Jean Margaret R. Mercado’s research while affiliated with University of Santo Tomas and other places

The implementation of integrated flood risk management (IFRM) is still in its infancy in both developed and developing countries, yet some countries have already encountered barriers to IFRM adaptation. The interrelationships between these barriers need to be determined and analyzed systematically, as such an analysis is the groundwork for decision-making when devising solutions to overcome the barriers. Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) is a popular and systematic method for analyzing the interrelationship between variables in broad study areas. This study applies the proposed expanded ISM (Ex-ISM) approach to comprehensively analyze the interrelationships between the barriers to IFRM in Metro Manila. Ex-ISM enhances conventional ISM in that the symbolism is modified to explicitly show the contextual interrelationships, the step for hierarchy assignment is simplified, and the diagram shows all of the interrelationships that allow a comprehensive analysis. The results obtained using the Ex-ISM method do not deviate from those yielded by the conventional ISM method, but the Ex-ISM method allows an easy assignment of hierarchy, and it shows not only the direct but also the indirect interrelationships to provide a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between the barriers.

Access to a reliable and safe domestic water supply is a serious challenge for many developing countries worldwide. In the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, the municipal government is facing a number of difficulties in providing sufficient water in a sustainable manner due to the increasing urban population and the serious pollution of both surface and groundwater resources, but this is also due to a lack of resources to invest in the supply system. This study aimed to investigate water users’ willingness to pay for the improvement of Hanoi’s domestic water supply system. A contingent valuation process based on a survey of 402 respondents was used to explore citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the improvement of their urban water supply. The results show that Hanoi’s urban communities (more than 90%) were generally satisfied with the quantity of their water supply, but tended to be dissatisfied with its quality, with 80% of the respondents using advanced water purifiers before drinking and cooking. Respondents were also concerned about the overall reliability of the service, with 40% of respondents indicating that they received no check and maintenance service. A WTP regression model was developed based on the survey findings. The average WTP is 281,000 dong/household/month (approximately 12.2 USD at the exchange rate of 1 USD to about 23,000 VND), equivalent to 1.4% of the average household income at the end of 2019, indicating the level of affordability of monthly water payments among Hanoi citizens.

This study proposes an approach in conducting an overall performance evaluation of the integrated flood risk management (IFRM). The proposed approach is a monitoring & evaluation (M&E) framework for IFRM suitable in data-poor areas. The proposed framework has two main tasks: 1) to monitor the measures of the four IFRM strategies (prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery/rehabilitation) by asking experts for qualitative appraisals and 2) to evaluate the monitored measures using fuzzy based multi-criteria evaluation based on priority ranking methodology (FME-PRM). The M&E framework is applied for Metro Manila, Philippines, as a case study, where it enabled the quantification of qualitative data and provided a systematic solution for the weight assignment on the IFRM strategies and measures in Metro Manila. The results successfully show the IFRM performance level at the 13 cities and Metro Manila as a region. The results reveal that Metro Manila is at the “Good” performance level, which indicates that IFRM implementation had already progressed, but the achievements are not yet substantial.

Many countries encountered “barriers” or obstacles that hampered the process of adapting to the integrated flood risk management (IFRM) from the traditional hard structural solutions in managing urban flooding. One of the crucial tasks to overcome the barriers is to understand their interrelationships. However, analysis of the interrelationships between the barriers to IFRM adaptation has not been carried out yet. This study attempts to analyze the interrelationships between the barriers to IFRM adaptation using the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) method. The barriers in Metro Manila, a megacity in a developing country, were identified first in this study. Then, the ISM method was slightly modified and applied to analyze the interrelationships of the identified barriers. As a result, we identified 12 barriers which are relatively numerous compared with the developed countries, and so we categorized them into the governance, social, and technological resources aspects. Through the application of the ISM method, the interrelationships of the barriers to IFRM adaptation were systematically analyzed for the first time while also showing their hierarchical diagram. The results of the ISM reveal that barriers in the governance aspect are the most influential in which the lack of a sole organizing body is the most influential barrier. The barriers in the technological resources aspect are the second most influential, while barriers in the social aspect are the least influential and most dependent barriers. The approach presented in this study can be useful for decision makers and practitioners in understanding the interrelationships between the barriers.

