HISTORY
PCEEM Davao Foundation, Inc. evolved from a five-year bilateral project (in March 1998) jointly funded by the Government of the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The project, which aimed to test a governance model using watersheds as units of management, was also implemented in Cebu, where watersheds have been degraded to an alarming stage. In Davao, PCEEM chose the Talomo-Lipadas Watershed (TLW) as its initial project site.
In 2005, it expanded its geographic coverage in Davao River Watershed (DRW). As a project, the name ‘PCEEM’ stood for Philippines-Canada Environmental and Economic Management; today, ‘PCEEM’ in ‘PCEEM Davao’ stands for ‘People Collaborating for Environmental and Economic Management’.
On November 6, 2002 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the proposed amendment to convert the organization into a Foundation and PCEEM became People Collaborating for Environmental and Economic Management in Davao (PCEEM Davao) Foundation, Inc., a non-stock, non-profit organization duly registered with the SEC as PCEEM Davao Foundation, Incorporated. While the words behind the acronym may have changed, it has retained its core values as an inclusive, impartial and collaborative organization that taps dynamic participation of multi-sector stakeholders to ensure sustainable management of the watersheds and natural resources. At the same time, this fortuitous change in name not only reflects the shift from being a project of two governments to becoming a multi-sectoral non-government organization. It also highlights the fact that environmental resource management requires collaboration or partnerships of people. Using consensus as the basis for decision-making, PCEEM Davao prides itself as a vehicle for conflict resolution and continues to be a venue for the expression of varying opinions from the different sectors in the watershed.
Its organizational structure provides government and civil society an open window for productive discourse that will result to better governance in the interest of watershed management. Interests of government and civil society are expressed by their respective representatives to the PCEEM Board – a reflection of how the Foundation value diversity, convergence and participation.
PCEEM Davao believes that its aspirations can be realized if people who have a stake in the watersheds are themselves capacitated and are given a ‘voice’ in decision-making. This implies putting people as the focus of the development process, increasing their choices both as agents and recipients of the process and its results.The Foundation is guided by three fundamental principles, namely: ecosystem-based management, collaborative and integrative management, and capacity enhancement.
Together with these principles PCEEM likewise values participation from women and youth. PCEEM Davao is managed by a Board of Trustees (BoT) representing eleven (11) sectors with an Advisory Board (representatives from six relevant local and national government agencies). It has a Secretariat that implements the policies, plans and programs approved by the BoT.
MANDATE
PCEEM Davao is mandated by its stakeholders to continue the management of the Davao City Watersheds.
Primary Purpose. PCEEM Davao is a multi-sectoral body organized to assist government and civil society by: empowering communities; providing technical assistance; establishing, updating and sharing information; building capabilities and generating financial and other resources through networking and collaborating for sustainable management of the Watersheds.
Secondary Purposes. PCEEM Davao is also guided by its secondary purposes which are: to undertake technical and policy studies; provide venue for conflict resolution; undertake community-based resource management projects; facilitate exchange/tours; and document and share knowledge on natural resource management.
Core Values and Fundamental Principles. Given the vision, mission, goals, mandate, and purposes, through the years, PCEEM Davao established itself as an inclusive, impartial, collaborative, not-for-profit, non-government organization of stakeholders that come from different sectors (academe, business, farming, fishing, government-owned and controlled corporations, indigenous peoples, non-government organizations, people’s organizations, plantation operators, women, and youth). At the same time, collaboration with government agencies is maintained through the presence of key departments in an Advisory Board.
Copyright © 2010. PCEEM Davao Foundation, Inc.. All rights reserved. Updated : 01/22/10. erollelinusmiranda