LASURECO DATABASE RECOVERY PROJECT
FINAL REPORT October 30, 2018
BUILDING LOW EMISSION ALTERNATIVES TO DEVELOP ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT (B-LEADERS)
October 2018 This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by RTI International.
LASURECO DATABASE RECOVERY PROJECT
FINAL REPORT October 30, 2018
BUILDING LOW EMISSION ALTERNATIVES TO DEVELOP ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT (B-LEADERS)
DISCLAIMER
The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. This document is intended to comply with Section 508 Standard of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. If you have any difficulties accessing this document, please contact [email protected]. TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ················································································ 1 PROJECT BACKGROUND ············································································· 3 PROJECT OBJECTIVES ················································································· 4 PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS ···································································· 5 1. OVERALL SURVEY RESULT: ...... 5 2. KEY ACTIVITIES AND STATUS ...... 9 PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES ··································································· 21 GAPS AND BACKLOGS ...... 23 ATTACHMENT 1: PHOTO DOCUMENTATION ············································ 24
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Map of Survey Sites highlighting areas that have been completed ...... 7 Figure 2: Map of Survey Sites highlighting areas that have been completed ...... 8 Figure 3. Sample of the Paper-Based survey Form with Relevant Information ...... 12 Figure 4. Print Screen of the Quick Tap Survey Database Showing Key Content Categories ...... 13 Figure 5. Print Screen of the Consolidated Results (Database) of Paper-Based Survey ...... 13 Figure 6: Snap shot of the Quick Tap Survey Application Content ...... 14 Figure 7: Print Screen of the Quick Tap Survey Database ...... 15 Figure 8: Layout of the Team's Project- Based ID and Logos Imprinted on the Team's Uniform .... 20 Figure 9: Team Leaders of the 10 Survey Teams ...... 24 Figure 10: Sample Photos of Teams During Deployment in Different Travel Conditions ...... 25 Figure 11: Sample Photos of Teams Interviewing and Filling up Survey Tools ...... 26 Figure 12: Teams During Gathering of kWh Meter Details and Meter Readings ...... 27 Figure 13: Teams During Mapping/Putting of Stickers ...... 28
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Survey Consolidated Report ...... 5
Table 2: Consolidated Report as of September 6, 2018 ...... 23
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ACRONYMS
AMRECO, Inc. Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. ASD Area Services Department B-LEADERS Building Low Emission Alternatives to Develop Economic Resilience and Sustainability Project DIP Detailed Implementation Plan ECs Electric Cooperatives FGD Focus Group Discussion GM General Manager ID Identification Card IEC Information, Education, Campaign ISD Institutional Services Division LASURECO Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. MCO Member-Consumer Organization MoA Memorandum of Agreement MoU Memorandum of Understanding MSH Membership Services Section Head MSU Mindanao State University NEA National Electrification Administration PRRD Power Restoration Rapid Deployment PSA Philippine Statistics Authority SK Sangguniang Kabataan TOR Terms of Reference USAID United States Agency for International Development
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The five-month siege in Marawi last year affected the city’s more than 200,000 residents and left a good portion of the city in ruins. Inevitably, the offensives also damaged power infrastructure and facilities in Marawi City and the entire province of Lanao del Sur. Among the most crucial losses are the power disks, containing important information including the complete list of customers within the franchise area and payment information. Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative (LASURECO) cannot commence a meaningful rebuilding towards financial health without the database of its customers. As such, the main purpose of this survey project is to recover the database of LASURECO. The project’s target area of coverage for the survey included municipalities within LASURECO’s franchise area namely Marawi City and other selected municipalities within District 1 of the Province of Lanao del Sur. Survey teams were formed to conduct the database recovery throughout the different target areas, these areas were strategically divided among ten survey teams by the number of blocks in Marawi City, and by the number of Barangays for each municipality that would be surveyed.
With the completion of the project, LASURECO had been able to cover a total of 32,384 households which have been mapped and stickered for the survey, however only 30,016 or 93% of which have been fully validated. The remaining 2,368 or 7.3% of households remained unvalidated due to the unavailability of household representatives during the actual survey validation. It was also noted through the conduct of the surveys that out of the 32,384 households covered in this project, 13,974 or 43.15%energized households had no existing Kilowatt-hour (kWh) meters. This finding could indicate that the said households found to have no kWh meters are illegally connected.
The survey team also tried to cover in this survey the identification of households with internally displaced persons (IDPs). It was observed during the conduct of the field surveys that a considerable amount of the households that had been surveyed evacuated during the Marawi Siege. The percentage of IDPs was found to be greater in Marawi City and its adjacent municipalities/Barangays rather than those located in remote areas. The project was able to identify a total of 10,403 households which cover an estimated 68,659 IDPs or 32.12% of the total surveyed households.
