Ronald M Castillo

Solid waste has been a major problem of a throw-away society. Along with fast-paced lifestyle and commodification of goods and services, is enormous waste disposal. Using the case study design, the objective of this study is to illustrate how waste handling approaches were streamlined to attain zero waste. Methods used were interview and community observation with community experiences as the unit of analysis. Transcripts were analyzed by identifying significant statements, reduced them into codes, identified categories, and eventually creating themes on waste practices. Results show that the zero waste practices in the selected barangays of City of San Fernando anchored on RA 9003, city and barangay ordinances, strictly implemented segregation at source and segregated collection. Moreover, every barangay has functional material recovery facility, and composting area for biodegradables. In conclusion, legal framework, partnership with NGO initiatives, holistic approach in solid wast...

This research aims to address the need for an effective local urban solid waste management framework. To accomplish this, it focused on the institutional networks that flow within and link out of the barangay (Philippine village) as the micro level of Local Government. The paper describes networked institutions as composed 3 variables adapted from Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development framework. These are 1) actors, 2) actions, and 3) lines of connections. It uses qualitative comparative method with a Most Different and Most Similar (MDSD) research design to analyze cases of network similarities between performing barangays, similarities between non-performing barangays, and differences across performing and non-performing. The locus is Metro Manila, capital of the Philippines, unique to be the location of barangays with increasing solid waste production, along with qualified models of solid waste management.    Analyses arrived at three significant findings: First, model ...

This research reviews the characteristics of federalism and explores the possibility of it being used to create, in due course, a new XXI century Constitution, in keeping the political and economic development of the Philippines in this age of globalization. To achieve this objective, four federal constitutions operating in successful countries (three are G-8 members) were comparatively studied for similarities.  Federalism was created by the Americans at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 better known as the Federal Convention.  It is being used by 24 countries spread across continents. This in itself is a justification to pursue a possible application to the Philippines, a country of dispersed inhabited islands, belonging to different regions and cultures but all united under one strong single national identity.  Based on comparative study, there are seven essential features of a federal political system: 1) Two levels of government existing in their own right under one constitution; 2) Central government directly elected by the electorate of the whole country, making laws and taxation applicable to all citizens; 3) Regional government units exercising constitutionally delegated powers over its members; 4) Allocation of sources of revenue between the two levels of government; 5) Written constitution as binding contract among regional units, and which cannot be amended unilaterally; 6) An umpire to rule on disputes; 7) Processes and institutions to facilitate intergovernmental interaction and coordination.  Federalism may be symmetric or asymmetric, centralized or decentralized.  However, Federalism facilitates devolution of legislative and administrative power, and de-concentration of economic powers while uniting the varied regional units.