Women Water-bearers: The Game Changers

of Bagong Silang

OPEN DOOR REVIEWa forum on the latest research and policies affecting poverty

published by the National Anti-Poverty Commission Issue # 5: 2015

by Ella Mae Eleazar

On any given day, women and mothers like Ami Conti and Noemi Pajo could very well be found plunked in front of the TV, letting out tiny squeals of joy,

clapping their hands, and cheering on the unlikely on-air love team everyone calls #aldub—the most recent pop-cultural phenomenon to hit the country. They join millions of Filipinos getting their dose of laughter and love chills six days out of every week. But seven years ago and for more than a quarter of a century before that, these two women had had no time at all for television, tied as they were to the backbreaking chore of fetching water far away from their homes.

“Ang hirap talaga. Ang layo nu’n, mga five kilometers ang nilalakad para umigib,” Ami recalls the first few

Bagong Silang, Caloocan City - NCR

years her family came to settle in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. (It was tough. Five kilometers of walking to fetch water is far.”) It was the early 80s and Ami and her family, worn ragged from being displaced and moving from city to city in Metro Manila, gave in to the government’s offer to settle permanently on a tiny piece of land.

Bagong Silang had been set up as early as the 1970s to relocate slum dwellers evicted from the municipalities of Valenzuela, Navotas and Quezon City. It was hardly developed then and unfit for dwelling. There was no water.

No roads either. Everyone had to scurry across makeshift wooden bridges spanning tall weeds and bog. They all felt like outcasts, bearing the stigma

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of being poorer than poor, neglected by social services, and hardly welcome by the surrounding communities barely better off than they were.

In their search for potable water, they drove pipes into the ground topped with manual pumps. They struck water all right, and in turn were struck down by disease.

“Nung nakabit na ang tubig sa poso, lahat kami sa pamilya nagkaroon ng amoebiasis,[1]” she says. (We were finally able to pump water, but everyone in the family suffered from amoebiasis.)

By 2008, alternative water sources came trickling in. One of these sources was Maynilad,[2] which sold water to residents at an exorbitant price of P135 per drum at a time when the minimum daily wage was hovering close to P200.[3] By that time too, private residents in adjoining barangays had realized that they could turn a neat profit by selling water to those from Bagong Silang. Ami and her neighbors used this water mainly for washing clothes as it was also still not fit to drink.

The local government had also started delivering water to the community twice a week at a much cheaper P40 per container. But even then, there were those who could still not afford it. Compounding the pricing problem, water delivery schedules varied and were unpredictable. The city undertook other palliative measures as well.

“Tinulungan kami ng local government i-rehabilitate ‘yung mga pump at motor,” Ami admits. (The local government helped us rehabilitate our water pumps.)

Maynilad had finally laid down pipes in the community, but fell short of reaching other areas, among these, Zone 10.

While no longer obligated to walk five kilometers, un-served residents still had to make their way a kilometer or more to the nearest barangay to buy

water from private residents. Most of them simply continued to rely on unsanitary deep wells, or else endured the pushing and shoving every time some water was rationed by the government.

“May nag-dedeliver rin dito ng tubig na kay Gloria (dating Presidente Macapagal-Arroyo) raw galing, malinis na tubig daw ‘yun. Hindi ka halos makaigib. Siyempre nakikipag-agawan kami, kasi inumin ‘yun. Hirap kami!,” recalls 46-year-old Noemi, not with fondness. Noemi had come to Bagong Silang from Pasay City. (Sometimes they’d bring water to the community allegedly from Gloria [former President Macapagal-Arroyo]. We could hardly get any. We had to be aggressive because we needed drinking water. It was grueling!)

For families with only one income-earner, these situations were doubly difficult.

[1] Amoebiasis is a type of gastroenteritis (gastro) caused by a tiny parasite, Entamoeba histolytica that infects the bowel. The most common symptoms are diarrhoea (which may contain blood), stomach cramps and fever. http://ideas.health.vic.gov.au/diseases/amoebiasis-facts.asp

[2] Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) was established in 1997. It won the exclusive right to provide water and wastewater services in the West Zone of Metropolitan Manila. http://www.mayniladwater.com.ph/company-history.php

[3] http://www.nwpc.dole.gov.ph/pages/statistics/stat_wage%20rates1989-present_non-agri.html

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Then there was a gush of hope.

The Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD), a non-governmental organization started to organize and convince the women of Bagong Silang to put up a cooperative. The IPD believed that women were to be instrumental in improving their own plight, as users and as managers of water in the community.

Thus, one could say that the Community Water Service Cooperative of Bagong Silang (CWSC-BS) or Bagong Silang Cooperative arrived water-borne and its influence and effects rippled through the first few households.

“Nadaluyan lang ‘yan noong nagpatayo tayo ng Co-op. Nung nag-apply lang kami para sa bulk water system, tsaka lang ‘yan napatubigan,” tells Noemi, who is now chairperson of the Bagong Silang Cooperative. (Water flowed only after the Co-op was set up. We applied for bulk water system.)