During the conduct of the database recovery, the project team had encountered several challenges. The challenges identified are in terms of: 1.) the geographic location of households to be included in the survey (mountainous, slippery, rugged terrain, etc.); 2) the unavailability of respondents for the survey validation; 3) climate/weather conditions; 4) the need to fast-track survey activities in view of any anticipated risks and 5) the limited understanding of the member-consumers and non-member consumers on the ownership of resources and consumer responsibilities. Because of the said challenges, LASURECO was not able to cover all the targeted areas and households and will consider an extension of the survey activities.
Along with the project’s objective to restore LASURECO’s customer database, LASURECO was also able to increase awareness among its member-consumers during the rounds of briefings, consultations and household level discussions. The member consumers were made to understand their responsibility in paying their electricity bills regularly as this would lead to more efficient and improved services on the part of the electric cooperative.
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In addition, LASURECO had successfully established two database systems. One is a Microsoft Excel based sheet/file that consolidated the data and information collected using the paper-based survey forms, while the second one is the Quick Tap Survey Database that was designed to synchronize the data captured by the 10 Teams using the tablet-installed Quick Tap Survey application.
The survey data showed that the households validated were higher in number compared to LASURECO’s previous records of household consumers. This implied that there were households who have been using LASURECO’s electricity services that were not previously recorded as legitimate member consumers and some households just decided to avail electricity and agreed to be registered as additional member Consumers.
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PROJECT BACKGROUND
The five-month siege in Marawi last year affected the city’s more than 200,000 residents and left a good portion of the city in ruins. Within the main battle zone, an area of about 4 square kilometers (1.5 sq. mi.), about 95 percent of structures were ravaged by heavy bombardment. Around 3,152 buildings were destroyed, and 2,145 more were anywhere between partially to heavily damaged.
Inevitably, the offensives also damaged power infrastructure and facilities in Marawi City and the entire province of Lanao del Sur. Even a year after the end of the siege, Lanao Del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LASURECO), the primary provider of electricity in the area, is still not yet in full operation due to these damages. Among the most crucial losses are the power disks, containing important information including the complete list of customers within the franchise area and payment information. Since access to electricity is vital in rebuilding the city and bringing back normalcy, full rehabilitation of the power grid and operations crucial and needed.
A multi-sectoral rehabilitation effort initiated by the government, called Task Force Bangon Marawi, was initiated on June 2017, even as the Battle of Marawi was still ongoing. The aim of this effort was to facilitate a return to normalcy once the conflict had subsided. By October 27, 2017, only a few days after the conflict ended, the Armed Forces of the Philippines dissolved this joint task force, marking the start of full-scale rehabilitation of the city. Alongside this effort, the private sector and civil society organizations have been contributing to the rehabilitation not only of Marawi’s infrastructure, but also of reestablishing the living condition of communities in the area. It is through these organizations that both local and foreign aid had come in to fund the much-needed rehabilitation projects.
The next effort, created to fast-track the restoration of power to the city, was Task Force Kapatid, which was composed of the National Electrification Administration (NEA), several electric cooperatives (ECs) and other organizations. Also dubbed the Marawi Power Restoration Rapid Deployment (PRRD) Task Force, this allowed NEA, along with the Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AMRECO), to facilitate and coordinate 34 ECs all over Mindanao to help LASURECO and Marawi City. Since AMRECO had the capability to mobilize support from public and private stakeholders all over Mindanao and at the national level, it initiated the creation of a database map for fund sources for development projects for its ECs, particularly those that are ailing, which included LASURECO in power rehabilitation initiatives. Thus, it partnered with bilateral and multi-lateral donors such as USAID through its program the Building Low Emission Alternatives to Develop Economic Resilience and Sustainability Project (B-LEADERS). The B-LEADERS is a five-year project which focused among others, the urgent need to rebuild the power sector of Marawi City during its last year. Through this project, USAID assists LASURECO in rebuilding its database of customers through a franchise-wide census as the initial phase towards database recovery. In line with this, AMRECO, the selected contractor, complements the LASURECO field personnel in the conduct of the census, with focus on District or Area 1 of
Lanao del Sur and Marawi City proper through a subproject called Task 1: Restore Electricity Services – LASURECO Database Recovery. FINAL REPORT FOR THE LASURECO DATABASE RECOVERY PROJECT 3
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The following are the objectives of the LASURECO Database Recovery Project:
1. Carry-out the survey for the identified sites to reconstruct and revalidate member-consumers’ profile; 2. Fully recover data and information necessary to reconstruct LASURECO’s customer database in order to initiate bill collection after the government’s ‘free service window’; 3. Harmonize and revitalize LASURECO’s database system through a user-friendly software; 4. Help LASURECO transition back into its normal operation through the recovery of customer data and information.