Monitoring & evaluation (M&E) of the integrated flood risk management (IFRM) in Metro Manila has not been carried out since its inception. There is no monitoring agency in charge of the M&E activities for the adaptation to IFRM in the Philippines, and this resulted in the lack of baseline information and measurable indicators to be used for M&E activities. This study attempts to conduct an M&E of the IFRM in Metro Manila. The performance for the IFRM of each municipality in Metro Manila was appraised by the officers-in-charge of the local government offices related to disaster risk reduction. The qualitative judgments from the respondents were evaluated using a multi-criteria analysis approach based on priority ranking methodology to quantify the appraised performance for IFRM. The results show that several municipalities in Metro Manila are performing very well but with recognized limitations, and at least three municipalities requires serious attention because all components of the IFRM in these municipalities are gravely lacking. The results of the study can be used as baseline information for the M&E activities on IFRM in Metro Manila. The methodology proposed in this study is simple and systematic that can guide decision-makers and practitioners in evaluating the performance for the IFRM.

The adaptation of integrated flood risk management (IFRM) approach in the Philippines is a challenging task due to heavy reliance of traditional structural measures in the past. And so, there are critical issues or “barriers” that hamper the adaptation of IFRM. This study presents for the first time a framework in identifying the barriers on IFRM in a case-specific approach focusing on a megacity of a developing country such as Metro Manila, Philippines. Moreover, this framework presents a systematic approach in analyzing the barriers on IFRM by interpretive structural modelling. This study was able to identify a total of 12 barriers that encompasses governance, social, and technological resources aspects in Metro Manila, Philippines. The results show that barriers on the governance aspect are the most influential barriers while barriers on the social aspect have the least influence to other barriers.

The adaptation of integrated flood risk management (IFRM) plan in Metro Manila, Philippines is a challenging task due to heavy reliance on traditional structural measures in the past. Moreover, there are critical issues or “barriers” that hamper the adaptation of IFRM. These barriers are interrelated with each other, hence, they should be translated in a systematic model showing the interrelationships as well as the hierarchy. This study presents for the first time the application of the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) method to barrier analysis related to IFRM. This method is a systematic approach that analyses complex and interrelated issues that is structured in a comprehensive model. The results show that, among the 12 barriers identified, the lack of sole organizing body is the most influential barrier while the poor solid waste management, sparse data and limited access, and deterioration of flood control structure barriers are the least influential barrier. The ISM model clearly showed that the barriers on the governance aspect are the most influential barriers that may dictate the movement of all other barriers. The ISM model produced in this study shows the interconnections of each barrier that can aid the decision makers and practitioners in Metro Manila, Philippines.

An integrated flood risk management (FRM) plan was established in the Philippines for the first time in 2012 after the disastrous flooding brought by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009. It is a crucial task to identify and analyze the barriers that may hamper the effective implementation of the FRM plan. In this study, barriers to FRM were identified from a collection of literature related to flooding then interrelationships among barriers were analyzed by conducting a pairwise assessment by experts. Barriers to FRM in Metro Manila are found to be related to three aspects namely, governance, social and scientific resources aspects. There are 4, 3 and 5 barriers identified in the governance, social and scientific resources aspect, respectively. The barrier interrelationships were elicited by 5 carefully selected local experts and practitioners in the Philippines. The results of this study show that barriers in the governance aspect heavily influence all other barriers while the barriers on the social aspect have the least influence but strongly depends on the other aspects. The collective perception of the 5 local experts and practitioners also showed satisfactory understanding on the barriers in FRM. This study was able to identify and analyze the interrelationship of each FRM barriers which can provide insights to decision makers on how to overcome them.