Through the Co-op, members of the community pushed for the development of bulk water system. But things did not go as smoothly as they had hoped for. Maynilad turned down the Co-op’s initial request as Maynilad had already been incurring a very high 70% water systems loss in the community.

“Ibig sabihin, sa sampung drum na sinu-supply nila dito, mga pito doon ang hindi nababayaran. Ganoon kalaki ang systems loss. Siyempre negosyante, ayaw malugi,” Noemi explains. (That means, for every 10 containers of water that is supplied, seven were pilfered or lost. That’s a huge systems loss. And of course, since they are business people, they do not want a loss of profit.)

1 The welling up of collective action

2 Workarounds and backflows

Solutions had to be found quickly. With the help of IPD, community members were able to explore a range of alternative water sources. Water tanks were brought in. Rainwater had to be collected from then on. A communal faucet system[4] was set up. Finally, the community agreed on having a Level 3 Waterworks System.[5]

The officers of the Co-op initially used their personal money to have water pipes put in, hoping that more community members would enlist once the bulk water system was up. They also requested

for a grant from the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) for the pipe installation.

However, the community members were hesitant to pay for the access to water services.

“Ang ini-expect kasi namin noon ay ibibigay ng libre lahat. ‘Yun pala mag-share pa kami sa bayad,” Noemi says. (We expected the assistance was free. We found out that we had to shoulder part of the costs.)

[4] Level 2 Water system – A piped system with communal or public faucets usually serving 4-6 households within 25 meters distance

[5] Level 3 – A fully reticulated system with individual house connections based on a daily water demand of more than 100 liters per person

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The co-op organizers were only able to convince 15 households to contribute to their shared capital.

“Pero sobrang hirap namin bitawan ang P1,100. Mga 15 pamilya lang kaming nakapagbigay noon pero napakahirap. Nangutang pa kami sa 5-6 (usurer) para lang makapagbigay ng pera,” Noemi adds. (It was difficult for us to part with our P1,100 pesos. Only 15 families were able to cough up the money. We had to borrow from usurers to be able to give our share.)

Raising money would be the least of their problems. They soon found out that complying with the requirements of the Cooperative Development

Authority (CDA) in setting up a bank account was an even tougher hurdle. Doubt began to gnaw away at their collective hope.

“Bagsak na bagsak ‘yung morale ng tao,” Ami remembers. Contributions from the members of IPD and the cooperative started to come in. (Everyone felt dispirited; morale dropped.)

To encourage members to contribute, the Co-op Board went on a house-to-house recruitment drive, choosing women as members.

Ami became the Manager of the Community Water Service Cooperative (CWSC-BS).

3 New rules for a new game

With the support of IPD, the Co-op was established in 2008. Its by-laws required members to attend a minimum number of seminars and training to be in good standing. It was decided that membership to the Co-op was not to be transferable within families, thus, ensuring that members, instead of different proxies, regularly attended activities.

And having women in control of access to water proved to be effective.

“Ang sinasabi nila, kapag mga lalaki, may bisyo. Walang tiwala ang mga tao dito kapag lalaki ang nag-hahandle dahil ang sabi, mga alaga ng mga pulitiko. Ang mga organisasyon dito dati, wala

talagang nangyari. Walang nag-prosper. First time lang ito,” Ami proudly proclaims. (It is said that men are most likely to have vices. People don’t easily trust groups led by men because they are said to be close to politicians. Organizations even from way back have not prospered. This is the first successful organization in our area.)

Thus, the Co-op was able to expand its membership and set up an incremental system for pipe-laying and bringing water into the community; despite some opposition from stakeholders for reasons all their own, despite some cheaper sources of water.

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Noemi and Ami agree that the Co-op’s attraction to stakeholders and tenacity can be attributed to the organization’s emphasis on enhancing the skills and earning capacity of its members.

Inherent in the Co-op’s vision is training. Members are taught the basics of accounting, bookkeeping, governance and management, leadership, and entrepreneurial development. These are skills that had not been readily available to members of the community prior to 2008.

“Dati ang mga kababaihan dito simpleng nanay lang,

kulang sa skills,” Noemi recalls. (Before, women were content with their chores as mothers. They lacked other skills.)

The training on Gender and Health also had a strong and positive impact on the women’s appreciation of their own welfare. “Hindi lang pala lalaki ang may karapatan, meron din pala ‘yung babae,” says Noemi, sharing one of the realizations of the Co-op’s board members. (I realized it is not only men who have rights, women also have rights.)

3 Flowing uphill

4 No free lunch or water

Part of the training includes the strict monitoring of the Co-op’s financial resources to ensure its sustainability. In 2008, Ami recalled that a family of six would usually spend P1,500 to P2,000 each month for water. Therefore, there was no excuse not to pay when the cost of water was lower.

“Kahit may mga skills nga, walang papayag na libre

ang paggawa,” she notes. (Even those with skills will not agree to render work for free.)

Individual meters were placed and house-to-house visits were conducted every week to collect payments and monitor water access and consumption. The regular community visits enhanced women’s participation in the project.