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PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. OVERALL SURVEY RESULT:
The identified target area of coverage for the surveys included Marawi City, Barangay Sagongsongan, Buadiposo-Buntong, Bubong, Ditsaan-Ramain, Marantao, Mulondo, Poona-Bayabao, Saguiaran, and Wato Balindong, Masiu, Tamparan.
The project was able to complete the survey of households in Marawi City and eight (8) other municipalities of Lanao del Sur. The survey area covered 32,384 households with the validation of 30,016 households or 93% of the targeted survey area.
Surveys were not conducted in the municipalities of Masiu and Tamparan of Lanao del Sur as targeted and three (3) adjacent municipalities of Lanao del Norte: Baloi, Pantao Ragat and Pantar. Several factors were affecting the non-inclusion of the said municipalities in the surveyed list. The said municipalities were the ones that were geographically inaccessible by car/motorbikes due to distance and the terrain and as well as security issues. Other factors were the unavailability of the respondents during the time of survey, limited understanding of the member consumers and the onset of rainy season with the field survey.
Illustrated in the following pages is an overview of accomplishments versus targets:
Table 1: Survey Consolidated Report
AREAS Number of CONSUMERS/HOUSEHOLDS ACCOMPLISHMENT ADDITIONAL NUMBER TOTAL ACTUAL NUMBER OF PERCENTAGE INFORMATION OF NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS COMPLETED BARANGAY HOUSEHOLDS SURVEYED/ NO. OF IDPS S OR VALIDATED (Please refer to the note SURVEYED BLOCKS section below)
1.Marawi City 5,555 69 13,888 12,355 89%
DISTRICT 1
2. Sagonsongan 1,423 1 1,048 946 90%
3.Buadiposo- 33 1,174 1,165 99% Buntong
4. Bubong 36 1,907 1,827 96%
5.Ditsaan-Ramain 36 1,925 1,856 96%
6.Marantao 1,362 34 3,891 3,624 93%
7.Mulondo 27 1,097 1,071 98%
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8.Poona-Bayabao 25 1,704 1,680 99%
9.Saguiaran 943 30 2,551 2,409 94%
10.WatoBalindong 1,120 38 3,199 3,083 96%
TOTAL 10,403 329 32,384 30,016 93%
NOTES: • The accomplishment column represents the percentage of households that were successfully surveyed and validated during the conduct of the census. The project was not able to attain the full survey and validation of all households in the respective municipalities due to the following circumstances: o The household is closed or abandoned with no residents available to participate in the survey and validation activities. The meter is likewise located inside the household o Geographic Profile/location of houses is not accessible (mountainous, slippery, rugged terrain, etc.) o Due to weather conditions, the teams had a difficult time to validate some locations. • The municipality of Wato Balindong is included in the survey because the area is considered the boundary of the first and second district and became one of the commercial sites after the Marawi siege, thus the collection in the said area increased. Moreover, the area consists of more individual member-consumers than other areas that are covered in the project. The so-called “Nusa Island” is located in the said municipality.
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Illustrated below is the map of the survey areas where target barangays were plotted. During the conduct of the survey, the LASURECO team plotted the targets versus completion in individual municipalities in District 1. This had been monitored by AMRECO over the survey period.
Figure 1: Map of Survey Sites highlighting areas that have been completed
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Figure 2: Map of Survey Sites highlighting areas that have been completed
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2. KEY ACTIVITIES AND STATUS
The key activities implemented during this period aimed primarily to validate the number of households within the franchise area of LASURECO. Major contributory activities involved the following:
Activity 0: Start-Up Activities
Initial meetings
To kick off the project, two project sensitization meetings were conducted with the communities and stakeholders involved. These meetings included participatory overviews of project objectives, activities, expected results, and a monitoring and evaluation plan.
Following this, a partnership meeting was conducted on March 26, 2018 at Mallberry Suites by both LASURECO and AMRECO teams. Here, the core teams underwent a staff project concept discussion that aimed to deepen their understanding of project operations. Capacity building activities were also conducted during the meeting and the strengthening of teams’ ability to use the survey tools, instruments, and database system. This also included the identification of approaches to migrate the revalidated member-consumer profiles into LASURECO’s collection and billing systems once operations are normalized.
