(EID-020) “HUMAN SETTLEMENTS APPROACH”

Contrary to popular belief, the human settlements concept is not an invention of former First Lady Imelda Marcos. It is actually a development approach that is practiced up to now in many countries, being another term that describes integrated area development. Unfortunately, the concept became a victim to political decisions in the Philippines, simply because it was identified with the Marcos regime.

In a remote village somewhere in the mountains of Zambales, the human settlements approach is about to be reborn in this country, thanks to an initiative led by a patriot named Manueldatu (MD) Rebueno. Simply put, the project will apply appropriate technologies so that the basic needs of the villagers could be provided, thus enabling them to have a sustainable way of life.

I remember from the old days of the Ministry of Human Settlements that former Director General Chitang Nakpil of the Technology Resource Center (TRC) said that technology is simply a “better way of doing things”. How right she is, because technologies need not be “high-tech” always, as long as it is used as a means of doing things in a better way.

In the project initiated by MD, the organizers are going to put in place a village cooperative that will go into the business of providing gas, electric, water, internet, cable TV and telephone services, among others. It will also go into the business of producing and selling organic feeds and fertilizers, organic poultry and livestock and organic fruits and vegetables.

The role of the village cooperative in this project is very crucial, because it is going to be the instrument for creating wealth among the villagers, which is a way for them to build and sustain their economies in the family and village level.

The anchor component of the project is a centralized biogas production facility that will produce gas and electricity, and will in turn power the water filter plant and telecoms infrastructure. All told, the mix of utilities will make the village partially self-reliant from the outside world.

There are more basic community needs aside from what the project is initially addressing, but suffice it to say that this is already a good start. In a world of show and tell, what is important is to build a proof of concept, so that other communities will later on be convinced that it is a good thing to do. Good luck to MD and to all the other organizers.