5 Free flowing

The Co-op also improved the way of life of the women—how they carry themselves,their households and their immediate community.

“Aminin natin at sa hindi, nag-iba talaga. Nung may Co-op na, siyempre nag-ayos kami ng sarili namin, na-develop na kasi sa seminars, marami kaming nalaman—kung paano mag-entertain ng tao, kung paano sumagot, kung paano namin kausapin ‘yung mga consumers,” says one member of the Co-op board. (Whether we admit it or not, we have changed. We started fixing up the way we look; we learned a lot from the seminars—how to deal with people, how to answer queries, how to talk to consumers.)

The Co-op members are also able to better express themselves, coordinate with members of the

community, and other organizations such as the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).

“Noon, mga takot kami kahit nakapag-seminar na. Dati wala ‘yung manager, sinabihan kami ng treasurer, ‘lagi na lang kay manager, lagi na lang kay manager.’ Na-challenge kami. Ginawa namin, nagpursigi kami na matuto,” Noemi recounts. (Before, we were still not confident even though we had gone through the seminars. But then, one time, the manager was not around and the treasurer told us, we depend too much on the manager. We took up the challenge. We persevered until we became confident.)

The added responsibilities of the women in the community also motivated them to improve their

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skills in relating to people and managing the water resource.

“Akala namin kapag andyan na wala na kaming gagawin. Hindi namin inakala na mas malaking responsibilidad pala ‘yung papasukin namin. Kaya ‘yun, natuto kami,” says Noemi with a smile. (We thought all the pieces would fall in place once we had everything up and running. Little did we know that more responsibilities would come up.)

This success has not gone unnoticed by the men, and not all of them have welcomed it. There is some friction now but rather than discouraging the women Co-op members, this has challenged them to improve their work. The group’s independent system for managing financial resources also contributed to the sustainability of its operations. It contributed to the achievement of its main goal which is to develop the livelihood of the community through the provision of water.

Involvement in community initiatives increased the level of awareness of community members, especially the children of Co-op members.

“Hindi lang simpleng tubig. Pero ‘yung nagiging

critically aware rin sila sa lipunan, sa pulitika ng lipunan. Halimbawa, alam na nila ngayon kung ano ang Bangsamoro Basic Law. Hindi katulad ng dati na Aldub lang, pa-bebe lang ang alam nila,” Noemi explains. (This is not just about water. The community has become more critically aware about society and politics. For example, they understand the issues about the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Unlike before, when their only concern were stuff like #aldub, pabebe.)

The formation of the Co-op taught them to rely more on ability rather than on money.

Wala talagang problema sa pera kasi minulat talaga kami na ‘wag umasa sa pera. Hindi rin kami umasa talaga. Siguro, kung namulat kaming umaasa, siguro bagsak na ito,” she says. (Money is not a problem in the sense that we were raised not to be dependent on money alone. Had we gotten used to that kind of thinking, everything would have crumbled.)

The Co-op now thrives on a merry mix of funding sources such as user fees, grants, loans and member contributions to successfully provide safe and reliable water to 621 households.

Figure 1. The Community Water Service Cooperative of Bagong Silang (CWSC-BS) Vision for Caloocan

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Other local government units and communities without access to safe water need to learn from the success of the Bagong Silang Cooperative. And the national government needs to monitor and identify the extent of the problem.

The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) is monitoring the impact of access to water on local communities by conducting interviews among the household heads. The baseline data are gathered from the Municipal Engineer’s Office and the Municipal Planning and Development Office in select LGUs.

NAPC asked the respondents in urban areas about their household’s expenditures and time spent in gathering water before and after a program is implemented. These are the factors considered in the interview—source of water, distance from water source, liters of water gathered per day and corresponding water use, amount paid per liter for water consumption, time spent to fetch water from source or to get water, toilet type, and type of materials used for housing.

The Bagong Silang Cooperative is currently assisting other cooperatives in relocation sites such as Recomville II and Northville II-B and III to gain access to water. It is also working with Habitat

6 Cascading best practices

for Humanity in conducting training to water cooperatives.

Among the best practices that the members have shared is the constant reminder of the need for shared capital to keep the water systems loss at a minimum.

“Minumulat namin ang mga kooperatiba na dapat una pa lang, ‘ipasok na agad ang fees and charges para maging aware ang mga miyembro,” says Ami. They likewise emphasize the need to strengthen systems and channels for providing information—especially to new members. (We advocate that it is best that fees and charges should be explained to cooperative members at the onset so that they are aware of these early on.)

Ami, Noemi, and the members of the CWSC-BS are seven years’ worth of proof that women make the best game changers in their communities. They did, after all, bring in water; they also brought in a means of livelihood. Truly, these women are an invaluable resource all their own. And what’s even better is that there are certainly more of these energetic, dedicated stakeholders in waterless communities across the country just waiting to be tapped.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ella Mae Eleazar is a staff of the Policy Monitoring and Social Technology Service Unit (PMSTS) of NAPC. She is a graduate student of the Department of Sociology in UP Diliman. Her research interests include urban sociology, community resilience to disasters, and qualitative research methods.