IN ILOILO Province’s long and difficult march toward higher sanitation standards, one municipality has quietly set the benchmark that the rest can no longer afford to ignore. Tubungan, a 1st District town often overshadowed in provincial conversations, is the first and so far the only Iloilo municipality to achieve Grade 2 (G2) basic sanitation certification under the Department of Health’s Philippine Approach to Sustainable Sanitation (PhATSS).
At a time when Iloilo aims for province-wide G2 compliance by 2028 — but still struggles with the behavioral and enforcement issues that stall progress — Tubungan offers something more valuable than a plaque of recognition. It offers a blueprint.
The question now is: What did Tubungan do that others did not?
The answer lies not in grand budgets or massive infrastructure, but in a combination of steady leadership, community discipline, and firm political will — elements that remain uneven or lacking in many municipalities.
First, Tubungan’s local government treated sanitation not as a technical requirement but as a community-wide mission. Local officials – municipal down to the barangays – pushed hard for compliance, dedicating time, attention, and enforcement muscle to areas where other LGUs often hesitate. They did not merely build toilets; they built ownership. They did not rely solely on orientations; they mobilized their communities. True leadership is not measured by projects built, but by people moved — and Tubungan moved its people.
Second, Tubungan understood the importance of behavior change, not just infrastructure. G2 certification requires going beyond the elimination of open defecation. It demands private toilets for every household, proper management of animal waste, strict adherence to solid waste segregation, functional sanitation facilities in public establishments, and the prohibition of toilet sharing. These are cultural and behavioral hurdles — deeply rooted practices that cannot be shifted by construction alone.
Tubungan approached these challenges through persistent community engagement: intensive awareness drives, regular sanitation monitoring, and the empowerment of barangays. The town succeeded because it treated sanitation not as occasional compliance work, but as a daily commitment woven into the lives of its residents.
Third, Tubungan did what many LGUs often shy away from: consistent enforcement. Sanitation ordinances, waste disposal rules, and pet ownership regulations were not left to chance. This is where many municipalities falter — preferring appeasement over enforcement, and convenience over discipline. Tubungan refused that path, choosing instead the harder road of accountability.
Finally, Tubungan leveraged partnerships. Working closely with the Iloilo Provincial Health Office, barangay officials, and community health volunteers, the town created a network of local champions that amplified the message long after formal trainings ended. This collaborative ecosystem allowed compliance to deepen and sustain itself, even without spectacle or fanfare.
Tubungan’s success proves that G2 certification is possible, even for small or resource-limited LGUs. It also exposes a reality that may be uncomfortable for others: the barriers to G2 are often not financial, but cultural; not structural, but behavioral; not national, but local.
If Iloilo is serious about reaching province-wide G2 certification by 2028, then municipalities must stop treating Tubungan as an outlier and start treating it as an example. Other LGUs must study its strategies, mirror its determination, emulate its leadership style, and — perhaps most importantly — rediscover the power of genuine community engagement.
The path to G2 is already lit. Tubungan proved it. The next move belongs to everyone else.
