Advancing Water Security in the Philippines: Partnership for a Resilient Future

A Timeline of the Partnership Between the Philippines and the United States

Through its Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan, the Government of the Philippines has committed to ensuring every Filipino has equitable access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation services. For the past two decades, the U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has supported the Philippine Government to respond to challenges and opportunities surrounding access to water and sanitation services in urban and rural areas; innovative financing mechanisms; integration of resilience in water provisioning; water resources management; and water security.

In 2021, USAID doubled down on its commitment to supporting the Philippines by selecting the country as a High-Priority Country under the 2022–2027 Global Water Strategy. This timeline illustrates the close partnership between the two countries and their shared vision to improve the Philippine’s long-term water security; increase access to clean drinking water for 1.22 million people and sanitation services to 710,000 people; and mobilize $100 million for water security, sanitation, and hygiene.

2003–2007

Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater Treatment (LINAW)

To address the Philippines’ domestic and industrial pollution caused by rapid urbanization and industrialization, the Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater Treatment project worked with local governments in six cities to promote and adopt low-cost sanitation technology and innovative financing solutions. USAID supported pilots of small-scale, low-cost treatment systems and planning for longer-term solutions to domestic wastewater challenges.

  • Read the LINAW project report from Phase I (2003–2005) and Phase II (2005–2007).

2004 Milestone: The USAID-supported Development Credit Authority (DCA), a mechanism to mobilize private capital, was amended to include a focus on water infrastructure projects. The DCA guarantee in the Philippines was a key factor in initiating private lending to target sectors, like water, where there had previously been little or no activity.

2006–2013

Philippines Water Revolving Fund (PWRF)

The Philippines Water Revolving Fund (PWRF), the only water revolving fund outside the United States and Europe at the time, leveraged overseas development assistance with local private funds using a co-financing arrangement between the Philippine government and private banks. Over seven years, this fund shifted the paradigm from public-only funding of water utilities in the country to a mix of public and private funding mechanisms.

Results: The fund mobilized approximately $234 million (Php 10.5 billion) in loans for water supply and sanitation projects, of which 60 percent came from private banks and developers.

2007–2011

Philippines Sanitation Alliance (PSA)

This four-year program leveraged substantial private- and public-sector investments in sanitation, increased capacity of local governments and water districts to address sanitation challenges, and increased public awareness and demand for improved sanitation services and willingness to pay user fees. Through the project, USAID made a substantial impact on the sanitation sector in the Philippines by raising the profile of sanitation among the national and local governments and by demonstrating that sanitation improvements can be financed and maintained by medium-sized cities outside Metro Manila.

Results: During four years of implementation, USAID worked with its partners to provide more than 1.4 million people with access to improved sanitation, leveraged more than $4 million in cash and in-kind investments in sanitation infrastructure and activities, and assisted partners in building 45 wastewater treatment facilities.

2012–2017

Building Resilience in Water Stressed Communities (CREST)

The CREST program operated in remote and conflict-affected regions of the Philippines to improve community health and resilience with improved water supply, water management, sanitation, and hygiene. USAID utilized a community-based, participatory approach to deliver safe drinking water via environmentally friendly and affordable technologies to promote long-term sustainability and resilience in the face of changing weather patterns.

2013–2017

Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure)

At the start of the Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) project, the concept of integrating resilience in water supply and sanitation services was not talked about among local governments and water utilities that often lacked the necessary tools to incorporate resilience into their efforts to achieve water security. During this four-year project, USAID helped bridge this critical gap by supporting the cities of Iloilo, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Isabela, and Zamboanga to improve access to safe water and sanitation and foster resilience to the impacts of natural disasters.

Results: Over 1.8 million more Filipinos have access to clean drinking water and more than 1 million have access to improved sanitation services; approximately $83.9 million of public and private funds were mobilized to support water supply and sanitation access; and city governments, water utilities, and local universities are better equipped to cope with the impacts of natural disasters and work toward long-term water security.

2013

USAID’s response to Typhoon Haiyan

Super Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013. One of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, Haiyan caused severe flooding and inflicted serious wind damage, impacting 16 million people and displacing more than 4 million. More than 6,000 people lost their lives, while 1.1 million homes were damaged or destroyed. In response, USAID’s Be Secure Project worked in cities and towns across the Philippines to improve water management and better prepare communities to weather stronger typhoons, endure longer droughts, and successfully cope with other impacts forecast for the decades ahead.

  • Read a story about these efforts

2014 Milestone: USAID facilitates a partnership between the Metro Iloilo Water District and the Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation to expand the water district’s current service coverage and provide access to safe and potable water for the growing population of Metro Iloilo in the next 25 years.

2015–2020

Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE)

With a renewed focus on bolstering inclusive and sustainable economic growth of secondary cities in the Philippines, SURGE fostered the development of conditions for broad-based, inclusive, and resilient economic growth for a critical mass of cities and surrounding areas outside Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao. SURGE assisted cities and adjacent areas to plan effectively; guarantee basic public services, including effective and reliable water supply and adequate sanitation; reduce business transaction costs; promote competitiveness; support sustainable development; and reduce disaster risks while ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth. Through the project, USAID worked with the local government in Tagbilaran to train water utility staff, upgrade metering and billing systems, and improve infrastructure to reduce water loss translating into increased revenue and a more stable drinking water supply for residents.

2015 Milestone: The Water Alliance, a group of twenty industry-leading companies in the Philippines, is established to address water supply issues in the country. The Alliance provides a platform where the private sector can support the Philippine government’s agenda in water security and contribute to the realization of SDG 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

2018–2020

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN)

Under the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finance (WASH-FIN) Philippines program, USAID provided strategic support to the government to operationalize the new Unified Resource Allocation Framework (URAF) for Water Supply and Sanitation framework. The operationalized URAF will provide a much-needed integrated and coherent financial, institutional, and regulatory reform, intended to help reconcile the fragmented nature of the sector. Support for this effort continued under the Safe Water project.

2019–2024

Safe Water

Water security in the Philippines is challenged by poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, unsustainably managed water resources, and a fragmented governance structure. USAID’s Safe Water activity provides local governments, water service providers, and watershed councils with the information, incentives, and partnerships required to identify and address barriers to a water-secure future. Its efforts yield lifesaving gains in access to water supply and sanitation services for unserved and underserved households in the Philippines’ most water-stressed communities.

2021 Milestone: USAID designated the Philippines as a High-Priority Country under the U.S. government Global Water Strategy. This designation demonstrates the country’s commitment to increasing access to safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation and ensures it is a primary focus of the U.S. government’s investments to build a more water-secure world.

Looking Forward

Moving forward, USAID will continue to work hand-in-hand with the Philippine government to reach its vision of a water-secure future where all Filipinos have the safe and sustainable water supply and sanitation services they need to thrive and prosper. Learn more in the High-Priority Country Plan.

Photo Credits: USAID/Philippines