Philippines seeks World Bank funding for water, solid waste projects

THE PHILIPPINES is seeking funding from the World Bank for a water, sanitation, and solid waste management project, the bank said.

The Philippines Accelerated Water and Sanitation Project is targeted for approval by the bank’s board on March 30, according to a document uploaded to the bank’s website on Feb. 2.

The project cost is $268.84 million, with the departments of Public Works and Highways  and Interior and Local Government (DILG) serving as implementing agencies.

The project hopes “to increase access to safely managed water supply and sanitation services and improve the performance of water service providers in selected areas of the Philippines,” the World Bank said.

In a separate report, the Philippines is also aiming to obtain a $1.07-billion loan from the World Bank to improve waste management and reduce plastic pollution in the National Capital Region.

The Clean Metro Manila project is estimated to be approved by the board in November with the project cost estimated at $1.07 billion, the bank said in a Jan. 30 report.

Implementing agencies are the DILG, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

“The first phase of Clean Philippines multiphase programmatic approach will cover Metro Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR), including all of its 17 LGUs (local government units),” it said.

The NCR encompasses 17 LGUs and 1,710 barangays, with 14 million inhabitants.

Solid waste volumes are expected to reach P23.6 million tons by 2025, particularly organic waste and plastics, the bank said, noting poor waste-disposal practices, declining waste-management capacity, and limited plastic-processing capacity.

“Barangays are responsible for solid waste collection but are constrained by the lack of funds and collection trucks,” the World Bank said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante