Tambuling Batangas Publication June 05-11, 2019 Issue | Page 3

BALITA
June 05-11, 2019
DENR, MPIC ink pact to
rehabilitate Manila’s 20
dirtiest esteros
By Susan G. De Leon
DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu and MPIC president and CEO Jose Ma. Lim sign a Memorandum of Understanding for
the cleanup of 20 esteros in Manila that lead to Pasig River. (Photo courtesy of DENR)

maimulat ang mga SK officials
mula sa pahina 1
Elected...
Development Office, na patuloy
na maitaas ang kaalaman ng
mga SK officials nang sa gayon
ay maging mas mahusay at
handa ang mga ito sa kanilang
dalawang taon na paglilingkod
bilang kinatawan ng mga
kabataan sa kani-kanilang
barangay.

Sa unang araw ng
aktibidad ay idinaos ang
isang development seminar
at forum, kung saan naging
pangunahing
mga
paksa
ang “Good Governance and
Social Responsibility,” na
tinalakay ni Dr. Marietto C.
Sevilla; “Role of Sangguniang
Kabataan in Barangay Drug
Clearing Operation (BADAC),”
na pinangunahan ni Lady Jessice
M. Naong ng Department of the
Interior and Local Government
(DILG) – Batangas; at, “Disaster
Risk Management,” na siyang
pinagtuunan naman ng pansin
ni Arlene D. Banaag ng DILG –
Batangas.
Kaugnay
nito,
nagkaroon ng lecture patungkol
sa isyu ng Depresyon, na
masusing tinalakay ni Mr. Alfred
Raymundo
Panopio,
isang
registered nurse na instructor sa
National University sa Maynila.
Aniya,
mahalagang
CALABARZON...
in achieving your dream.”

(You can make a way to
help improve your lives without
being dependent on anybody or
the government with the help of
partner agencies, we are with you
in achieving your dream.)
Mendoza
also
highlighted the importance of
knowing the IPs real situation
in order to achieve the dream
of improving the lives of the IP
communities in the country. She
stressed out the willingness of
various agencies to assist them to
enable them to live independently
from the government and others.

Dulay quoted one of the
Dumagat Chieftains from Quezon
named Solomon Borris, who said,
“Matuto tayong tumayo sa sarili
nating mga paa... sapagkat may
kakayanan tayong ipaglaban ang
ating karapatan... kung hindi,
mananatili tayong ganito.”

(We should learn how
to stand on our own because
we have the ability to fight for
our own rights or else we will
continue to remain this way.”

The IP Chieftain urged
his fellow-IP to fight for their
rights and stand on their own feet
to be able to move forward and
progress.

IPs were able to lay
down their situation in their
Manifesto. Their educational
concerns include high incidence
of out of school children and
youth and lack of education
facilities.

In terms of Health and
Sanitation, they experience rise
mula sa pahina 8
in population, scarcity of medical
instruments, unavailability of IP
health worker, and lack of their
own lavatory.

The IP communities
also need sustainable livelihood,
agricultural inputs and tools and
markets for their products, and
decent farm-to-market roads.

They also noted the
issues on Ancestral Domain
pertaining to the slow process of
issuing Certificate of Ancestral
Domain Title Number and
the cancellation of the Joint
Agreement
Order
between
Department of Agrarian Reform
(DAR), National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and
Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR).

Another concern is their
cultures and practices like early
marriage and lack of alternative
source of income that results to
mendicancy.

Other issues include
discrimination, representation of
Indigenous People Mandatory
Representative (IPMR) in the
local government units, existence
of solemnizing officers, the
wrong perception of military men
on IP communities with close
interaction with rebel group who
are treated as sympathizers, and
the need of IPs for support from
other stakeholders.

As indicated in the
manifesto, in relation to the
situation they have laid down, they
are likewise taking responsibility
to actively take part in improving
their community’s condition.
lalo’t higit at maraming
kabataan ang kumakaharap sa
depresyon sa kasalukuyan, at
nararapat lamang na magkaroon
ng awareness ang mga ito, hindi
lamang patungkol sa nasabing
kundisyon, kundi pati na rin
sa mental health, bilang mga
kinatawan ng youth sector.

Sa ikalawang araw ng
pagtitipon ay sumabak naman
ang mga SK members sa iba’t
ibang outdoor activities na
sinubok at nilinang ang kanilang
kakayahan sa mga aspeto ng
teamwork, leadership, trust
building at creative thinking.
– Marinela Jade M. Maneja,
Batangas PIO

They
also
pledged
to cooperate in improving the
condition of all the IPs, ensure
that their children are sent to
school and will finish their
studies, help in spreading the
importance of health in their
community, efficiently utilize the
programs and assistance they are
receiving, work hard in order to
prevent mendicancy, widen their
knowledge and share it to their
fellow IPs, and to take part in
keeping peace and order in their
tribes.

Meanwhile, IPs are
lobbying for the support of
various agencies for the success
of achieving progress in all the IP
communities.

