SGRA in English

(In order of submission; as of April 14, 2012)
SEMINAR PROGRAM
VENUE MAP

1. Innovative Rainwater Harvesting System (IRHS) : A Practical Option to Climate Change, Water Crisis and Disaster “Filipino Technology of Converting Rainwater into Clean, Potable, Alkaline Drinking Water” by Dr. Antonio Mateo (National Research Council of the Philippines, National Social Action Council Filipino Inventors)
2. The Migration Link Between Urban and Rural Poor Communities: Looking at Giant Leaps and Small Steps by Dr. Max Maquito (UP SOLAIR, SGRA)
3. Sustainable Agriculture as an E-Cube Approach to Alleviating the Urban and Rural Poverty Problem by Dr. Max Maquito (UP SOLAIR, SGRA)
4. Ethics and Governance Issues in Sustainability in Asia: Literature Review and Research Proposals by Dr. Aliza Racelis (UP College of Business Administration)
5. Mas Matuninong: Naga City-Pamaplona Camarines Sur Shared Urban-Rural Growth by Prof. Cecilia Villanueva (UP School of Urban and Regional Planning)
6. Community-Life School Model for Sustainable Agriculture Based Rural Development by Dr. Jose Medina and Dr. Rowena Dela Torre-Baconguis (UP Los Banos Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and College of Public Affairs)
7. Understanding Water Districts in the Philippines by CPA Columbus Maquito (SGRA) and Dr. Max Maquito (UP SOLAIR, SGRA)
8. Humanizing Socialized Resettlement Housing Programs: A Challenge Towards Sustainability Practices in Urban and Rural Communities by Architect Stephanie Gilles (UP College of Architecture)
9. Towards Sustainable Landscapes, Guidelines for Regulating Aesthetics and Environmental Quality of the Landscapes (Case Study: Lakeshore Town of Tanay, Rizal) by Architect Maria Mynn Alfonso (United Architects of the Philippines)
10.How do we know if it’s time for Plan B? (Determining failure or success of community-based climate change adaptation programs in building disaster resiliency) by Prof. Romeo Santos (UP College of Architecture)
11. Sustainability of the Sardine Fishery in Zamboanga: A Bioeconomic Approach by Prof. Jovi Dacanay (UA&P School of Economics)
12. Design Against the Elements (DATE) by Architects Ma. Esperanza Valencia and Paolo Abelita (United Architects of the Philippines)
13. Sustainable Sites by Ms. Minerva Rosel (United Architects of the Philippines)
14. Urban Renewal Taking Into Consideration Disaster Risk Reduction by Prof. Michael Tomeldan (UP College of Architecture)
15. Improving Water Supply and Sanitation in 29 Agrarian Reform Communities by Dir. Susana Evangelista-Leones and Ma. Soledad Peralta (DAR Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Development)
16. Good Dignity Practices for Gross Domestic Product (GDP for GDP) Advocacy Campaign by Dir. Lyn Capistrano (Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation)
17. Poverty, Development, and Regeneration of Community-Based Resources by Prof. Toru Nakanishi (University of Tokyo)
18. The Organic and Natural Food Movement in North America, Asia, the Philippines and Community Participation by Prof. Virginia Teodosio (UP SOLAIR) and Ms. Desiree Segovia (Food Bowl Market Convenor's Group)
19. Barangay Integrated Development Action in Kapangan Towards Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (BIDA KA WASH) by Atty. Roberto Canuto (Mayor of Kapangan, Benguet Province) and Dr. Jane Toribio (Municipal Agrarian Reform)
20. Potential of Container Housing in the Philippines by Architect Josefina De Asis (UP College of Architecture)
21. Green Challenges in a Brown Philippine Economy by Dr. Rene Ofreneo (UP SOLAIR)
22. Controlling Particulate Matter and Volatile Organic Compounds in Design and Construction by Arch. Raymond Andrew Sih (UP College of Architecture)
23. Environment, Aesthetics, and Scale by Prof. Hans Peder Pedersen (Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning + Western Mindanao State University)

Environment, Aesthetics, and Scale

The fundamental attitude of an architect, and in my opinion as well, is AESTHETIC. However, my use of the term is not limited to the common understanding as related to beauty. The word is originally Greek and means SENSE. That is sense of time and space in the actual scale. Thus it's different if the subject is housing design or a large scale urban environmental planning. I will illustrate these through examples of my own work as building designer and urban environmental planner.

