SANITATION is often framed as an infrastructure issue — a matter of building toilets, waste systems, and public facilities. But as the town of Tubungan in Iloilo Province has clearly demonstrated, real and lasting progress in public health doesn’t begin with cement or pipes. It begins with people.
Tubungan recently became the first municipality in the province to be certified under the G2 level of the Philippine Approach to Sustainable Sanitation (PhATSS), which requires every household to have its own sanitary toilet and eliminates the practice of toilet sharing. This achievement goes beyond numbers and compliance — it is the product of a community that owned the challenge and took collective responsibility for its health and future.
What sets Tubungan apart is its “whole-of-community” approach. From the Sangguniang Bayan to barangay leaders, rural health workers, sanitation inspectors, and ordinary residents, everyone was involved. It was not just a campaign handed down from above — it was a shared mission, embraced at the grassroots. As Rural Sanitation Inspector Lizell Camaring emphasized, this collaboration and civic engagement were the driving forces behind the town’s success.
Such a model offers a compelling case for how communities can be empowered to take charge of their well-being. Public health cannot thrive in a vacuum of top-down policies or one-size-fits-all interventions. It must be rooted in strong local partnerships, open communication, and a sense of mutual accountability. When local governments engage their constituents not just as beneficiaries but as partners, transformation happens.
This approach also encourages sustainable change. Unlike short-term fixes, community-led initiatives tend to be more resilient because they are built on local knowledge, social cohesion, and a shared sense of purpose. People are more likely to maintain sanitary practices when they were part of the process that made them possible.
Tubungan’s success story shows that progress in sanitation — and in public health more broadly — is not achieved by infrastructure alone. It is achieved when communities are informed, organized, and inspired to act. As other towns in Iloilo like Badiangan and Leganes work toward G2 certification, Tubungan’s example should serve as a blueprint: success is possible when people are not merely passive recipients of services but active participants in shaping their future.
If we are to meet our sustainable development goals and build healthier, more resilient communities, we must recognize that community ownership is not a bonus — it is essential.