Memorandum of agreement
On April 10, 2018, LASURECO and AMRECO signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) at MSU’s Marawi Resort Hotel, Marawi City, an event attended by the different project stakeholders including officials and key staff of LASURECO, the BLEADERS’ Project team, and AMRECO’s team headed by the Board President, Mr. Felix G. Vergara, Jr.
Following the MOA signing, the teams met up with the USAID B-LEADERS team headed by the Chief of Party, Ms. Divina B. Chingcuanco for a kick-off meeting.
These series of activities formalized the partnership of the B-LEADERS and AMRECO, as well as the project implementation by LASURECO, through the B-LEADERS program. This allowed stakeholders at the local level to understand the project objectives, activities, and the potential benefit for their communities.
Activity 1: Inception Session:
The inception workshop was conducted by LASURECO with the core group during the early weeks of the project. The aim of the workshop was for the project staff and partners to gain an in-depth understanding of the project design, USAID’s requirements, and AMRECO’s operational standards.
The output of the session was the finalization of a Terms of Reference (TOR) which stipulated institutional arrangements between LASURECO and AMRECO, provisions for engaging with prospective partners and collaborators, and a detailed implementation plan (DIP) and monitoring plan. Other relevant documents were also developed for the implementation of key activities such as: a) a final list of project teams and their members; b) draft reporting templates for the agreed progress
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reports; c) a plan for the project’s communications and visibility collaterals, such as shirts with logos of key players, banners, etc.; and d) a budget breakdown of major budget lines with the detailed implementation plan as guide for disbursements and operational expenses.
Activity 2: Project Introduction and Community Consultation in Each Target Municipality:
Barangay project introductions and community consultations
Each project introduction and community consultation were a one-day event held in target project areas at the barangay level. This was a critical activity to ensure the smooth entry of survey teams into the target sites during the survey onset.
This activity marked the end of the project planning phase, and the beginning of the project execution and monitoring/control phases. Through it, LASURECO was able to build enthusiasm for the project among the survey teams and stakeholders.
The objectives of this activity were:
1. To ensure that all stakeholders at the local level understand the project objectives and activities, and the potential benefit for their communities 2. To discuss each stakeholder’s roles and responsibilities at the local level 3. To generate input on stakeholders’ preferred methods of involvement 4. To inform MCOs of opportunities for members to negotiate new arrangements in availing for electricity services from LASURECO.
The sessions were facilitated by the Institutional Services Division ISD and the Area Services Department ASD teams. Participants included key barangay officials, community leaders, and member-consumer organization officials.
Project launch in Marawi City
The project launch was held on April 3, 2018 at Barangay East Basak Malulut, Marawi City. During the launch, barangay officials shared their communities’ issues regarding the use of electricity in their respective barangays. In attendance were local officials, member consumer organization (MCO) representatives, and other local key stakeholders.
To promote enthusiasm for the project, shirts, banners, and project information sheets were distributed to the participants. A press release was also released to media partners and social media for additional visibility.
However, the time for community consultations was limited due to the area’s security curfew. Because of this LASURECO decided to include additional awareness raising activities during the survey proper to deepen consumers’ understanding of the project as well as elicit consumer support.
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Activity 3: Assessment of the Existing Database and Development of Survey Tools/Instruments
Database assessment
Before the conduct of the survey, it was crucial to assess the availability and adequacy of data on member-consumers in the existing database. During the process, data gaps were identified with the help of the information technology (IT) consultants.
It was noted that key information, particularly on member-consumer profiles and billing records, were either missing or incomplete. As it was, the data was insufficient to support the implementation of LASURECO’s billing and collection system. In order to return to normal operations, the organization had to address this by data gathering, particularly on the number of existing and prospective member- consumers and their billing information.
Thus, the identified data gaps were used as a basis for designing the survey tools and the corresponding database.
Survey form design
The survey form was designed in April of 2018. It was an adaptation of LASURECO’s old member- consumer profile form, enhanced to capture the current context by adding additional content categories, such as the Sticker Number, latest available meter reading, and remarks.
Quick tap survey design
The second data collection instrument designed was the quick tap survey. This software was purchased by the B-LEADERS and installed in the 10 tablets provided to LASURECO through the B- LEADERS to be used in the survey, an additional two software subscriptions were donated for LASURECO’s additional tablets. It was formatted in such a way that migration into LASURECO’s reconstructed billing system would be streamlined. Information collected included: ● Team Number ● Block ● Date ● Number of Consumer (Sequence number) ● Area Code ● Town Code ● Route Code (It will identify the Barangay location) ● Member Consumer (Complete Name of the Consumer) ● Address ● Meter Number ● Serial Number of the meter ● Data Content of the Paper-Based Survey Form such as: Sticker No., Meter reading, Construction type, and Remarks
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Database development
Two databases were established in order to consolidate the data collected from the survey form and the quick tap application. The first is an excel file constructed mainly from input of the paper-based survey form. The content of this database includes survey form data, as well as member-consumer data collected by the ten teams since day 1 of the project.