DESIGN
The buildings are small scale and easy to relate to directly. Topography, hydrology, vegetation etc. can be experienced on site spatially as inspiration to the design.
The houses in this show are in a rural setting in Palawan and local materials, skills and habits etc. are the foundations for the development and choice of architecture and technology.

PLANNING
Zamboanga is a coastal town with a hinterland of mountains traditionally covered with virgin forests. However the rainforest is dilapidated and the coastal zone exploited. Mangroves are cut for fuel and vast areas are converted into fishponds. Both areas could, if properly planned and developed contribute to a coherent sustainable space.

RAINFOREST REHABILITATION. The project shows a sustainable way of expanding the rainforest and by suitability zoning allows eco tourism and other functions near the sensible forest areas.
This proposal is developed in cooperation with Jocelyn Francisco uap.

COASTAL MANAGEMENT. The proposal shows a rehabilitation and integrated urban environmental development. The setting is in these projects are large in scale. Although the environmental aspects are basically the same, they need a different more abstract methodology related to the larger scale. The presentation will discuss the possibility to maintain a spatial sense even when dealing with large-scale projects.

Controlling Particulate Matter and Volatile Organic Compounds in Design and Construction

More and more Filipinos are exposed to airborne pollutants from synthetic substances, power equipment, furnishings, and finishes in the built environment.
Particulate Matter has been linked to asthma and decreased lung function, however only particulate matter from the fuel combustion is directly regulated. Volatile organic compounds found in some synthetic materials react with sunlight and atmospheric nitrogen oxide to form ground level ozone that irritates, weakens, and damages the lungs, however Volatile Organic Compounds found in furnishings and finishes are rarely addressed. Air pollution-related illnesses such as acute lower respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis and heart disease are already the primary causes of morbidity and mortality in the country.
Greater attention must be given to pollutant source control in the built environment to avoid poor environmental quality extending over time, as well as the resulting discomfort, health problems, absenteeism, and decrease in productivity. While more specific regulation with appropriate technical requirements and standards is needed, some organizations have already chosen to voluntarily adopt international and more recently established local standards to control air pollution within their project boundaries. There are opportunities in the design and construction of the built environment to control sources of air pollutants.

Keywords: Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, pollutant source control, indoor air quality, environmental quality, air pollutants, design, construction, built environment

Green Challenges in a Brown Philippine Economy

The Philippines, a low GHG emitter, is in the world's short list of the most vulnerable
to climate change risks. However, the country also has a very degraded environment due to poor socio-economic policies and past development failures, which have resulted in chronic and massive poverty, inequality and unemployment/underemployment.

The paper argues that the Philippines has no choice but to go green and greener -- for survival and sustainability as well as job creation and poverty eradication. This means going beyond the program of growing the green sector of renewables, reforestation and rehabilitation. Existing industrial, agricultural and service sectors should go greener. And one must add the habitat nationwide.

But for all this to happen, one must overhaul the existing development paradigms, which are at the roots of environmental degradation and the persistence of poverty and inequality in the country. Such an overhaul has serious social, political and IR/HRM implications.

Seminar 14 Slides
Seminar 14 Discussion Paper
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Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo is Professor XII and Former Dean of the School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR), University of the Philippines. Dr. Ofreneo has a Certificate in Development Economics, an MA in Industrial Relations and a PhD in Philippines Studies (Labor and Economy).

He served as an Undersecretary for Labor Relations in the Philippine Department of Labor Employment in 1997-98, at the height of the Asian financial crisis. In this capacity, he handled big labor disputes involving the automotive, electronics, aviation, banking, education and power industries.

He has written extensively on the labor and industrial relations issues in Asia. He sits in the board of several journals dealing with labor and management issues in the Asia-Pacific such as The Journal of Industrial Relations (Sydney) and the Asia-Pacific Review (London). The Bangkok Office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) is publishing his Integrative Report on East Asia: IR Challenges in Globalizing Labour Markets (forthcoming), a survey of changing industrial relations landscape in East Asia, with special focus on “labour flexibility” and labor law reforms. He participated in the ILO’s Fair Globalization project as a consultant for the Manila Dialogue as a participant in the Bangkok Regional Dialogue and as a contributor to the Geneva study group (on inclusion/exclusion). The UNDP and UNCTAD have also engaged his research services. He is three-time recipient of the “International Publication Award” of the University of the Philippines.

His services as IR lecturer or researcher have also been tapped from time to time by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), various Philippine government agencies and the ILO Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok offices. He assisted the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in the organization of the 1st ASEAN Social Forum (November 2008) and in the conduct in Manila of ASEAN consultations with the national ang regional CSOs on the ASEAN Charter (2006-2007).

