Exchange Continues Between Florida League of Cities and League of Cities of the Philippines
by Carol Westmoreland
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Florida League of Cities President Clay Ford and League International Relations Committee Chairman J.J. Beyrouti met with four mayors from the Philippines on May 23 - 24, 2005, during a League-hosted event in Orlando. The occasion marked the second visit between Ford, Philippine elected officials, and staff members of the League of Cities of the Philippines.
Ford had previously traveled to the Philippines in April to sign a memorandum of understanding between the two leagues, with Philippines National President Gloria Arroyo in attendance. At that time, the Philippine mayors shared their organization’s goals for a new environmental program with him.
“It was great to see them again,” said Ford of the May visit. “This partnership is opening up so many channels of communication between us. It is fascinating to see how many similarities exist, yet how different our cities are.” The trips are coordinated by the International City/County Management Association and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Visiting Orlando were Philippine mayors Alfonso Casurra from Surigao City, Rodolfo Gantuangco from Kidapawan City, Nestor Alvarez from the Science City of Muñoz, and Samuel Co from Pagadian City. Also present was Gil-Fernando Cruz, executive director of the League of Cities of the Philippines, and Voltaire Acosta, the organization’s program manager. The delegation was joined by Liezl Perez, program manager from the International City/County Management Association.
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The group did not seem to mind the weeklong, non-stop schedule. They traveled here to see firsthand how to dispose of waste, build landfills and deal with air pollution challenges. They toured the Pinellas County Regional Landfill and waste-to-energy facility, the Tampa Bay water desalinization plant, and the City of Altamonte Springs’ “Project APRICOT” wastewater treatment and water reuse center.
Following the travel portion of the week, the delegation met with Florida Department of Environmental Protection experts Joe Kahn, Tom Mulligan, John Turner and Patrick Washington from Tallahassee and DEP’s Orlando district office. Each official filled in a piece of the puzzle concerning how Florida handles compliance, monitoring, permitting and air-quality business assistance. In addition, City of Jacksonville air-quality managers Ebeneezer Gujarlapudi and Steve Pace spoke about their city’s unique Air Quality Advisory Board and how it helps city officials, businesses and citizens communicate better on environmental issues. Also from Jacksonville, Bayani Diokno, that city’s solid waste manager, shared his perspectives on waste programs, including landfills and waste-to-energy options.
Later, representatives from the Florida City and County Management Association offered a roundtable discussion on funding issues. Representing the association were Laura Blackmon, assistant county manager of Osceola County; Ken Parker, city manager of Port Orange; and John Drago, city administrator of Longwood. Each of the three had a different way to address the management of wastewater, stormwater and landfill systems. The discussion became lively as the Philippine mayors and Florida managers realized their funding challenges were very similar.
The cities of the Philippines are seeking to stem air, land and water pollution in their country. Funding such programs is a paramount concern. The mayors were vitally interested in how the Florida League of Cities administers sustainable programs to increase services to its members. The League of Cities of the Philippines’ 117 member cities have stepped forward to take the lead in seeking funding for their national clean-air and water rules, which are in place but not effectively enforced. Representatives of the organization are hoping that by taking the lead and serving as the conduit for international assistance, all levels of government will strengthen to protect the environment and citizens of the Philippines. They envision training programs for city employees and others that will monitor, permit and enforce clean-air and water standards. They also are planning to partner with universities to fully utilize research and technology to make projects more affordable.
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There have been assessments, studies and reports done by the World Bank and groups funded by countries all over the world. These steps are vital for building national momentum to make a change. But it was clear from the May meetings that the League of Cities of the Philippines representatives believe they are the ones who have to make the change, and are challenging the “top down” system. Their passion and commitment to those changes was evident in their excitement upon hearing about new ideas that they felt would work back home.
On the social and cultural side of the visit, the Philippine delegation traveled to Kissimmee to view the Bataan/Corregidor Memorial from World War II, and had dinner with some of the memorial’s organizers. The City of Kissimmee was represented by Mayor George Gant, Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Gemskie, Commissioner Wendell McKinnon, City Manager Mark Durbin and Deputy City Manager Gary Holland.
In addition, Osceola County has an active Philippine-American association, and many of its members visited with the delegation. During these visits, common friends, home towns and other stories were shared. The delegation also wanted to watch a Florida city council meeting, so the St. Cloud City Council welcomed them to an evening meeting and presented city mementos to each of the delegates.
The third and final exchange visit in the partnership will take place in Manila on July 11 - 15. Ana Wood, sanitary landfill director from the City of Jacksonville, will share technical assistance and other informational resources at the League of Cities of the Philippines’ annual conference, and Florida League of Cities staff will present association information on the sustainability of League programs. After the July visit, the International City/County Management Association will make a report with the help of the Florida League of Cities on what was accomplished and what follow-up may be available or needed.
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After spending time with the mayors, it is clear that the resource partnership between the Florida League of Cities and League of Cities of the Philippines will extend beyond the term of the grant. This may be due to the fact that both leagues now have an appreciation for each other’s perspectives that could never have been gained without the exchange.
Carol Westmoreland is associate director of membership development for the Florida League of Cities. For more information on the League’s International Relations Program, you can e-mail her or call her at (850) 222-9684.
Reprinted from Quality Cities July/August 2005
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