ILOILO – After achieving a Grade 1 (G1) level of zero open defecation (ZOD) and being recognized at the 2023 Galing Pook Award, the provincial government’s next goal is to achieve a Grade 2 (G2) level, or ensuring each household has its own toilet.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said he wanted to see improvements in the cleanliness and functionality of toilet facilities at the household level and in every commercial establishment and government facility, among others.
“Moving forward, we have to achieve G2, gusto naton nga mas maayo pa gid cleanliness, orderliness, and functionality of the toilet of Ilonggos,” Defensor said.
Under Department of Health (DOH) guidelines, G1 or ZOD status is achieved when all households in the community have stopped practicing open defecation, have access to safe sanitary toilets, and human feces are no longer openly visible to the environment.
Under this level, sharing sanitary toilets with up to 15 households is allowed.
For G2 or Basic Sanitation Level, it is achieved when there is already 100 percent use of sanitary toilets or each household uses its toilet.
There must also be 100 percent availability of water and soap at or nearby toilets; safe disposal of children’s and elderly people’s excreta; all schools have at least one sanitary toilet for girls and one sanitary toilet for boys, and all government institutions have at least one sanitary toilet.
To achieve this, the province will strengthen its water systems for a sufficient water supply, which is essential for the function of sanitary toilets.
“Makita mo nga ang banyo naga-reflect gid sa maturity sang government; that is what we want to achieve also nga maayo ang facilities for health, environment, and going to the next level for tourism,” said Defensor.
In November 2022, the governor said there’s still a lot more work ahead to reach G2 by 2028. It requires ensuring toilets and handwashing facilities are available anywhere – schools, health centers, daycare centers, and other public places.
At the minimum, the provincial government needs P167 million to subsidize the cost of building toilets, which Defensor believes is achievable only with the continued support of the local chief executives (LCEs) and development partners.
Every year, the province allots P5 million to purchase toilet bowls for indigent Ilonggos. LCEs also allocate budgets annually for the same.
For 2024, Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) head Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon said there are five identified strategic areas, or one per district, for a communal restroom.
“This time, i-pursue naton ang biyaheng G2. We will push tanan nga household should also have their toilet,” said Quiñon.
She also called on LCEs to help the provincial government by putting public toilet facilities in markets, plazas and other government facilities, as well as in schools where every 101 learners have one toilet facility.
“Well, happy kita, nakita naton nga ang schools may ara gid toilet every classroom. I think we are ready na for biyaheng G2 and amo naman na ang i-pursue for 2024. In fact, subong nga 2023, sige-sige ang aton kadto sa barangays para mag-push pa,” added Quiñon.
The IPHO is also conducting dialogues with stakeholders and partners like the Department of Education, Department of Interior and Local Government, LCEs, Municipal Health Officers, and sanitation inspectors to kick off the campaign for G2.
After G2, there is G3. This could be reached through a solid waste management system covering 100 percent of households and septage management plan services accessible to all households.
There should also be safe management of animal excreta, a water quality management plan (water quality testing, water sources and points protection), and a comprehensive WASH plan to sustain WASH services and reinforce positive WASH behaviors.
Last week, Iloilo was recognized at the 2023 Galing Pook Awards for its “Mobilizing Communities through People-Centered Zero Open Defecation Movement towards Sustainable Sanitation” under G1./PN