An active voluntary arbitrator, he has been promoting voluntary modes of dispute settlement as better modes of resolving industrial disputes.

Dr. Ofreneo can be reached at his mobile (+63) 917-835-0682; home (+63) 435-9098; Office (+63) 920-7717; and email: reneofreneo@yahoo.com, reneofreneo@gmail.com.

Potential of Container Housing in the Philippines

While it is uncertain where the concept of Container Housing originated or who first thought of recycling shipping containers into structural shells of livable units, the fact remains that at present, it is a concept widely canvassed worldwide. Numerous examples may be found of utilizing this material as a stand-alone livable unit or used in combination as a Medium-Rise Building.

Advocates of utilizing this material as building block for construction have enumerated its positive qualities. However, it is important to note that shipping containers, as a livable space, is not a perfect material, particularly with its responsiveness to the hot-humid climate of the Philippines. Still, it is possible that the advantages of utilizing this unit outweigh any disadvantages.

The study investigates whether Container Housing is a feasible solution to the housing needs of the urban poor in the Philippine setting by comparing it with conventional Medium-Rise Housing. Comparison is focused on Engineering Issues, Thermal Comfort, Alteration Issues, and Tentative Construction Cost to be able to provide an overview on the performance of Container Housing when viewed against the conventional Medium-Rise Housing.

Keywords: Medium-Rise Housing, shipping containers, recycling, urban poor housing

Seminar 14 Slides
Seminar 14 Discussion Paper
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Arch. Josefina Santos de Asis finished BS Architecture from the University of the Philippines. Since late 2010, she took up the post of a faculty from the Department of Architecture and Drafting Technology of the Technological Institute of the Philippines. She is currently pursuing her graduate thesis for the Master of Architecture, Major in Housing program of the College of Architecture, University of the Philippines.

Barangay Integrated Development Action in Kapangan Towards Water, Sanitation and Hygiene(BIDA KA WASH)

BIDA KA WASH is about the ingenuity of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Kapangan, Barangay Officials, Government line agencies, NGOs, People’s Organizations and the community people working harmoniously towards development and prosperity by empowering the community through improved basic social services in an ecologically balanced environment mainstreaming skills development on low-cost WASH technologies with emphasis on ferro-cement construction technique. This paper is also about the investment sharing scheme among the stakeholders, in order to augment the limited resources of the LGU that made the project possible. The establishment of the basic facilities, such as, spring box, 4 cubic meter capacity water tanks, filters and biogas digesters meant sufficient and safe water supply and improved sanitation to community people. Trained local craftsmen on ferro-cement technology will have the opportunity to earn as builders of WASH facilities in nearby communities.

Seminar 14 Slides
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------------------------------
Jane D. Toribio, PhD
Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO)
+63908-144-8538
jdt_atok09@yahoo.com
kapanganlgu@yahoo.com

1. For PPT and Full Paper
1.1. Written in English (non-English words should be translated to English)
1.2. Electronic file must be no more than 1 GB. Our mail inbox at yahoo.com could only take at most about 25 MB, so please use a digital courier for larger files, such as those listed below
https://www.yousendit.com/
http://www.dropsend.com/index.php
1.3. must be related to the seminar theme
1.4. must be generally comprehensible to non-specialists
1.5. file must be readable in Windows OS
1.6. the file will be compiled on an online version of the seminar proceedings (in color) as early as the end of May 2012 (through the SGRA server in Tokyo)--the seminar organizers will be free to re-format the received files based on their constraints
1.7 please include a short profile of the author(s)--be sure to include ways for seminar participants to get in touch with the author(s), e.g., e-mails, FaceBook sites, websites
1.8. deadline for presentation PPT and/or full paper is on April 12, 2012 (final versions for documents to be compiled in the seminar proceedings are due on May 12, 2012)
1.9. please plan for a 20-minute presentation, unless otherwise informed

2. For the presentation PPT, no additional guideline is required other than those mentioned in 1 above

3. For the presentation full paper, some additional guidelines are
3.1. must be in MS Word (editable)
3.2. as much as possible, use MLA or APA formats (please refer to the following links, respectively)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

The Organic and Natural Food Movement in North America, Asia, the Philippines and Community Participation