They urged everyone to
prioritize giving them programs
that are based on what they really
need and for the national and local
governments to allocate funds for
programs dedicated to them.
The
IPs
also
appealed for an opportunity
to have a representative in
the Sub-Committee on Social
Development of the Regional
Development Council (RDC).

And finally, to form
a committee comprised of
different agencies who will focus
on promoting the rights and
development of the IPs.

The crafting of this
Manifesto, signed and agreed
by the IPs themselves and the
stakeholders, is seen as a big step
towards improving the status
of the IPs in the region. (Joy
Gabrido, PIA4A)
QUEZON
CITY--The
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR)
recently forged a five-year
partnership deal with MPIC for
the cleanup of 20 dirtiest esteros
that drain into Pasig River, under
the DENR’s Adopt-an-Estero/
Water Body program.

The
water
bodies
covered by the DENR-MPIC
accord are Esteros de Vitas, San
Lazaro, Kabulusan, Magdalena,
Binondo, Dela Reina, Sampaloc,
San Sebastian, San Miguel,
Valencia, Uli-uli, Paco, Pandacan,
Tanque,
Balete,
Provisor,
Concordia, Sunog Apog, San
Antonio Abad and Quiapo.

MPIC would work
closely with DENR, local
government units and other
concerned
government
and
private agencies to clean up these
water ways that lead to Manila
bay.

The partnership was
sealed through a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) signed by
DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu
and MPIC president and CEO
Jose Ma. Lim.

According to Cimatu,
the DENR-MPIC collaboration
is a continuation of the battle cry
for Pasig River: “rehabilitating a
river, restoring life and reviving
the pride.”

“Together, we will
continue to clean every estero,
assess their water quality and
identify sources of pollution,”
Cimatu said during the MOU
signing held at the DENR central
office in Quezon City.

“We
will
take
appropriate
actions
against
establishments
discharging
untreated wastewater to prevent
them from further poisoning
these waterways,” he added.

For his part, Lim
assured that the MPIC—through
its subsidiary Maynilad Water
Services Inc.—“remains fully
committed to protecting the
PRESIDENT...
and thanked the Philippines for
supporting efforts to grow the
Japanese market further.

Shimura also affirmed
that Japan’s travel industry will
help the Philippines develop
and promote more destinations
following Cebu and Manila and
support the country’s advocacy
on sustainable tourism. JATA
will send 20 travel agencies to
the Philippines to meet with
local travel agents and explore
possible areas of collaboration.

Department
of
Transportation (DOTr) Secretary
Arturo Tugade enthused that the
development of new airports and
expansion of existing gateways
serve to attract many investment
and business opportunities for
airline companies and airport
operators in Japan.

International air seats
to the Philippines from Japan
now total 3,250,264 as of March
2019. The inbound traffic is
expected to rise with Philippine
Airlines’ introduction of Chitose-
Manila thrice weekly flights
last December, Japan Airlines’
environment.”

“Upon acknowledging
the objective of the DENR to
promote stewardship among
the private sector, MPIC is set
to assist government agencies
in improving the water quality
parameters of the country’s water
bodies,” Lim added.

Under the MOU, the
MPIC agreed not only to fund
the rehabilitation and water
quality assessment of the adopted
esteros, but also spearhead the
mobilization of neighboring
schools and communities for the
cleanup activities.

The
diversified
conglomerate
also
assured
that Maynilad will fast-track
the rehabilitation of its sewer
lines, intensify the connection
of domestic and non-domestic
customers to the existing
sewerage
network,
install
collector pipes and easements,
and conduct information and
education campaigns related to
proper wastewater treatment and
disposal.

The DENR, on the other
hand, will provide the MPIC
with all the relevant data for
the conduct of the water quality
assessment study, issue the
necessary permits and approvals
to enable the MPIC and Maynilad
to perform their responsibilities,
and take appropriate action
against violators within the
adopted esteros.

Established in 2010, the
Adopt-an-Estero/Water Body is
a flagship program of the DENR
in response to the continuing
mandamus of the Supreme Court
for all concerned agencies to
clean up Manila Bay, including
all waterways that drain into it.

The program, which
was eventually replicated in
other parts of the country, is
a
collaborative
undertaking
among the estero community, the
donor-partner, concerned local
government units, the DENR and
other government agencies. (PIA
InfoComm/DENR)
mula sa pahina 8
daily service linking Haneda
with Manila since February and
the upcoming flights of Air Asia
(Osaka-Manila, July 1), and Cebu
Pacific (Narita-Clark, August 9).

Anticipating an upsurge
of visitors, President Duterte
cautioned, “We are receiving
a lot of tourists now and soon,
some areas might not be able to
accommodate you for lack of
facilities. We suggest for those
who are interested to go into
business to participate in building
resorts for your citizens.”

With the improved
airports and seaports, inter-
island travel will be easier,
more comfortable and with
more providers coming in, more
affordable, the President added.

The Philippines played
host to 631,801 Japanese travelers
in 2018, an 8.15% growth versus
2017.

With no less than the
President in attendance, more
business and investment leads
are expected to yield reciprocal
arrangements
to
further
strengthen
Japan-Philippine
tourism relations. (DoT)