Collaborative Governance Towards

Sustainable River Development:

The Prospects of Calapan River Park Development in
Oriental Mindoro
Authors: Dr. Rene M. Colocar & Juliepearl Brion*
City College of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro

*presenter | Asst. Professor I

 “Collaborative” governance,
an emerging paradigm of public management and policy
implementation, centers on
multi-stakeholders cooperation and
shared governance
in carrying out public projects. This new governance paradigm
manifested itself in most highly complex and diverse contemporary
issues, which cannot be resolved by a single actor alone

-- Huxham, 2000
Most community planning and management issues in modern society
necessitate a
meaningful community engagement
with stakeholders to achieve the goals of
sustainable development

-- Rydin, 2003
 Collaborative governance, in other words focuses on
“bringing public and private stakeholders
together in a collective forums
with public agencies to engage in
consensus-oriented decision making,”
-- Ansell and Gash, 2008
The Case of Calapan River Park Development

UNIQUE
aspect of collaborative governance
The Case of Calapan River Park Development

UNIQUE
aspect of collaborative governance

1st
consensus building member barangays state actors

2nd various community

overall consensus mostly non-state actors
stakeholders

COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE
The Case of Calapan River Park Development

UNIQUE
aspect of collaborative governance

1 consensus building and collaborative network

actors – the barangays – before

2
among equally mandated and independent state

a more general collaboration and

engagement with non-state
stakeholders take place
The Case of Calapan River Park Development

UNIQUE
aspect of collaborative governance

1 In the case of a very limited if not absence of,

interference or facilitation by a higher state actor (the city
government), how do equally independent state actors
(the barangays) build consensus among themselves to
collaboratively plan and manage a citywide community
development project, which is mostly beyond their
political jurisdiction?
The Case of Calapan River Park Development

UNIQUE
aspect of collaborative governance

2 How does such consensus-building eventually trickle

down to non-state actors such as community
stakeholders, engaging them and enlisting their support
to eventually arrive at a completely collaborative process
of community planning?
Calapan River is a 4.2 km inland
waterway stretching from the
following urban and rural
barangays:
Masipit, Tawiran, Guinobatan,
Lalud, Lumangbayan, Camilmil,
Sto. Nino, San Vicente East, Ilaya,
Ibaba East, San Vicente North, San
Vicente West, Tibag, and Ibaba
West.
Calapan River is a 4.2 km inland
waterway stretching from the
following urban and rural
barangays:
Masipit, Tawiran, Guinobatan,
Lalud, Lumangbayan, Camilmil,
Sto. Nino, San Vicente East, Ilaya,
Ibaba East, San Vicente North, San
Vicente West, Tibag, and Ibaba
West.
ISSUE
POLLUTION
ISSUE
POLLUTION
POTENTAL
not tapped
River
Transport
System
POTENTAL
not tapped
River
Tourism

Source: Transportation TXST

twitter account
River development falls under the jurisdiction and mandate of the city
government or in the case of dredging and other maintenance, the
DPWH;

Initiatives from the barangay leadership, particularly coming from those

directly affected and potential beneficiaries of such development is
neither entirely unlawful nor unwarranted to say the least. In this
particular case, 27 out of the total 62 barangays of Calapan City have
taken the initiative to collaborate among themselves to formulate a
common policy objectives of the river development.
The 27 barangays are those having territorial jurisdiction or adjacent to
the river and directly affected by its risks and opportunities. Their
common policy objectives on river development include:

• To maintain the cleanliness of the river both physically and

aesthetically;
• To utilize the river as a transport system;
• To develop touristic activities and facilities along the river;
• To augment existing programs and activities of member barangays
and utilize partnerships with stakeholders such as government and
non-government agencies and institutions.
Ansell and Gash Model of Collaborative Governance
Collaborative Governance Framework
The Case of Calapan River Park Development The Model in Practice:
UNIQUE The Calapan River Park Development
aspect of collaborative governance
Policy Framework Formulation
 Potentials and initial scenario:

• The barangays around Calapan River have a

potential for high passenger traffic due to the fact
that residential, institutional, and commercial
areas are near the Calapan River bank;
• Information dissemination for proper solid waste
management of the city government can be
reinforced through barangay initiative;
• Regular clean-up drive is not only done by
barangays surrounding the river but with other
barangays as well through barangay sisterhood
system;
• Local fiber glass boat manufacturer could provide
the boats and operation of the river transport
system