For industrial relations to move forward as an academic discipline in the 21st century, it must uniquely contribute to the multidisciplinary theory of work. This paper aims to draw attention to the importance of rethinking work that shapes societal changes in a profound way in the context of the unprecedented growth and significant gains of the organic and natural food movement in the global economy, in general, and the Philippines , in particular. The movement can be conceptualized as a social relation in which the context of work is emphasized towards seeing the world as shaped by social networks, norms, institutions and socially constructed power relations. Organic agriculture mitigates climate change, it brings together a broad range of issues relating to health, natural disasters, food and water security, natural resource management, technology innovations and has become center stage in international development circles. The country’s indigenous people have lived in and with nature for generations. Their culture allows them to utilize resources properly. This paper explores the social relations at work in the process of strengthening Philippine organic industry, the conservation of natural resources diversity and in transforming social structures that underpin various forms of vulnerability and inequality with various service providers, developmental partners and stakeholders.

Seminar 14 Slides
SGRA is a non-profit, non-government organization. We need your help by properly acknowledging any benefit you might have obtained from downloading materials from this website. SGRA E-MAIL .

Virginia A. Teodosio, Ph.D.
Phd in Economics, M.I.R. (Master of Industrial Relations) AB Economics
Professor
email: vatedosio@up.edu.ph

Dr. Maria Virginia Alon Teodosio is a Ph.D. graduate of the University of Sydney major in Political Economy in 1990. She was awarded three scholarships while studying: The University of Sydney Postgraduate Research Award, 1983-1988; the Frank Coaldrake Traveling Scholarship, 1985 and the Rotary Club of Blacktown City, NSW Bursary Recipient, 1984. Dr. Teodosio received an Alumni Award for Achievement from the International House (IH), The University of Sydney in 1992. She was IH president in 1984. She finished her first degree in Economics at the UP School of Economics. Two recent fellowships include the World Bank E-Learning Courses on Gender, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, April 2007, and Trade and Gender, February 2008.

Currently, Dr. Teodosio is Professor at the UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations. She taught previously at Maryknoll College, 1982, as Senior Lecturer; Professorial Lecturer, at the Ateneo de Manila , 1991, and at the UP Department of Political Science., 1988 to 1991.

Dr. Teodosio served as board member of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), 2005-2008. She was founding Director of the Philippine Cooperative Center, 1990, and Director, Women in Shelter and its Environment, 1997-2000. Presently, she is Chairperson of the UP Employees Housing Cooperative (UPEHCO), which she founded in 1990, the country’s first housing cooperative registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). UPEHCO is the only primary cooperative that is a member of the National Housing Cooperative Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Committee. UPEHCO chairs the 2012 International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) National Steering Committee, Ways and Means. UPEHCO will also chair the country’s First National Housing Cooperative: Forum: Building for a Sustainable Environment in June 2012.

Dr. Teodosio was a member of the United Nations Group of Experts on Cooperatives in April 2009 held in New York who drafted the UN resolution for the 2012 IYC.

In 2000, Dr. Teodosio was appointed Member of the Board of the Cooperative Development Authority as a Presidential Appointee. During her term, she was convenor of the First National Summit of Women in Cooperatives in 2003 and in the various regions in succeeding years.

The publications of Dr. Teodosio are in at least 500 libraries worldwide. Her most recent publications are in renewable energy, social capital, agricultural cooperatives, women and the world of work and the organic food movement. In 2008, she got a grant from UNESCO Paris to research and write about Cooperatives, Social Capital and the Shaping of State Transformation. Her public seminars are on microfinance, motivation, older workers, women in HR, work-life balance, transformational leadership, team building, wellness, cultural intelligence, advocacy techniques and on cooperative enterprise building.

Dr. Teodosio represented the country in 22 nation states and was Vice-Chair of the Network for the Development of Agricutural Cooperatives in Asia-Pacific in 2005-2008. The network is chaired by India.

In the next 12 months, Dr. Teodosio’s team will be at the forefront in building agro-industrial estates that are majority owned by farmers’ cooperatives in post conflict areas. The business is to export pickled gherkins and coconut water. Some 3.5 million farmers are dependent on the coconut industry whose upsurge in the market is worth US$ 20 billion. Hundreds of thousands of farmers will benefit in the scheme. Finally, the Office of the President has endorsed UPEHCO’s environmental youth camps in 25 provinces. The structures that will be built are made of rammed earth and will be a major agenda for the celebration of the International Youth Day in August 2012

Sustainable SItes

Sustainable Sites is one of the five main points in green building. The paper presents general principles of planning and green architecture in the Philippine setting, for the purpose of bringing the concept of sustainable development and green building design closer to the general public. It also highlights the almost forgotten values of homegrown passive cooling techniques and tropical design practices. While the professions of Architecture and Environmental Planning can be considered relatively young in this third world country, much of green building principles can be learned from our vernacular architecture, which existed long before our educational system was established and western standards became Filipino standards.

