With various systemic problems affecting the country today, more and more companies and organizations are looking into the power of partnerships or collective action as an effective approach to help address national issues.

The business sector-led Water Alliance is one such example of a multi-stakeholder convergence. Initiated by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the Water Alliance was established last year bringing together CEOs of top corporations to help solve problems on water security, which will be more severe given the growth of the population and the economy and the effects of climate change on the country.

Edgar Chua, Chairman of the Shell companies in the Philippines and of the Water Alliance, is hoping that more organizations and even individuals will join the cause, banking on the world-renowned Filipino trait of bayanihan or collective action to help achieve their goals.

“The Water Alliance was formed to bring together like-minded groups and individuals to make the whole country aware that there is a water crisis which will be more acute by 2025 and to identify and implement measures that each one can do to help address the problem. We believe that there are many groups and individuals who want to do something but are unsure of where to start and how to make an impact. Banking on the spirit of Bayanihan, when people realize that there’s a water alliance, it will inspire them to join or do their part and this will enable us to have scale and impact. While the starting members of the Water Alliance are companies and organizations, everyone can be part of it. Water is a very limited and valuable resource so we all have a part to play in ensuring that it is managed well in a sustainable way so that we can continue to have clean water for the future,” Chua said.

BEEFING UP THE ALLIANCE
In order to beef up the alliance, Chua revealed that the Alliance has already started implementing specific programs which will deliver very tangible results which in turn should convince and attract more participants to the Alliance.
The Beverage Industry Association of the Philippines, for instance, is adopting rural areas by providing them with access to clean drinking water. Maynilad has provided volunteer experts to help assess waterless areas and design community water systems.
The Water Alliance will soon conduct trainings for companies on Water Demand Management (WDM) to help them audit their water consumption and guide them in determining options and strategies to reduce the quantity of water or use a lower quality of water to accomplish a specific task. A special training on WDM will also be held to develop a local pool of trainers who can eventually roll out the trainings to more companies starting next year.

Chua said that a benchmarking study of industry water consumption is in the pipeline starting with the beverage industry. The study will help beverage companies in determining water consumption and setting standards in the amount of water used for producing drinks in various containers.

The Water Alliance will also organize issue-based roundtables and problem solving discussions on addressing water scarcity in critical areas/cities and other water-related topics like watershed rehabilitation and mangrove reforestation.

“With tangible results for eventual replication across the country, we hope to be able to bring in multilaterals or other institutions to help fund the Alliance. We really need to bring different parties together, that’s when you can create a really powerful value proposition and make an impact in addressing any problem,” Chua said.

To date, the Water Alliance has 46 member-organizations and institutions from the business sector, academe, NGO sector and civil society, who are all committed to pursue sustainable solutions to water challenges in the country.

A CATALYST FOR MORE MULTI-SECTORAL PARTNERSHIPS
While the Water Alliance may just be starting, as early as now it is hoping to serve as a catalyst for more multi-sectoral partnerships that will help solve the country’s problems.

Chua said that apart from groups like them that seek to address water security issues, there are also others that are looking at how they can help the food and energy sectors. In the academe, an Energy Center of Excellence was established in the University of the Philippines and a Food and Water Centre of Excellence is being established at De La Salle University.

“We’ve been doing the Powering Progress Together Forum on the back of the Shell Eco Marathon in the Philippines for three years now and there are some concrete steps that happened as a result of this. We have formed partnerships with the Manila Observatory, Weather Philippines, and the Water Alliance. I think these are very clear examples of people working together. There is the food-water-energy nexus that should be addressed and a number of groups are now looking into it. Every individual must be fully aware because we all have a part to play, whether it’s protecting the environment, our freedom, the things that we enjoy in life. You can’t just say it’s our Mayor, it’s our President who is responsible. We all have a part to play,” Chua said.

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