Sustainable Lipa Project

Lipa is an inland urban growth hub not only for the Batangas Province, but also for the National Capital- Region, experiencing in-migrating economic investment with a significant number of new commercial and residential businesses being established in recent years, with a population of 218,447 in 2000.

Visually dominated by Mt Malarayat, Lipa is situated at an elevation of 1,025 feet above sea level with a predominantly agricultural economy based upon coffee, hog and poultry farming. The city consists of 72 barangays, 12 of which are in the poblacion (city proper) and 60 are suburbs. The Mayor, elected by direct majority vote, is the Chief Executive. A City Council, comprising of elected City Councilors, serves as the legislature.

The Sustainable Cities Programme was implemented in the Philippines through the “Strengthening Local Environmental Planning and Management” (L-EPM) Project by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the League of Cities in the Philippines (LCP). The Project was established to strengthen the Local Government Units (LGUs) and enhance their capacities for participatory environmental planning and management at the local level, whilst enhancing the capability of national institutions like DENR and the -LCP- to support LGUs in EPM. Through the financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN-HABITAT, the three year programme was implemented through a Project Management Coordinating Unit (PMCU) established in the DENR, in partnership with the LCP.

Lipa City was chosen as one of three demonstration cities of the Local-EPM Project, based on a selection process conducted by the Project Steering Committee (PSC), Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (IA-TWG) and the Project Management Coordinating Unit (PMCU). The project was launched in December 1998 after the Mayor signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the project implementation, committing to enhance the city government’s capabilities by pioneering the integration of environmental planning and management within the city organizations. Whilst the Local-EPM project ended in the first quarter of 2002, a Cooperation Agreement between UN-HABITAT and The Asian Institute of Management was forged in January 2006, facilitating a second phase of support to document L-EPM experiences amongst the Lipa partners, and review opportunities to mainstream lessons learned in the Local Government Units (LGUs).

Overview of L-EPM in Lipa

1. Environmental Profile
2. City Consultation
3. Key Environmental Issues and Demonstration Projects
4. Results and Lesson Learned
   

 

Key Contacts and Associates

Pusod: www.pusod.org
Metro Lipa Water District: www.metrolipawd.com
Center for Development Management-Asian Institute of Management: www.aim.edu.ph
Office of the City Planning and Development Coordination Officer (CPDO) ( under development)
Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (City-ENRO) ( under development)