The second database is based primarily on the quick tap survey data, which consolidates data from the tablets of the ten survey teams. Once connected to the internet, the data is automatically uploaded into the cloud server, allowing the relevant personnel to access the data at any time.
As the actual result of the survey, the quick tap database was able to synchronize data gathered from 32,384 Households across 329 barangays and blocks in Marawi City and District I. The content of the quick tap survey application included the name and reading profile of the household-consumer and the tracking data of the survey team such as date of validation and team number.
Figure 3. Sample of the Paper-Based survey Form with Relevant Information
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Figure 4. Print Screen of the Quick Tap Survey Database Showing Key Content Categories
Figure 5. Print Screen of the Consolidated Results (Database) of Paper-Based Survey
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Figure 6: Snap shot of the Quick Tap Survey Application Content
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Figure 7: Print Screen of the Quick Tap Survey Database
Activity 4: Orientation and Trainings of Project Team
A workshop and several purposive trainings were facilitated by the LASURECO core team to all project and support staff directly involved in the implementation of the survey. These activities aimed to coach them in methods of achieving the results expected for this project, and to increase effectivity in their assigned tasks.
Staff Workshops
In the span of 2 months, the ISD Manager and his team, in coordination with the IT Department, conducted a workshop with the project staff to further deepen their understanding and provide clarity on the project operations. The last one was held on the 2nd week of April at LASURECO’s temporary office in the Provincial Capitol, Marawi City. There were 80 participants, 10 of which were team leaders and 70 were team members. The training covered the following topics: 1) a backgrounder on LASURECO and its role and services to the community; 2) a backgrounder on the project, LASURECO database recovery; 3) the roles and responsibilities of member-consumers; and 4) critical issues and concerns in the electricity sector, among others.
Aside from the discussions on the topics above, the participants were also given a training on the usage of the two data collection instruments, the survey form and the quick tap survey application. The survey teams were also briefed on the mechanics of survey activities, techniques and approaches in conducting interviews, and other operational procedures such as report submission and activity documentation. Since the survey teams are not organic employees of LASURECO, they were also oriented on the individual context of each of LASURECO’s franchise areas to facilitate the formulation of strategies to achieve targets.
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Learning session and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with key staff
Another learning session and FGD was conducted with key project staff and the ten team leaders on June 8, 2018 at the Marawi Resort and Hotel, MSU, Marawi City.
This capacity building exercise focused on the review of the team’s operations, from deployment, to data collection and harmonization, to reporting to AMRECO. A session was designed to teach survey teams on photo documentation and conducting communications and visibility activities per donor standards. It also re-oriented the team on the roles of key actors – USAID/BLEADERS, AMRECO, Inc., and LASURECO, Inc. – as well as the importance of their own compliance in reporting. This emphasized their role as the sole source of information that would go into generating committed reports to the donor.
The FGD with the IT team, the ISD, the ASD and team leaders, on the other hand, focused on updates on operations, particularly outlining accomplishments versus targets. Issues and challenges were also identified to make adjustments to project implementation. Key project documents were also collected, including: a sample survey form, snapshots of the quick tap survey application, a map of barangays plotted on the Marawi and District 1 survey areas, screenshots of the consolidated data file of the IT team, and the photos of the different survey activities.
Activity 5: Deployment Arrangement of Survey Teams
As discussed previously, LASURECO’s target for the duration of the project was Marawi City and selected municipalities within District 1 of Lanao del Sur (Most affected area/Ground Zero of the siege was not included).
LASURECO employed two approaches in designating geographic locations for the survey. In Marawi City, the household survey was done on a per block basis. This means that the Marawi City area was subdivided into 69 blocks based on the criteria of proximity and accessibility. Each block was then assigned a survey schedule. In District 1, the survey was conducted based on political subdivisions (i.e. per municipality and per barangay.). The LASURECO survey teams were able to cover all 69 blocks in Marawi City.
During the LASURECO core team meeting on April 2018, it was decided that ten teams would be deployed on set schedules at a particular major site. For example, in Marawi City, the 69 blocks were divided by ten, meaning that each survey team was assigned six to seven blocks each. The ten teams would then conduct the house-to-house survey simultaneously. Once done with one block, the team then proceed directly to another block.
The same method was applied to the municipalities within District 1, with the total number of barangays (instead of blocks) divided by ten per municipality, and then assigned fairly to each survey team.
