Urban Lake Governance and Development in the Philippines: The Case of Sampaloc Lake, San Pablo City

Abstract

Many Philippine studies have considered the abiotic and biotic conditions of large lakes throughout the country, however, to date few studies have dealt with the sociopolitical difficulties involved in sustainable development of lakes, this is particularly true for small lakes. Unfortunately, while scientific studies of lake composition are informative, they by no means address the actual issues behind the lack of sustainable development of Philippine lakes - complex sociopolitical factors. This article looks into the governance of Sampaloc Lake, and views it as a microcosm of small lake mismanagement all throughout the country. The governance of Sampaloc Lake is complex since it involves two principal administrative agencies - the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) and the City Government of San Pablo, various overlapping laws representing distinct interests, and stakeholders with varying demands on the utilization of the lake. It further contends that the two key issues in arresting the development of Sampaloc Lake are the lack of formulation of a zoning-management plan and the delay of the demolition-relocation program. Resolving the former entails scientifically-grounded compromises among the three stakeholders’ proposals (namely: [a] the Tourism Council and Environment and Natural Resource Office [TC-ENRO] proposal; [b] the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management [FARMC] proposal; and [c] the Seven Crater Lakes and Watershed Management Council [SCLWMC] proposal). Resolving the latter entails addressing the financial issue of the demolition-relocation program. Overall, this study addresses the scarcity of scholarly works on lakes in the Philippines by placing the Sampaloc Lake on the literature map and expanding the governance and development studies on small lakes in the country.

Keywords: Development, Governance, Philippines, Sampaloc Lake, San Pablo City