The presentation begins with an overview of planning as a discipline and as a concerted effort, its importance and consequences if taken for granted. There cannot be a green building without a sustainable site, which can only result from adherence to the planning process. In the advent of climate change and global warming awareness, we need to be reminded that calamites are only natural occurrences that turn into disasters when human settlements are involved. The design of settlements, and their site selection to begin with, are crucial for coping and survival.

The reduction of carbon footprint can be substantially addressed through an improved public transportation system that is complemented by pedestrian infrastructure and buildings as well. Thus, we need to be mindful of architecture and spatial planning that are biased against pedestrians, taking our tropical climate as an utmost consideration. More importantly, we also need to revisit the principles and innovate the techniques learned from our vernacular architecture to achieve energy efficiency in buildings. Surprisingly, these design solutions are quite simple, direct and practical.

Man is resilient. We may not have a chance to alter the course of nature, but there is always opportunity to turn a hindrance into a resource. Earth, as they say, is our only planet. Perhaps it is about time to stop treating land as “property” and start shifting our mindset from ownership to stewardship.

Seminar 14 Slides
SGRA is a non-profit, non-government organization. We need your help by properly acknowledging any benefit you might have obtained from downloading materials from this website. SGRA E-MAIL .

Poverty, Development, and Regeneration of Community-Based Resources

In this paper, we would like to clarify the fact that our society needs poverty referring two cases, that is, the Fukushima nuclear power plants accidents in 2011 in Japan and Genetically Modified Organism.

First, Fukushima nuclear power plants accidents revealed that Japanese society needs unskilled laborers who have routinely worked inside the nuclear reactors in the 54 nuclear power plants in Japan. These laborers definitely belong to the low-income bracket. It is a surprising fact that most Japanese did not recognize that their high standard of living has been heavily depended on the lives of such a small number of laborers.

While the situations seem apparently completely different, the issues on GMOs have almost the same logical structure as that of the Fukushima Case. Since no rich people in the developed countries intend to ingest GM food, GMOs-related companies find markets in the poor which is largely in the developing countries. Throughout the process of penetration of GMOs in the developing countries, the interpersonal relationships among the farmers are cut off. It means that the rich need the poor who can ingest GM food.

Then, we would like to discuss that the key to realize the society which does not need poverty can be found in the regeneration of the community-based resources. While it seems still difficult to find the key in the Fukushima Case, we can find it in sharing the really promising experiences of the development of organic agriculture in the Philippines.

Seminar 14 Slides
SGRA is a non-profit, non-government organization. We need your help by properly acknowledging any benefit you might have obtained from downloading materials from this website. SGRA E-MAIL .

Toru Nakanishi, Ph.D. (Docor of Economics)
Professor
Development Studies
International Relations
the University of Tokyo

1989 Research Associate, International University of Japan
1991 Associate Professer, Faculty of Economics, Hokkaido University
1993 Associate Professer, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo
2001 Professor, International Relations,
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo

Selected Publications
"The Labour Market in the Urban Informal Sector: The Case of the Philippines"，The Developing Economies, Vol.28, No.3，Institute of Developing Economies, 1990.
Economics of Slum, University of Tokyo Press, 1991.(in Japanese)
"Urban Informal Sector in the Philippines," Journal of Economics, vol. 61 no.6, Faculty of Economics, the University of Tokyo, 1995.(in Japanese)
"Comparative Study on Informal Labor Markets in Urbanization Process," Developing Economies, vol.34, no.4., 1996.
The Urban Metropolis in Asia: Manila, Nakanishi,Toru, et. al. eds.,
Nihon-Hyoron-Sha, 2001.(in Japanese)
Metro Manila: In Search of a Sustainable Future, with Tatsuo Omachi and Emerlinda R. Ramon, University of the Philippine Press, 2002.
"Hidden Community Development among the Urban Poor: Informal Settlers in Metro Manila," Policy and Society, vol. 25 no.4., 2006.
Human Security, with Yamakage, Susumu et. al., University of Tokyo Press, 2008.(in Japanese)
"Organic Agriculture and Community-Based Resources," Advanced Social and International Studies, International Relations, University of Tokyo, vol.61.
, 2012 forthcoming (in Japanese)