José Abeto Zaide By José Abeto Zaide   It is one of the ironies of Manila – to thirst in the midst of a flood. Manila is one of the most providentially blessed cities, sitting at the mouth of one of the finest bays in the world. It is traversed within by the Pasig River; nearby is Laguna de Bay. Farther afield are Taal Lake and Caliraya. Right here is Wawa River flushing torrents to the sea. Yet, Manila is unable to quench the thirst of the populace. The ohrwurm that seems to ring in my ear is the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner: “Water, water, everywhere… not a drop to drink…” When I was a grade school toddler, my mother used to tell how they saved rainwater from the roof for household use. Now, our subdivisions build upon valuable real estate, paving the streets and driveways and catching the rainwater to sewers to flush into the sea. In the process, we experience floods when the drainage gets clogged… or when the downpour rises to a mega storm. I remember a waterless day when an enraged citizen in a satellite city which shall remain nameless hung a protest sign in front of the municipal hall: “T

na! Walang tubig! Mabuti pa si Meyor, may tulo!” A colorful vernacular which may need parental guidance for translation. Filipinos are one of most ingenious peoples. As islanders inhabiting an archipelago, we are bound to be. For the second time in a row, the Philippine booth conceptualized by Maria Pastor Roces and designed by Ed Calma won the Gold Plum at the Zaragosa Expo on Water… extolling projects in hydro-power; marine, fisheries and aquatic; sustainable water; coastal management; river and reef rehab; watershed protection. THEORY PUT INTO PRACTICE? But because of our famous habits, we swing between peaks and valleys, famine and plenty, floods and droughts. We need dependable partners. Germany is the Philippines’ third largest bilateral donor partner. The total volume of bilateral Technical and Financial Cooperation since cooperation began in 1961 has multiplied many times over, keeping apace with the rate of success. The priority areas of cooperation between the Philippines and Germany in line with the Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan are: Sustainable Economic Development, Environment, Health, and cross-cutting issues such as Decentralization and Crisis Prevention and Conflict Transformation. German ODA is focused on strategic intervention areas that support our poverty alleviation as well as the privatization and decentralization strategies of the national government. Germany is also one of the few donors which have offered to implement a Debt-for-Nature swap program with the Philippines. The German Bundesministerium fur Zusammenarbeit (BMZ), translates as Ministry for Joint Cooperation. By definition, it engages partnership — not a benefactor-to-beneficiary relationship, but a joint responsible partnership. Among the DEG (Deutsche Investitutions und Entwicklungs Gesselschaft mbH) projects, AGOS is one of the most far-reaching. (The acronym is very inspiringly picturesque to the rush of water in Filipino.) The goal to halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation is key to the UN Millennium Development Target 7. As it is famously said, power and energy, we can create. But water is bequeathed to us by Providence. Despite numerous barriers, Manila Water and the 14 partner companies have greatly improved their environmental behavior, with bonus of some economic, social, and technological changes in their operations. The networking, collaboration, and partnership that took place are high watermark in the global community. Globalization crosses all boundaries. But because of such undertakings, local, national, and trans-boundary constraints may be resolved. The bonus to this project is that DEG did not have to send foreign experts to do the project. Filipino experts, trained in Germany, undertook the project. Beyond the maxim about teaching a man to catch a fish, Filipino experts teach others, here in the Philippines and in the region. For hands-reaching-hands partnership, we congratulate all participating agents in the delivery of water.   FEEDBACK: [email protected]