Doing infrastructure projects in a developing country like the Philippines requires a different strategy to ensure the affected stakeholders can absorb the impact. Contractors have to walk the extra mile and be innovative in their approach to minimize the impact of the project and ultimately develop a win-win situation for both parties.

South Luzon Expressway Tollway Corp. (SLTC), a member of the Malaysian infrastructure firm MTD, partnered with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) in recently relocating 30 informal-settler families affected by the extension of the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) from Turbina, Calamba, to Santo Tomas, Batangas.

Alma Tuason, spokesman of SLTC, says the company, in compliance with the International Finance Corp.’s (IFC) sustainability policy, has ensured there are built-in mechanisms to ensure affected stakeholders will be given the maximum assistance to cushion the immediate impact of the project.

“As a client of IFC, we consider this policy as part of our corporate social responsibility [CSR]. Our Resettlement Action Plan [RAP] includes implementing measures to improve the living conditions of the resettled families by providing adequate housing with security of tenure,” says Tuason.

MTD made sure that CSR is embedded in its Philippine operations because it is aware that needs are unique in each of the 12 countries they operate. In a country like the Philippines, it has to work with the fact that majority of people live in dire conditions. 

“It may be unique in that we have, proportionately, more people living in abject poverty than in most of those other countries,” says Tuason.

As far as the Philippine operations are concerned, Tuason says MTD crafted a CSR program focusing on addressing the most basic needs of the affected families like shelter, light and water.

Tuason says the turnover of the homes before Christmas enabled the company to develop stronger ties with the resettled families. This also enabled the company and its officials to get a micro view of the dynamics of poverty in the country.

“Turning over these homes in time for Christmas also gave us the opportunity to throw a gift-giving party for the recipient families with karaoke singing and home-appliance raffles. But people greeting guests ‘namamasko po’ and waiting for a cash gift in return was a bit startling and difficult to explain,” says Tuason.

The resettlement site has an area of 1,200 square meters which was acquired by the government and in which SLTC has put up 30 housing units of 42 square meters and 36 square meters, equipped with basic utilities including running water and power supply. Total project cost was only P3 million.

Tuason says each resettled family will be given titles to the lots occupied by their units. SLTC will also provide financial assistance to cover the expenses of individual titling, geodetic survey, tax payments, notaries and other incidentals.

Tuason revealed that SLTC will also introduce a program to enable communities to become self-reliant complemented with improved access to better health, nutrition, health care and schooling for the children.

On the part of the local government and the local parish as well, there is a pressing need to focus on teaching the resettled families the basics of gender empowerment and reproductive-health management.

For instance, one relocated family has 14 children who have also resettled with their own families.

Awareness in reproductive-health management is a must in the community. Eugenia Santiago, 45, has a daughter who got married at 16 and obviously was not prepared to handle parental responsibilities at the age of 20.

Tuason says preserving the community was both cost-efficient and socially advantageous. In the preresettlement consultations, SLTC and its partners explained to the San Rafael informal settlers that their best option was to decide as a group how they want to be resettled, since the compensation package to each affected family may not be sufficient to buy individual lots.

The majority agreed to the purchase of a large lot using most of the payment for their structures regardless of the differences in the size and materials. 

“To SLTC, this indicated an initial cohesiveness which can be nudged further toward community development,” says Tuason.

The TRB, a major partner, handled the acquisition of the rights of way needed to accomplish the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Slex. The TRB delegated the task to the DPWH.

While MTD-SLTC has no designated or specific role in the procedure, it crafted a RAP as part of the IFC’s mandate, which includes upgrading the living conditions of the resettled families by providing adequate housing with security of tenure.

Tuason says the Philippine experience broadened MTD’s perspective, especially in its objective of mitigating the adverse social and economic impact of the loss of dwelling to people who are already living without the rights of ownership or lease.

She says the company sees its role beyond mere building roads.

“The Slex rehabilitation and upgrading project is MTD’s only project in the Philippines but it is a long-term commitment and we do want to contribute to the well-being of the communities within which we operate,” Tuason points out.

A different path

Doing infrastructure projects in a developing country like the Philippines requires a different strategy to ensure the affected stakeholders can absorb the impact. Contractors have to walk the extra mile and be innovative in their approach to minimize the impact of the project and ultimately develop a win-win situation for both parties.

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