Rationale. The AVLDA project has been in existence for about five years now. From the time of its inception in 2003 up to the present, the project has accomplished several goals and objectives under the framework of cooperation among the local government units of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat who are direct stakeholders of the Allah Valley River Basin and its environment.

As the project moves to its next phases of development, it is the oppotune time to review what have been achieved so far, take note ot the best practices in local government coooperation and collaboration, and identify the possible next steps towards sustainability with the important learnings in mind.

The AVLDA Case Book Project is thus an endeavor to review the achievements of the AVLDA project, document best practices in collaboration and cooperation, and present possible ways to move the project forward towards sustainability.

Rationale. The full activation of various committees within the Technical Working Group (TWG) needs to be done as a mechanism in pursuing the objectives of the alliance. These committees have the potential in framing-up the appropriate services or methodologies in members of the alliance. Thus, the Institutional Development Committee has a crucial role in different aspects of endeavors of the alliance.

The creation and operation of the Institutional Development Committee as an integral part of the responses to the recurring problems within the landscape. Establishing and strengthening of various institutios that can be of help within the bounds of local government functions are needed to sustain the various initiatives for environmental programs. This guarantees widening the scope of responsibilities among stakeholders. Putting-up social insfrastructures among communities can strengthen lines of functions and accountabilities of those given public responsibilities. Coordinative efforts among institutions within the landscape are necessary in pursuing institutional development initiatives.

Establishment of effective approaches for institutional development responses within the alliance will be materialized through the coming together of government agencies that are mandated to implement institutional concerns and issues. Thus, there is a need to gather local governance agencies and offices in order to provide technical guidance and proper institutional management for the alliance and for the communities.

Rationale. The active participation of member-LGUs in the alliance towards restoration and protection of remaining natural resources within the landscape is a welcoming gesture for sustainability of environmental programs. Their activities in support to the realization of the goals and objectives of the alliance are worth rewarding and this momentum of actions needs to be applauded. The institutionalization and creation of environmental offices are responses that can provide directions and doable actions of various activities. Likewise, these initiatives need to be enhanced and strengthened for more participation and effective implementation of their on-going and planned programs.

One among the effective strategies for skills and commitment strengthening is through exposures and additional knowledge of specific field of programs or projects. This approach will enhance their existing framework and knowledge-based methodologies in pursuing their environmental programs. The absence of pilot projects in particular field in our areas was also taken with much consideration and with these, there is a need to widen the perspectives by being a recipient of the experiences of innovations by other or different ecological zones in other areas within the Philippines.

In Bohol, the natural resources management thru sub-watershed approaches and methodologies are worth replicating among different ecological zones of our landscape. They have diverse ecosystems that have reached certain level of protection amidst threats of destructions. The institutional mechanism was able also to address the needed processes for their success.

In Leyte, the “rainforestation” initiatives was able to address specific responses on biodiversity conservation. Along with this is the production aspect of forest which gave income among the upland dwellers. The strong collaboration of civil society especially the academic institution and the line agencies facilitated the project outputs became more acceptable.

These best practices in managing natural resources are not difficult to be realized in the landscape. Thus, there is a need to conduct educational tour among the PMO staff and TWG members of the alliance.

Rationale. AVLDA-PMO is guided by a one year operation plan which serves as implementation activities directed towards its goals. This operation plan is a periodic phasing of the activities with corresponding budget which are related to the over-all direction of the alliance. This document underwent a framing-up process like the active participation of the members of Technical Working Group (TWG) and the approval and adoption by the Board of Directors (BOD).

Key Result Areas (KRAs) were stipulated in the document with corresponding suggested activities. These KRAs summarize the cross-cutting activities of the alliance considering its various projects and programs. Target budget was also posted as reference in making activity designs with detailed costing processes in every activity.

The PMO Operation Plan is very broad and general in presentation. There is a need to put into details in terms of activities and the desired outputs. Thus, the PMO has to design an implementation strategy that systematizes the dynamics of the project’s stakeholders and the beneficiaries. This will be in a document form and will be printed and served as a project implementation plan. Thus, a preparation planning is needed.