Calapan River Map

Member Barangays of CALAPAN RIVER PARK Development Program
5,000
4,500
4,000
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0

2010 Official Total Population Number of Households

2010 Population of Member Barangays

(City Government of Calapan, 2015)
 Density (Population/has)
300

250

200

150

100

50

Density (Population/has)

Population Density of Member Barangays

(City Government of Calapan, 2015)
60

50

40

30 RESIDENTIAL

20 COMMERCIAL
INDUSTRIAL
10
AGRICULTURAL
0 SPECIAL

Land Classification of Member Urban Barangays around

Calapan River (in ha)
• Ordinance/resolution on the regular clean-up drive:
• Clean-up drive (river bank barangays)
• Clean-up drive support (outskirt barangays)

• Memorandum of Agreement between City College of Calapan and the Calapan River
Park Development for Community Extension Services and research for sustainability
of the program. Another Memorandum of Agreement for sister barangays for activity
implementation. The MOA will depend on the local requirements.

• Continuing Technical Education for possible offshoot programs of CALAPAN RIVER

PARK DEVELOPMENT. This could include water hyacinth crafts development, river
tourism, and river transport development.

• Participation in fairs and marts to promote Calapan River and possible ancillary
developmental activities.
 • Partnership with Magma Fiberglass Boats who will
operate the boating activities along the developed sector
Phase 1: Low-budget development
Period: 3-6 months
• Barangay sisterhood system in the implementation of
Budget: 51K per barangay
activities such as in river cleaning drive, information
dissemination, and capacity building activities
List of developments:
Maintenance of cleanliness of the river through: (~6K/year)
• Net straining system per barangay sector to strain
• Adopting existing City programs to Calapan River for
solid waste
stronger community impact
• Information dissemination to partner barangays in
collaboration with programs of City Environment and
• Partnership with the City College of Calapan in community
Natural Resources Office (CENRO) (~5K/year)
extension service and research (~10k/year)
• Urban gardening along riverbanks aligning with the
City Agriculture’s program (~30K/year). This includes
training, organic fertilizers and other equipment and
materials for planting.
Phase 2: Mid-budget development
Period: 1-2 years
Operation of boating activities such as: (c/o Magma)
Budget: 1-2 M
• kayaking
• paddle boarding
List of developments:
• river cruising
Construction and improvement of port of
Partnership with private enterprise in the development of
embarkation/disembarkation at sites identified as traffic
riverside park facilities a
concentrations: (~1M for 6 ports)
• At the back of OMNHS
• Lalud – under the Lalud bridge
• under management of OMNHS
• Camilmil – Del Rosario Street
• under management of Col. Alberto
• Camilmil – Sitio Viva Pag-asa
• At the back of Del Rosario Street
• Camilmil – Sitio Hidden Village
• At the side of Calapan Public Market
• San Vicente East – at the back of OMNHS
• San Vicente North – at the side of city market
• San Vicente West – at the back of Brgy Hall
 ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT
< INSERT BARANGAY
LOGO HERE > Calapan River Park Adventure

Month of July 2017

Name: ___________________ Barangay: __________________

Quarterly assessment meetings will be conducted

to monitor and evaluate the implementation of DATE FUNCTION OUTPUT

program. Each member barangays will provide the

chairman accomplishment report to ensure that
the objectives of the program are met.

Any barangay which does not submit

Accomplishment Report may be subject to
discontinued income from boat
transport operation.
Prepared and Submitted by:

<Name of Barangay Councilor>

levels of consensus building that needs to be established in order for
collaborative governance to succeed

Level 1consensus between the state-to-state actors

Level 2state-to-non-state stakeholders’ engagement
 consensus has been reached throughout the
By ensuring that

overall collaborative process, successful

collaborative governance could be on its way
Collaborative Governance Towards
Sustainable River Development:
The Prospects of Calapan River Park Development in
Oriental Mindoro
Authors: Dr. Rene M. Colocar & Juliepearl Brion*
City College of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro

*presenter | Asst. Professor I