ILOILO City – Through an aggressive campaign against open defecation, the Department of Health (DOH) is determined to eradicate this unhygienic practice across all 4,052 barangays in Western Visayas. Its records show that 74.73 percent, or 3,028 barangays, have already secured zero open defecation (ZOD) status, marking a significant milestone in public health and sanitation efforts.
Open defecation is the practice of defecating outside without using a toilet or latrine, where waste is not safely contained. This can happen in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water, or other open spaces.
The practice is considered unhygienic and poses significant health risks to individuals and communities, as it can lead to the spread of many infectious diseases including cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, diarrhea, and worm infections.
To achieve 100 percent ZOD status, DOH Region 6 has rolled out multiple strategies, including extending financial, technical, and logistical support to local government units (LGUs).
According to Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH Region 6 director, these efforts are geared toward enhancing information, education, and communication campaigns, guiding the crafting of plans and strategies, and providing funds to LGUs.
“We are enjoining all barangays to avoid indiscriminate defecation as it facilitates the transmission of water, food, and borne diseases, including soil-transmitted helminths and other infections,” Suba-an explained.
Financial assistance for the ZOD campaign has been granted to several LGUs, including Buruanga in Aklan, Anini-y in Antique, and San Lorenzo in Guimaras which still have open defecation problems.
Additional funding is scheduled to be released this year to four more LGUs across Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental.
“The establishment of ZOD status is crucial as it ensures that no waste is openly visible, and every household has access to sanitary toilets,” Suba-an said.
Sustaining zero open defecation can significantly prevent the spread of infectious diseases, he stressed.
The ZOD campaign forms part of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiative, identified as one of the eight priority health outcomes under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Iloilo province, under the leadership of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., has been proactive in pursuing ZOD status, allocating P5 million annually to provide toilet bowls for households in remote barangays.
Last Nov. 18, 2022, Iloilo was the first province in Western Visayas and the country to be conferred the ZOD Grade 1 status.
Under DOH guidelines, Grade 1 status is achieved when all households in the community have stopped practicing open defecation everywhere, have access to safe sanitary toilets, and human feces are no longer openly visible to the environment.
The next goal of Iloilo is to reach Grade 2 status and eventually attain Sustainable Sanitation (Grade 3).
G2 or Basic Sanitation level is achieved when there is already 100 percent use of sanitary toilets or each household is using its own toilet.
There must be also 100 percent availability of water and soap at or nearby toilets; safe disposal of children’s and elderly person’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 reach G3, on the other hand, there should be solid waste management system in place covering 100 percent of households and septage management plan services accessible to all households.
There should also be safe management of animal excreta, water quality management plan (water quality testing, water sources/points protection), comprehensive WASH plan to sustain WASH services and reinforce positive WASH behaviors./PN
