WRAPPING UP NEXUS ACHIEVEMENTS

During the BISCAST Nexus Closing meeting, Nexus Adviser, Mr. Werner Haberzettl was given the privilege to report the achievements of the Integrated Resource Management program under his advisory and technical guidance since his arrival in the College in November of 2014. By February in 2015, BISCAST managed to put up the rainwater harvester. He recalled reporting it to his superior, Ms. Ruth Erlbeck in Bangkok, Thailand and telling her, “It looks like we already planted the seed, we just have to water it so that it will continue growing.”

Mr. Haberzettl shared that he is already on the sixth extension of his contract, and he can already say that BISCAST now has a tree and he wants to see it growing over time with the really strong Nexus Task Force. He remarked, “Actually, I see the Nexus Task Force and the Nexus Core Group as the trunk of the tree. I see BISCAST in the field with the Nexus Tree in its midst. Its roots is anchored firmly through our research , extension and instruction programs. And the branches, that is where we can be seen from outside. And I think the most visible one is the CCRPH”.

The Adviser then went on to explain the College’s prospective project with the city which he said is quite interesting with what has been planned for the Nexus Center. He explained the representation of the city road where small roads come together into a bigger road, reflecting BISCAST’s various cooperation such as the 30-Year Sustainable Development Plan with the City; the 8^th Regional Workshop where BISCAST signed an agreement with the King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi; and the CHED cooperation with the SAPP program where the parties talked about the bamboo technology. He added that in the last ISO audit, Nexus left a mark of positive outcome. On the way forward, Mr. Haberzettl said there will be a sure cooperation with KMUTT in 2020 as BISCAST will be the hosting other universities all over the globe with a design competition. He also specially mentioned BISCAST’s endeavor of bringing the campus into a more environmental friendly ways for its buildings with the College’s Integrated Resource Management.

Mr. Haberzettl then asked a rhetorical question if the four and a half years of the BISCAST Urban Nexus has been successful. Was it visible for the people? In response to his own question, he said, “Some might not have seen the whole impact because sometimes, all you can see is the hard work, but not the activities behind.”

He then showed the last activities from 2018 until 2019 including the forum in India where Dr. Cordial made an impressive presentation which was a highlight for the academe and the Urban Nexus Approach. He added that during the 8^th Regional Workshop in the United Nations Headquarters, they discovered the important role of the academe in disseminating the Approach. He showed the activities done during workshops and concluded that in his personal point of view, the BISCAST Urban Nexus has been very successful.

The Adviser then mentioned that the activities done in BISCAST are published in the website of the GIZ Bangkok, Thailand, such as the activities with KMUTT and the Training for the Municipality of Canaman. He said that those write ups do not pass through GIZ Manila because those were regional projects. So it goes directly to the Headquarters in Bangkok. He added that in the UN website, there are published articles about activities in BISCAST written by Ar. Janet M. Baylon.

Consequently, Mr. Haberzettl said that during ISO audits, Nexus was mentioned as a “best practice” in 2018 and 2019. This clearly suggests that the Nexus Approach is helping BISCAST in achieving accreditations including those for CEA and COE. Even if it’s not visible, Nexus is included in the medium-term strategic plan of the College. In conclusion, Nexus has been established as an integral part of the College.

For his recommendations, the Adviser suggested for the College to designate an expert as Nexus Adviser for REPED, and Academic and Administrative Councils. Further, he recounted that BISCAST has been working on the “No Plastic Policy” for the past two years. And he assessed that the College is not living up to its policies. He suggested the possibility of implementing the policy without the corresponding penalties for violations. He said we should implement it and take it to heart because in today’s reality, plastic is now in our food. BISCAST should not be at the end of the chain. BISCAST should be in front. He said banning the plastic is a journey he wants BISCAST to take.

The consultant then mentioned the little things which made his stay in the College all worthwhile. “Smiles in the morning when I’m going to school, is like a cake for the whole day. You don’t get that in Germany”, Mr. Haberzettl said. He also shared that during meetings, “There’s always a wisp of, you’re serious but you’re also in between…you’re making jokes. You will not get that in Germany or Mongolia. And I got continuous support from the first day, (until…I still have a month). But I still got continuous support and I really thank you for that. And I think we can really be proud of what we achieved,” the Adviser added.

As his final message, he said that BISCAST is in a good way of getting rid of “silo thinking” and we should continue to find ways around the silo. He underscored that we cannot make it on our own, we need to do it together. Finally, he wrapped up his message and bade farewell to the attendees with a promise, “Salamat po, I will be back!” And BISCAST will be eternally grateful to you. Vielen Dank, Werner.

The Integrated Resource Management at BISCAST, commonly known in the College as Nexus, held its closing meeting last 4 July 2019. The almost five-year project was an offshoot of the international cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ – Nexus) under the Urban Nexus Project. BISCAST received advisory services from the GIZ – Nexus to strengthen its capacity relative to integrated resource management. It focused on approaches and interlinkages in the areas of sanitation, energy efficiency, environment, and affordable and resilient housing. During its implementation, a Nexus Task Force was established to develop a plan focusing on six major areas: sustainable site development plan, eco-friendly, capacity building, integration of sustainable design in the curriculum, energy management, and climate change resilient pilot house. This helped BISCAST operate through a unified process, making it resource-efficient, effectively supporting cities, municipalities and institutions through training, research and development applications, dissemination, demonstrations, and technology transfer.

The concluding meeting attended by the Nexus Task Force, College Officials, and other designees was carried out to summarize the milestones achieved by the College through the project. BISCAST likewise recognized the unwavering services provided by GIZ consultant, Mr. Werner Haberzettl, through years of conceptualizing, planning, and accomplishment of various projects. The Nexus Task Force members were also given recognitions for bringing in together their ideas and for implementing the projects. The faculty members who became part of the program were also given Certificates of Appreciation for their contributions in support of Nexus achievements.

Finally, BISCAST conveyed its utmost gratitude to Ms. Ruth Erlbeck, GIZ - Nexus Regional Director, and Mr. Ralph Trosse, Technical Director of the GIZ for the fruitful cooperation especially their unwavering support from the conceptualization to the realization of the various Nexus projects in BISCAST.