Managa Water Project

Travelling from centro Managa towards the uplands of Balutakay you will see a chain of potable water systems scattered at irregular distances along the main road. You’ll see people carrying gallons to and fro, children bathing in the water before going to school and women doing laundry. If you stop along the road to ask people what recent changes in Managa have positively affected their lives, few would hesitate to mention the potable water system that provides clean water for every purok.

Before the water system was installed, farmers used to fetch water from the river or from the irrigation dam in lower Managa. Women would carry laundry to the riverbank and spend a large part of the day near the water. People who lived close to the Poblacion would ride habal-habal to the market to buy bottles of mineral water. It was a tiresome chore to collect relatively small amounts of water for daily use.

The water system in Managa has a long and somewhat troubled history. Some of the components of the system were installed during the Southern Mindanao Agricultural Program (SMAP) from the Department of Agriculture (DA). The original system, however, did not function for very long. Soon after it had been completed, people at the lower end of the water supply noticed that the water pressure gradually decreased until some reservoirs eventually ran dry… There were a number of reasons for this. The pipes that led from the source down to the water reservoirs had to pass along the many vegetable gardens of upland farmers. Some of those farmers were tempted to insert injections into the pipes to spray their vegetable gardens, reducing the water supply for people further down the line… The pipes were also vulnerable to soil movements and farming activities, and a lack of maintenance eventually left Managa with a leaking water system.

The story of the SMAP water project illustrates how strongly the lives of the people in Managa are connected through a shared need for potable water. Water is a precious resource, but the strong need for water divided the community. The water system intended to connect the communities to a common source, but individual usage of the system disconnected some people from water supply and destabilized the system. There was no real policy governing the water use and the issue was left unresolved. In a more general way, the SMAP project also showed the profound impact of upland life for people downhill…

The SMAP project was a disappointing experience for many, but fortunately the story does not end here. The community kept its dream of a potable water system alive and when Kapwa started working in Bansalan, its project officers started to explore the possibility of breathing new life into the project. From the onset, however, it was evident that participation of the entire community would be vital for the success of the project. The current water system is the result of joint efforts of the different stakeholders in the area. Kapwa assisted the tribal council in gathering the necessary documents and permits for the project through the National Council of Indigenous Peoples. The local government units provided budget for the purchasing of pipes and equipment; Kapwa contributed both financial and logistic support for the implementation of the project. The community, in turn, provided the labour on the ground. Some components of the SMAP project were reused in the new design and the system was extended to reach more households.

Kapwa project officer Samuel Toraya remembers that the people from Managa were somewhat sceptical at first:

“The people from Managa could not believe at first that the water system was really going to be provided. They had had some negative experiences with broken promises and unfinished projects in the past and some feared that this too might turn out to be a disappointment. Kapwa was new in the area and we were still building trust with the communities. We spent a long time organising the community to collectively shoulder this project and people sometimes felt things were moving too slowly. Kapwa consciously chose not to supply materials before the communities had finished preparatory work on the ground. This strategy was meant to emphasize the community’s responsibility throughout the entire project, but it also put pressure on the relationship and sometimes led to conflict. Given the community’s past experiences, people were anxious about Kapwa fulfilling its commitment. This initial distrust gradually absolved in the course of the construction. The community would prepare the channels for the pipes, and for every distance they covered, Kapwa would supply the matching distance of pipelines. Slowly but surely the pipes connected the different puroks to the source and people grew confident that their dream would finally be realized.”

It was a long process. All in all, the construction took about one full year. Although the Barangay tribal Council initiated the project, people from the entire community contributed to its completion. The practical implementation of the project almost entirely depended on the labour provided by the people who would later benefit from the water system. In the course of the project the community initiated the Managa Community Waterworks and Sanitation Association (MCWSA) to shoulder the implementation, monitoring and maintenance of the system. The association consolidated the collaboration between the tribal and migrant communities who both have representatives in the association.

Ronilo Bajenting, project coordinator of Kapwa, remembers that the construction of the water system was a very stressful period for both Kapwa and the Managa communities. The people were anxious to complete the water system, but Kapwa did not want to jeopardize the process of social preparation and community participation in favour of a quick installation of the system. In order for the people to truly own the project, they would have to experience their vital role in making the project possible. However, Kapwa and the community would sometimes also be at loggerheads about parts of the implementation:

‘I remember that one time we hiked up to the source to have a look at the intake box that had just been constructed. Mam Alma was also there and the community was a little nervous about us going up to inspect the work. When we arrived at the intake box, we saw why… the original design of the intake box allowed for only two outlets, but we could see three! The community had decided on its own to install an extra outlet to allow for more pipes to be attached. We at Kapwa, however, were concerned that this might get them into trouble because the permit from DENR stated that there would be only two outlets. We feared this violation of the permit might jeopardize future projects. Luckily, we managed to get the permission for the third outlet…

However tiring the process was, the eventual completion of the water system was a dream come true for the people of Managa. The system connects households to potable water from upper Balutakay as far down as centro Managa. In the words of BTC member Rogelio Oguit:

“The people of Managa have been dreaming of this water system for so long. With the help of Kapwa, we have been able to realize our dream.”

Berna Malang, who lives across one of the water taps, stresses the fact that the project succeeded in reaching across the different communities:

“The beauty of the project is that it benefits everyone, not just the Bagobo-Tagabawa. Everyone can use the water.’

The water system has triggered many changes. A project of this scope naturally has a great impact on the community. Some of the changes are immediately visible. Visiting Managa, you will see how the water system has become a central part of people’s lives. There is always a lively activity near the taps with people bathing, doing laundry or collecting water. The water system has made life easier for people who used to travel long distances to access water. Yet, other changes are more subtle. The collective experience of building the water system has started to connect the community around a common concern and has raised the awareness of the shared responsibility of the community to keep the project alive…