In April 2018, LASURECO originally allocated five days to one week for the survey of the entire Marawi City. However, due to constraints, it took four weeks (from April 1-30) to complete the house- to-house survey.
LASURECO began to concentrate survey activities in District 1 starting the first week of June 2018, allocating an average of five days for each target municipality. However, again due to challenges met FINAL REPORT FOR THE LASURECO DATABASE RECOVERY PROJECT 16
by the survey teams during the first two municipalities, at least one week was required to complete the house-to-house survey per municipality. Since each target municipality had its own context and geographic profile, (mountainous terrain, isolated islands, rough roads, etc.,), the teams had to adjust their schedules and survey approaches accordingly. For instance, they had to settle for interviews with any available adult respondent, in case the identified head of the family was not available during the survey. In some cases, they had to revisit old records of the member-consumers to confirm the data.
Considerations made to identify old member-consumers included:
● Records of their old power bill (if available) ● Last recorded reading in their kWh meter ● Previous map stickers in their house ● Record in their last available official receipts (any transactions made with LASURECO Office)
As the project ended, LASURECO was able to conduct the survey which mapped and stickered households in 8 municipalities in District 1 of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City, this was the result of the project given the progress of survey activities during the project implementation period and the constraints and challenges that were met.
Activity 6: Actual Conduct of the Survey and Re/Validation
All ten survey teams were implementing the same program of activities during community surveys this included the following: 1) Member-consumer profiling; Meter reading and meter basic data Gathering; 3) Posting of stickers; and 4) Awareness raising and community education.
Surveys began with a short briefing with team members at the Barangay Halls to restate each member’s assignments and to identify strategies to reach the target in the fastest and most efficient manner. As per LASURECO standards, the head of the household, or whoever is the family-designated payer, should be the key participant to the survey.
As mentioned earlier, two data collection instruments were used: the paper-based survey form and the tablet-based Quick Tap Survey application. The former is usually administered by the designated information officer, with the support of the data recorder. The latter, however, is administered by the team leader.
Though the head of the household was the preferred respondent of the survey, other household members were also interviewed to fast-track the process.
Once the household profile was completed, the meter reader and the lineman would proceed to acquire basic data of the meter device, as well as the last meter reading registered before the Marawi siege. The house then was marked with a sticker, indicating that it had already been mapped.
During the survey, if the household is found to be a non-member-consumer tapping or using LASURECO’s electricity services illegally, the surveyor would initiate a negotiation. In these negotiations, the non-member consumer household who had been previously using electricity services illegally would be offered an opportunity to become a member-consumer, allowing them to continue to use the electricity services provided by LASURECO. If the household declines, their access to the
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grid would be disconnected. In this case, however, if they continue to use the services illegally, they may be held accountable under Republic Act No. 7832 or Anti-Pilferage Law.
The surveys were also supplemented with a continued engagement with local-level stakeholders, such as the MCO officers and barangay officials through courtesy calls and dialogues prior to the conduct of house-to-house visits. This was to done to build support at the barangay level with relevant MCO and barangay officials, to update key stakeholders on project implementation, and to reassure the local stakeholders’ confidence in working with LASURECO. Some team members were also able to participate in barangay assemblies and meetings by invitation, allowing them to present an overview of the project and discuss consumer roles and responsibilities. Initially, however, project-level engagement with local stakeholders was done by the ISD and ASD managers as an entry point to survey activities.
LASURECO likewise included in its survey the number of IDPs in the municipalities of Marawi, Marantao, Saguiaran, Wato Balindong and Barangay Sagonsongan. Some of the households in these survey areas were considered as IDPs since the surveyed areas were resettlement/transitional shelters and camps of the same. The survey team validated the status of the IDPs by getting information manually like member consumer profiles (complete name, location) and other characteristics of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Manually recording this information was at times very time consuming however it was necessary for the tracking system. The project was able to identify a total of 10,403 households which cover an estimated 68,659 IDPs or 32.12% of the total surveyed households. The 2015 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Census was used as reference for the number of personnel per household.
It was noted that LASURECO’s survey activities were limited between the months of May and June. This was due to a variety of interruptions, such as the celebration of Ramadan, the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, and the onset of the rainy season.
Activity 7: Collection/Harmonization of Database System and Validation and Mapping
LASURECO employed a customized process in fast-tracking the collection and harmonization of collected data from the field and into the database. This process was practiced in the entire survey period. However, enhancements of the process were implemented wherever challenges were encountered along the way.
