To prevent flooding: Dispose of trash properly - Villar

CEBU, Philippines - Proper disposal of garbage spared Las Piñas City from the recent floods in Luzon. This was the statement of former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar during a press conference in Cordova town yesterday.

Because of the city’s effective garbage disposal mechanisms, the two rivers in the city – the Las Piñas River and Zapote River – have remained clean.

Ten years ago in 2002, the city launched the “Sagip Ilog” (Save the River) Program to rehabilitate the two rivers. Since then, the two rivers have been free of garbage and water has since flowed smoothly.

“Kami lang ang hindi binaha. That is because we are recycling our waste products and turned this into raw materials for the livelihood of our constituents,” Villar said.

Villar, the managing director of Villar Foundation, was in Cordova yesterday to grace the town’s Dinagat Bakasi Festival.

“We have a very successful river system and we want to share this to the entire country on how we do it,” she said.

Villar, a staunch advocate of environmental conversation and preservation, yesterday invited officials of local government units in Cebu to visit Las Piñas to see the city manages its garbage.

What it is doing, for one, is turn garbage into raw materials that can be used for livelihood projects. For instance, used papers are being made into handbags while used plastic is being pulverized and used as raw material for cement. Kitchen and garden waste are utilized as fertilizer.

Also, water lily stalks, which are considered eyesores that block waterways such as rivers and canals, are now being made into bayong, slippers, and furniture, among others.

“So talagang dapat mag recycle. We are not only helping and protecting our environment but we are also giving our people some livelihood and this is what I am trying to do now. Marami ng natulungan ang foundation,” she said.

Villar’s foundation has won various awards for its tree-planting program “Pagtatanim Para sa Kinabukasan” (Planting for the Future), “Sagip Bukas” (Save the Future) a school-based movement for a drug-free Las Piñas, and “Manpower on Wheels,” a mobile livelihood program, which provides training and employable skills to curb unemployment.

 The foundation also implements sustainable environmental programs by creating social enterprises that will lead the path towards economic and financial independence for Filipinos.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the foundation advocates in educating the people on zero waste management as stipulated under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2001. — (FREEMAN)