PHILSSA - The First Bicol cities sharing workshop on Shelter and Urban Planning

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The First Bicol cities Sharing Workshop on Shelter and Urban Planning

By: France Clavecillas, COPE

People write history by making life in their community better and better everyday. For instance, twenty-three years ago, it was almost unheard of in the urban areas in Bicol for people's organizations to challenge evictions or demolitions or lack of efficient delivery of basic social services by government. If ever the course of things changed for the better, it was because ordinary people believed in their capacity to transform their communities, and started to get together.

Saul Alinski was right when he said that in the war against poverty, the enemy doesn't respect rules of fairplay. The Bicolanos, however, have dared to put up a fair playing field and changing the rules. Rule number 1: dialogue; rule number 2: dialogue; rule number 3: dialogue. On August 29 & 30, 2001, a historic event happened in Bicol: the First Bicol Cities Sharing Workshop on Shelter and Urban Planning, with the theme "Bicol Cities Building Partnership Towards Regional Shelter and Urban Development." The two-day forum was held at Peñafrancia Resort, in Barangay Carolina, Naga City. The forum was jointly sponsored by the Naga City Local Government and the Bicol Urban Poor Colloquium (BUPC) whose members are SALIGAN, COPE Foundation, Social Action Center & Diocese of Legazpi, PSAC (Parish Social Action Committee of St. Raphael's Parish) and Ateneo Social Science Research Center. BUPC is a member of the PHILSSA (Philippine Support Services Agencies) network. The forum was financially supported by PHILSSA with funds from MFI (Mondragon Foundation) with local counterpart from the Naga City LGU and BUPC in terms of services, facilities and office requipments.

The Regional Housing Agencies plus Ms. Vikki Horfilla, National CMP (Community Mortgage Program) director were present at the forum. Mr. Francisco "Bimbo" Fernandez of PAGTAMBAYAYONG was also present to share lessons on alternative housing. Present, too, was Ms. Bibet Gozon, a World Bank consultant for City Development Strategies, who shared the experiences of pilot cities using an integrated approach to land use and urban planning. With voices from civil society and representatives from the seven Bicol cities, namely, Naga, Legazpi, Tabaco, Ligao, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Iriga, the issue of poverty, specifically land and housing, was focused on. While the theme zeroed in on how the poor can have security of land tenure and housing, the forum was of one voice in saying that the solution to land and housing should never be other than an integrated approach and that the housing agencies should work together.

Getting the city mayors to come together and look closely at land and housing issues with civil society and the housing agencies was an initiative that deviated from the run-of-the mill type of activities. The coming together was only the start of difficult tasks that lie ahead.

There is so much to look forward to, however. Hope is alive in the Bicol region despite its being one of the poorest regions in the country. The Seven Cities Forum has highlighted the importance of people's participation in efficient and effective governance. Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, a 1999 Magsaysay Awardee for Excellence in Government Service, emphasized in his message to the forum that governance cannot be but participative. And Naga City has shown that the concept of people's participation really makes a difference.

The Bicol Urban Poor Colloquium, Naga City LGU's partner in sponsoring the forum, is a partner of BUPCC (Bicol Urban Poor Coordinating Council), a network of urban poor organizations coming from Bicol's cities and towns. These organizations, together with government officials who have faith in the participatory process, are the hopes of a region that quietly writes history from the perspective of the poor. Surely, Bicol's dream of a truly accountable governance is daunting. But dreamers are risk takers. In the shadow of a volcano that is both a symbol of death and rebirth, civil society in the region tries to give life to the concept of looking at government as a fellow problem solver. Of course, for some government officials who do not have faith in people's participation, civil society in Bicol, by heritage, is still composed of the children of volcanoes.

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