Data collected using both the survey form and the quick tap application were managed in the following manner: • Filled-up Survey Forms are collected by the team leaders and are submitted to the Membership Services Section Head (MSH). • The MSH and her/his team conducts a thorough review of the forms’ entries, one-by-one, and page by page doing proofreading, and identifying data gaps • Once completed, the contents from the forms were encoded into an Excel File designed and maintained by the IT Department, which consolidates all the data reflected in the survey form. • If there were data gaps identified during the review, the forms were marked pending and will be returned to the concerned survey team for them to conduct a quick re-survey to supply the missing data, and then re-submit to MSH for furthering processing
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• On the other hand, data collected using the Quick Tap App were also reviewed and matched against the data collected in those in the survey form as it has more data contents compared with the paper-based tool. • Data collected via the Quick Tap Survey managed by the team leaders of the 10 Survey teams were then synchronized by the IT team every Friday. This was usually done in the office as synchronization is internet-dependent. This process was easily tracked and monitored as the Quick Tap Survey application was programmed to send data updates through email to the accounts of the IT team in charge. • Data from the Quick Tap Survey application had been linked to the projects own database where it can be easily access to check on updates of entries for monitoring purposes
This process of harmonization was useful especially in terms of consolidating available data and the consumer profiles. The most challenging aspects of using the software included the unstable internet connection in remote areas, as well as considerations about cultural sensitivity of consumers unaccustomed to this method of technology.
Activity 8: Development of Communications and Visibility Collaterals
The development of information, education and communications materials (IEC) were done to boost the visibility and understanding of the project. These materials were essential in helping spread the key message of the project in an appealing manner, both to raise awareness of the survey and to encourage support from the member-consumers of LASURECO.
This activity was started on the first month and completed in the second week of May 2018. The team designed a project logo highlighting USAID as the donor and LASURECO as the project recipient. The said project logo was printed on the team’s field uniform, as well as in all the project’s IEC materials, including banners displayed during key activities. The official field uniform, a red sweatshirt with the logos, provided the survey teams with a sense of identity and legitimacy during their entry into target communities. Of course, the team members were also requested to show identification cards (ID) or other documentation as additional proof of their legitimacy as contract staff.
Because the production of these materials entailed costs, a request was drafted during the conducted FGD and monitoring visit of AMRECO on June 2018 to request the LASURECO General Manager to realign its budget to include supplies and production costs for the printing of IDs, and the purchase of items such as rain boots and raincoats to protect survey teams from bad weather conditions during fieldwork.
Following the FGD, the IT Department has designed an ID to be used by the survey teams with approval from the GM of LASURECO. (Please see Figure 8)
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Figure 8: Layout of the Team's Project- Based ID and Logos Imprinted on the Team's Uniform
Activity 9: Regular Project Staff Meetings and Updating
Regular weekly meetings were conducted by the LASURECO project team, included were the 10 team leaders and their members, the IT Consultants and the ISD and ASD Managers. This ensured that information gathered by the teams in the communities were regularly recorded into the two database systems. These meetings were conducted regularly since the first day of the project until the end of survey, except when other equally important LASURECO activities were scheduled.
The meetings also served as platforms to discuss issues affecting survey activities, particularly those that were considered as challenges in achieving the targets for validation and mapping, and in reaching the target communities.
It was also decided during the June 8, 2018 monitoring visit to create a communication mechanism that would connect not just the core team of AMRECO and LASURECO, but also the survey teams’ leaders. This would facilitate rapid communication of updates and concerns directly from AMRECO. A chat group on an online messaging application was established, where documents were uploaded, and issues and concerns by all parties are responded to and resolved right away. In addition, a project focal was designated for easy coordination between the field staff and the core team (composed of ASD Manager, ISD Manager, IT Consultants, AMRECO Consultants, and the 10 team leaders).
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PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES
A. Challenges During Data Collection/Actual Survey
While the survey teams wanted to cover as many houses as possible within the day’s schedule, many challenges encountered in the field limited their ability to do so. Listed below are the major challenges shared during the June 8 Monitoring Visit and FGD:
1. KWh Meters’ Location in the House
• Most houses surveyed had their KWh meter installed at a high location in the house, mostly more than 2 meters above the ground. This makes it difficult for the assigned meter readers to obtain details of the device and the latest KWh reading, forcing them to take more time to perform the procedure. • Several houses had KWh meters installed inside the house. This prevents the team from maximizing time during the survey, where a meter reader may begin obtaining the KWh meter’s details while the other members of the survey team are doing the interview, or while the house owner is filling-up the survey forms
2. Location of houses
• The survey teams had a hard time determining the exact address of surveyed houses located along Barangay boundaries. As one team shared during the June 8 Monitoring Visit, often officials from two different barangays will claim that the houses along the boundaries are part of their jurisdiction. Because of this, survey teams working in adjacent barangays may survey the same household twice, wasting time and other resources. • Almost a hundred houses are located on isolated islands (e.g. Nusa Island), and there are more in which survey teams have to cross rivers and creeks to reach them. Because of this, it may take several hours for the assigned survey team to reach the target houses. In some cases, the team needed to hire a boat or look for protective devices such as rain boots. In these cases, the team may also have to spend a shorter time in the area as they must return to the meeting area at a set time for safety purposes.
