Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized GEF Country Portfolio Evaluation: Portfolio GEF Country The Philippines(1992–2007) The MARCH 2008 Global Environment Facility Evaluation Office GEF Country Portfolio Evaluation: The Philippines (1992–2007) March 2008 (The main findings and recommendations of this evaluation were presented to the GEF Council in June 2007.) Evaluation Report No. 36 © 2008 Global Environment Facility Evaluation Office 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 Internet: www.gefeo.org Email: [email protected] All rights reserved. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the GEF Council or the governments they represent. The GEF Evaluation Office does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denomi- nations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the GEF concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The GEF encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly. ISBN 10: 1-933992-08-5 ISBN-13: 978-1-933992-08-2 Credits Director of the GEF Evaluation Office: Robert D. van den Berg Task Manager: Claudio R. Volonté, Chief Evaluation Officer, GEF Evaluation Office Evaluation Team: Arne Jensen and Aage Jorgensen, NORDECO Editing and design: Nita Congress Printing: Graphic Communications Cover photo: Sunrise in Bohol, by Anna Viggh, GEF Evaluation Office Evaluation Report No. 36 A FREE PUBLICATION Contents Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... vi Foreword ...................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... viii 1. Main Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Observations .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Notes .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 2. Description of the Evaluation ............................................................................................... 10 2.1 Background .................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Objectives ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Key Questions ............................................................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Focus and Limitations ................................................................................................................................. 12 2.5 Methodology.................................................................................................................................................. 13 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 14 3. Context of the Evaluation ..................................................................................................... 15 3.1 General Description ..................................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Environmental Resources in Key GEF Support Areas......................................................................... 16 3.3 The Environmental Legal and Policy Framework ................................................................................ 20 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 25 4. Activities Funded by the GEF in the Philippines ................................................................. 26 4.1 Activities Considered in the Evaluation .................................................................................................. 27 4.2 Evolution of GEF Funding to the Philippines ........................................................................................ 33 Note .......................................................................................................................................................................... 34 5. Results of GEF Support to the Philippines .......................................................................... 35 5.1 Global Environmental Impacts ................................................................................................................. 35 iii 5.2 Catalytic and Replication Effects .............................................................................................................. 44 5.3 Capacity Building and Institutional Sustainability ............................................................................... 45 Notes ....................................................................................................................................................................... 46 6. Relevance of GEF Support to the Philippines ..................................................................... 47 6.1 Relevance to Country’s Sustainable Development Agenda and Environmental Priorities......... 47 6.2 Relevance to Country’s Development Needs and Challenges ........................................................... 49 6.3 Relevance to National Action Plans within GEF Focal Areas ............................................................ 50 6.4 Relevance to Global Environmental Indicators ..................................................................................... 51 6.5 Relevance of the GEF Portfolio to Other Global and National Organizations .............................. 52 Note .......................................................................................................................................................................... 52 7. Efficiency of GEF-Supported Activities in the Philippines ................................................. 54 7.1 Time and Effort in Project Development and Implementation ........................................................ 54 7.2 Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities in Project Implementation ................................................. 56 7.3 The GEF Focal Point Mechanism in the Philippines ........................................................................... 58 7.4 Lessons Learned across GEF Projects ..................................................................................................... 60 7.5 Synergies among GEF Stakeholders and Projects ................................................................................. 61 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................................ 61 Annexes A. Terms of Reference ......................................................................................................................................... 63 B. Evaluation Matrix ............................................................................................................................................ 70 C. GEF-Funded Activities in the Philippines ................................................................................................. 72 D. GEF-Funded Activities Not Included in Evaluation ............................................................................... 74 E. People Interviewed and Workshop Participants .................................................................................... 75 F. Literature Reviewed ......................................................................................................................................... 79 G. Global and Local Benefits: Achievements at the Project Level ........................................................... 87 H. ODA to the Philippines, 1991–2005 ......................................................................................................... 96 I. Description and Results of Completed Projects Included in Evaluation ...........................................