Before The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, also known as the enactment of Republic Act No. 9003 in January 2001, Marawi City in Mindanao, Philippines, was known as a city that struggled with widespread garbage issues.

Public areas were often littered with waste, making the city not only unsightly, but also posing significant environmental and health hazards. The introduction of the Act was a turning point, promising the implementation of an ecological solid waste management program across all local governments, and offering hope for a cleaner and safer city. 

The local government in Marawi City established a dumpsite in front of the national high school, Racman Pimping Maniri Dumarpa (RPMD). While the Act served as a catalyst for positive change by mandating local units to establish ecological solid waste management programs, the location chosen by Marawi’s local government for the dumpsite was not ideal. Placing a dumpsite in front of a school did not only make the area unpleasant but also distracted students and teachers from their educational activities due to the stench.

A Parent Brings Attention to the School’s Health Crisis

Additionally, it posed significant environmental and health risks for both pupils and teachers. This situation persisted for 21 long years despite numerous efforts by parents and other concerned individuals. It wasn’t until the Centre for Youth Advocacy and Networking highlighted the issue through a problem-solving session that it gained the necessary attention.

A parent of one of the students in RPMD National High school reached out to a popular public-persecution show in the Philippines, hoping that media coverage would encourage the government to take suitable action, unfortunately the effort was unsuccessful. 

After a year of her persistent media interaction regarding the issue, it was finally brought up again during a problem-solving session by Multiply-Ed (X-Ed), a programme that is being implemented by CYAN and supported by Education Out Loud in October 2022.The major approach of The Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking (CYAN) for improving governance and public policies is to enhance participatory monitoring involving citizens in checking government performance through easy-to-use monitoring tools.

CYAN carries out the monitoring at three different levels: 

1. School Level Monitoring,

2. Sub National Level Monitoring

3. National Level Monitoring.

The issue of the dumpsite being in front of the school and disrupting the classes because of its health impact was highlighted again by Asnor Pangilamun, a Student Volunteer for Multiply Ed during a problem sharing event, which CYAN carries out to consolidate the results of their overall monitoring. The main purpose of carrying out such a problem sharing event is to gather and highlight the context-based issues which they could further present in the Problem Solving and Sharing session.

Asnor Pangilamun highlighted the issue of the dumpsite where representative from Ministry of Interior and Local Governance (MILG) were present along with other stakeholders such as the School Division Unit in Marawi and Marawi Local Government Unit. 

He stated,

"As a primary concern, many people have fallen ill. When the garbage was still present near our school, the odor caused health issues, such as heart weakness and illnesses brought by insects. Many elderly individuals also became sick as the smell reached almost every part of our village. There were times when the dumpsite would catch fire, and the smoke would linger for a week, causing people to leave the area... “

- Asnor Pangilamun, Supreme Secondary Learner Government (SSLG) Secretary of RPMD, and a resident of Papandayan

CYAN Fights for Change: Student has the Right to a Healthy Learning Environment

Representatives from RPMD National High School also attended the session alongside the volunteers. Their presence was crucial as they could confirm the main issues having experienced it firsthand. CYAN provided a safe space for the volunteers to share the issues as well as for the duty bearers to accept the feedback as a mechanism of constructive accountability. One of the key strategies they used is setting the expectations with the authorities and providing them with a safe premise which won’t feel like a fault-finding space, rather a platform where they can understand the issues clearly and provide a commitment for change.

Thus, during the problem-solving session in October 2022, where the dumpsite issue was presented with supporting evidence, the Ministry of Interior and Local Governance committed to relocating the dumpsite by December 2022. However, the ministry was unable to fulfill this commitment.

When the promised result was not achieved, CYAN became persistent in putting pressure on the authorities. They followed up on the commitment multiple times through ministry visitations and courtesy meetings. Persistence was another strategy they adopted to bring about the change. They didn’t stop after getting the promise from the duty bearers, rather continued their determination of relocating the dumpsite. 

“X-Ed made a huge difference as they became the key to solving the biggest problem not only for our school but for our entire village…

X-Ed visited several schools in Marawi City, including ours, to identify problems, and unexpectedly they became the solution we were hoping for."

- Asnor Pangilamun, Supreme Secondary Learner Government (SSLG) Secretary of RPMD, and a resident of Papandayan

CYAN Leads the Way for a Safe Environment in the Philippines

As a result of their unwavering advocacy and relentless follow-ups with the authorities, the Multiply Ed team successfully championed the relocation of dumpsite. Their consistent efforts, driven by a deep commitment to the well-being of students, teachers and the surrounding communities, ultimately led to this significant change, ensuring a healthier and safer environment for all.

Leizl Adame, Executive Director, CYAN Philippines, states,

“The change was possible due to vertical integration, an approach that they have been using in their initiative, and engagement at different levels of decision making including the communities.  Empowering the citizens who are experiencing the issues to proclaim their spaces by raising concerns and pushing for better alternatives was a key to the achievement. Another significant effort is evidence-based advocacy, which in this case was boosted by the monitoring we carry in schools.”  

- Leizl Adame, Executive Director, CYAN Philippines, states.

The 21 yearlong battle, finally came to an end with CYAN’s strategy of participatory monitoring and involving the students, teachers and community themselves to fight for their rights. These 21 years are the testament to the resilience and perseverance of those who refused to withstand the substandard conditions. CYAN has once again demonstrated, through their unwavering efforts and dedication, that change is possible.