3. Geographic Profile of the Target Community/ies
• Most remote barangays of target municipalities are in mountainous areas, with rough roads that become slippery and hazardous during the rainy season or are reachable only by foot trails and not by vehicles. Assigned survey teams sometimes used less than half of their time on conducting surveys because of the time it takes to get to areas with difficult terrain.
4. Unavailability of respondents
• In several instances, houses to be surveyed were closed. These households were either abandoned or the residents were away at the time of the survey. Among the reasons this
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happened was because not all of the barangay residents attended the barangay consultations, or that information about the survey schedules were not properly disseminated, especially to households in the more remote areas. • Another issue was that at times, the head of the family or the payer would sometimes not be available at the time of the survey. In some cases, other members of the family who were willing to provide the necessary information to the survey team were considered as the respondents. In other households, however, other family members were not willing to cooperate and insisted on the presence of the head of the family, especially if negotiations on becoming a legitimate member-consumer were required.
5. Weather/Climate
• Lanao del Sur, including Marawi City, has a tropical rainforest climate. According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, this means that there is no dry season and all months have mean precipitation values of at least 60 mm (2.36 in). There is no pronounced summer or winter and it is typically hot and wet throughout the year, with rainfall being both heavy and frequent even during the “driest” of months. Because of the onset of the rainy season on the month of June, some teams’ survey schedules were significantly delayed as precipitation affected the accessibility of the survey areas.
6. Key Socio-Political Events
• The team’s survey activities were affected by key events that occurred between May and June. This included the celebration of Ramadan, and the Barangay/SK Elections. In anticipation of this, survey teams needed to rush survey activities, resulting in the overlap of some key activities such as lighting ceremonies. Because of this, many field activities were rescheduled to further dates.
7. Attitude/Mindsets of consumer: Regarding the ownership of Lake Lanao
• Convincing the people of Lanao to pay their power bills regularly and on time is one of the primary reasons for difficulty in reconstructing the consumer database. Among the challenges included the cultural belief of locals regarding resource ownership, for instance that Lake Lanao which is the major source of electricity in the area is believed to be communally owned, hence some consumers believe they should not pay for the electricity bill derived from power of the lake. Holding the people accountable for the payment of large bills is one big challenge, as consumers tended to deliberately withhold relevant information or make themselves unavailable during surveys. Because of this, the team expects it to be difficult for LASURECO moving forward to convince some member- consumers to pay their power consumption through a flat-rate system, as one alternative that would help them recover from income loss.
B. Challenges during Data Consolidation and Synchronization
One of the most prominent problems that the IT team experienced during the processes of consolidation and synchronization of data into the database system is that the quick tap survey system has limited features that allow for the correcting of wrong entries. Therefore, the challenges
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encountered were mostly clerical in nature, including erroneous encoding of data, misspelled entries, incomplete address, and other administrative errors.
In addition, the limited internet connection in the field delayed the process of synchronization of data through the Quick Tap Survey application. Because of this, consolidation of data from the tablets were mostly done at the LASURECO office during Fridays wherein internet connection was available. GAPS AND BACKLOGS
The survey team’s original target was to complete the surveys and validation within the project duration of three months. However, given the aforementioned challenges, the survey teams were still able to cover roughly about 9 municipalities. To cover the other 2 target municipalities of District I (Masiu and Tamparan) and 3 remaining municipalities of Lanao del Norte namely Balo-i, Pantao Ragat and Pantar, it would require at least an additional 3 months of survey.
Table 2: Consolidated Report as of September 6, 2018
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Attachment 1: Photo Documentation
Figure 9: Team Leaders of the 10 Survey Teams
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Figure 10: Sample Photos of Teams During Deployment in Different Travel Conditions
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Figure 11: Sample Photos of Teams Interviewing and Filling up Survey Tools
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Figure 12: Teams During Gathering of kWh Meter Details and Meter Readings
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Figure 13: Teams During Mapping/Putting of Stickers
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U.S. Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20523 Tel: (202) 712-0000 Fax: (202) 216-3524 www.usaid.gov
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