 2,000 residents there.

In terms of the environment, community-led coastal resource management was promoted, which
improved the fish catch of marginal fishers; local farmers in three barangays adopted alternative
farming technologies designed for sustainable agriculture; and forms of community-based tourism
were promoted through festivals in four island barangays, providing additional economic opportunities
to residents while emphasizing the protection and enhancement of natural resources (the Tampisaw
Festival, for instance, benefited a total of 5,710 residents).

The establishment of seven Marine Protected Areas, designed to regulate fish catch and replenish
marine and fishery resources in six barangays in five islands, resulted in small fishermen/women
reporting an increase of five kilos in their daily catch equivalent to 200 pesos. The regular monitoring
of municipal waters netted 1,152 apprehensions that generated 3,300,500 pesos in penalty fees over
the past three years, providing the town with additional income.

Replicability or adaptation of policy elsewhere

From the documentation, this policy case emerges as quite a successful practice of poverty alleviation
through combining different strategies focusing on the improvement and integration of three key
sectors in the life of the inhabitants of the Municipality of Concepcion: health, population and
environment. A deeper investigation of this policy, dating back to the beginning of 2000, would provide
a more detailed picture of its conditions and further advancements. At this stage, however, we can
suggest two types of reflections in light of the decentralization process undertaken in the Philippines a
few decades ago.

The first type regards the context where the policy case is found. In the Philippines, the
decentralization process brought a larger number of elected positions in local government which
increased subsequently the importance of democratic accountability. The formal process of opening
up towards democratization was accompanied by the persistent presence of forms of corruption in
patron-client relationships. Local civil society organizations, aware of the rights offered to them by this
devolution, have demanded more democratic accountability. Overall, the institutional and social
changes required moving from a centralized to a decentralized system of governance and powers
need time for adjustments and arrangements. In the specific context of this policy case, the
commitment of the mayor and the executive personnel played an important role that gave more
strength to the proposed results and actions, resulting in the successful implementation of the
programmes which was facilitated by having full powers on health and wealth sector devolved to local
governments.
The second type of reflection considers the local financial resources. One has to bear in mind that
local authorities in the Philippines have to rely on their own resources, which are only hypothetically
sufficient to cover all the functions of their mandates. Considering this, a greater effort is required of
them. In this case, the local municipality was able to obtain financing from diverse founding sources
(see tables) and use the funds efficiently without overlapping.
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Furthermore, this policy required a municipal capacity to manage the complexity of problems that
touch different spheres of life, which began with an internal reorganization of the municipality to
regenerate its bureaucratic machine and enable it to create virtuous cycles and long-lasting actions. In
terms of transferability, then, internal administrative reforms may be pre-conditions to root and
entrench programmes and plans in the governmental structure and to guarantee the coordination of
functions and competencies oriented to concrete results.

SUMMARY

In the Philippines, the sectors of social welfare and health have been fully devolved to local
governments since 1992. In 1999, the Municipality of Concepcion, in Iloilo, adopted a vision of
eliminating poverty completely by the year 2020 and forged, accordingly, multi-sectorial programmes
and related actions where the cross-cutting themes were population, health, and environment.
However, the first step in this direction was to renovate the government machinery from inside,
reinforcing the commitment of the executive personnel to become promptly responsive to local
inhabitants’ needs.

The first initiative, “Zero Poverty 2020,” comprises several development programs addressing
livelihood assistance, agrarian reform community development, youth-children development, health
services, coastal resource management, agricultural production enhancement, and direct community
action. The second initiative, “Harnessing Synergy in Integrated Population, Health and Environment
(PHE) programming,” focuses on family planning tools and the preservation of mangrove areas and
fishing grounds to counterbalance the degradation of the coastal environment and the dramatic health
conditions of its population. The overall beneficiaries of the programmes comprise about 60% of the
total population of the city of Concepcion. The combined effects of the actions contained in the
programmes resulted in the halving of poverty from 87% of the population in 2000 to 47% in 2004.

The initiatives sought to arrest dramatic health problems as well as environmental degradation, with a
range of positive results: population growth was controlled, the environment was given more time to
catch-up and restore an ecological balance, the nutrition status of children was improved, well-
managed coastal resources contributed to greater food security, better overall population health was
observed, family incomes increased, and communities became more empowered.

The main challenges and risks for this particular case are found in the high dependency of local
government budgets on their Internal Revenue Allotment; the recent fiscal crisis in the national
government as it affects local economic development initiatives; a lack of technical capability to
implement and sustain the initiatives; weak enforcement of local government poverty reduction-related
plans and policies; poor monitoring and evaluation of poverty reduction-related programs and projects;
and changes in leadership that may affect the program’s sustainability.
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For further information:

Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights of United Cities and Local
Governments (UCLG):

Tlf: + 34 93 342 87 70
http://www.uclg.org/cisdp/

Acknowledgements / Credits
The narrative was written in 2007 by Engr. Rene Sobremonte, Municipal Planning and Development
Officer, Municipality of Concepcion; Dr. Helen Minguez, Municipal Health Officer, Municipality of
Concepcion; Janice Matulac, Municipal Information Officer, Municipality of Concepcion; and Dr. Raul
N. Banjas, Municipal Mayor of Concepcion, under the coordination and edition of Prof. Cabannes
assisted by Yasar Adnan Adanali, at the Development Planning Unit, University College London, UK.

All narratives compiled in 2007 including this one were revised by a DPU editorial committee
composed of Ernesto Jose Lopez Morales, Sonia Roitman, Michelle Pletsch, Steffen Lajoie, Luisa
Dornelas, Iyad Issa and Pechladda Pechpakdee.

The original text was edited to a standard CISDP Observatory format in 2010 by Manuela Gervasi
(doctoral student) under the supervision of Dr. Giovanni Allegretti at the Centre for Social Studies,
University of Coimbra, Portugal.

References

Banias, R. N., 2009 (September), Population, Health and Environment Program. Concepcion
Experience, Galing Pook Foundation.
http://www.galingpook.org/main/images/stories/news/HealthForumConcepcion.pdf

Chan-Pongan, Norma (Save the Children – Philippines Country Office), 2006 (September), Building
Partnerships with Local Government Units: PHE Programming in the Municipality of
Concepcion, Population Reference Bureau. http://www.prb.org/pdf06/phe-
buildingpartnerships.pdf

Minguez, Helen, 2008, Eradicating Poverty Completely by 2020, Concepcion, Iloilo, Philippines.
http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/cache/documents/1289/128961.pdf

Philippines Center of Population and Development, 2007, Local Initiatives Towards Achieving the
Millennium Development Goals through Integrated Population, Health, and Environment (PHE)
Programming. http://www.pcpd.ph/grants.php