Background. The establishment of committees within the Technical Working Group (TWG) needs to be installed as a mechanism in pursuing actively the objectives of the alliance. These committees shall have the potential in framing-up the appropriate services or methodologies in responding to the issues and concerns which are currently being undertaken by various members or the LGUs. The Social Development Committee has a crucial role in different aspect of endeavors for the welfare of the alliance.

The social welfare like health, education, peace and sports are integral part of the responses to the recurring problems within the landscape. Events of natural calamities will certainly affect the social structures that have been in place among the communities. Likewise, the demand for rehabilitation is a built in effect of these disasters. The socio-economic situation of the landscape is also an arena of opportunities in pursuing social development initiatives.

Establishment of effective approaches for social development responses within the alliance will be materialized through the coming together of lead agencies of the government who were mandated to implement of such social concerns and issues. Thus, there is a need to gather social welfare agencies and offices in order to provide technical guidance and proper social management.

Rationale. The recent flooding incidents in the Allah river affected thousands of people in about sixty five Barangays in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces. The damages to crops, houses, livelihoods, water system and public infrastructures are so huge.

The AVLDA has been established to respond to this kind of problem in cooperation among its members to achieve more substantive results. There have been emergency activities from LGU members to help victims of calamities through their disaster coordinating councils. Although such asction is the usual mandate of the LGU to do, it is just part of disaster management program. There should also be a focus on short and long-term programs within the disaster preparedness continuum.

The causes of disasters are both quantified from natural and man-made actions. The occurrences may have been due to natural causes, but human activities may have contributed to aggravation of the consequences. In order to mitigate possible large scale impact of water-related damages to communities and their sources of livelihood, several strategies should be identified and implemented by government sectors.

Since infrastructure development is very costly, local governments must contend with more strategic intervention that considers sustainability and efficiency, yet still effective in mitigation. The twin programs aim to cushion the impact of water during rainfall and at the stream flow.

The implementation of such major programs must be supported by the LGUs because it takes sustained collaboration, cooperation and yearly budget allocation to make them successful. It should be done simultaneously to ensure inter-connectedness for the RZR and more large scale, significant results for the RURM. Hence, these programs must be understood well of their LGU program context as well as their importance in disaster preparation and mitigation. There should be coherent plan with certain budget allocation by every LGU in the Allah Valley area for those two programs.

Rationale. One of the significant approaches to program promotion and organizational marketing is development of print and visual documentations. These can be done with various techniques and methodologies by skilled persons on media production. Documentation can be utilized as a tool to provide audience better understanding of the objectives and purposes of the organization.

AVLDA is an emerging institution in South-Central Mindanao with unique character. LGUs, regional line agencies and NGOs forged their commitment to create an alliance in order to respond on various environmental concers. With this, the alliance operates beyond political jurisdictions of each member local government units which eventually enhances a coherent and unified action in addressing environmental situation.

AVLDA's experience can be documented and shown in visual form as a tool for organizational promotion. In various occasions, international or domestic conferences, audiences prefer audio-visuals like video productions to gain more substantive and easily accessible information. With this, the AVLDA-PMO will engage the skills of persons to produce video documentary on the experiences of the alliance and the situation in the Allah Valley.

Rationale. The launching day of the Riparian Zone Revegetation program in September 27,2007 gained tremendous support from all stakeholders of the program- adopters, barangay officials, concerned landowners, line agencies and the LGUs/AVLDA. Everybody actively participated in planting the 9, 473 bamboo hills (Apos,Bayog and Laak varieties) which covered at least 27 kms stretch as initial development and as the first line of flood defense in 27 kms stretch along Allah and Banga/Kapingkong River banks. This was undertaken simultaneously among the 19 barangays of 11 municipalities and 1 city alliance members.

The support could be attributed more on the dispensed community level of information, education and campaign (IEC) activities which highlighted the spectacular effectiveness of bamboo plants in protecting precious agricultural lands and other properties from being wrecked by floods, and few information on the economic benefits the plant could provide.

PMO staff and PEMOs level of knowledge/information on the economic benefits from bamboo plants has to be enhanced through exposure on actual processing of bamboo products, and collection of available reading materials on such. This would enable dissemination of more substantial information during the succeeding IECs in the continuation of the Riparian Zone Revegetation program. Hence, this proposed activity.