Last year, MISIS Cynthia Villar, Managing Director of the foundation, inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) represented by radio station DZRH in its Manila Bay Clean up drive.
“The Villar Foundation together with students and other volunteers conduct weekly clean up also. This clean up with DZRH is in addition to those. The more partners we work with, the better it will be for the environment,” said Villar. The last clean up of the foundation with DZRH was on August 25 last year.
The clean up covers the entire stretch of Manila Bay. The Villar Foundation will take charge of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat & Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA), the same site where they do their regular clean up.
Also known as the Freedom Island, LPPCHRA is accessible from the Coastal Road. The target area will be the open beach areas facing out to the Manila Bay.
“We are pleased with the improvement that we are seeing at LPPCHEA. The number of truckloads of garbage that we are getting here has considerably decreased and we attribute that to our consistent clean up efforts,” cited Villar.
The Villar Foundation will be joined by at least 1,000 volunteers from schools, barangays, NGOs, socio-civic organizations, and other private individuals and groups.
According to her, the days following a typhoon, are usually the period when most garbages have been collected from the area since wastes from as far away as Cavite are being dragged by the storm surge in the area. And the garbage takes weeks or even more than a month to be collected.
“Clean up plays a big factor but in the long run, we really need to discipline the people and make them aware of the consequences of their indiscriminate throwing and dumping of garbage. The immense flooding that we have experienced in recent years should send a clear signal already of the environmental degradation of Manila Bay and other waterways in our country,” added Villar.
As per the MoA, MBC or DZRH will lead the Manila Bay Cleanup project along the coastline of Manila Bay from Navotas to Bacoor, Cavite “to help promote any and all efforts in relation to the promotion of sustainable ecosystem of Manila Bay”.
The clean up activities will take place from 7am to 11am onwards and the garbage collected will be turned over to appropriate government solid waste collector in the area.
“The Villar Foundation and DZRH agree that this is a joint cooperative undertaking, but more importantly, it is a major public service activity that shall help contribute to the promotion of a livable, healthier and ecological sustainable Manila Bay,” cited the MoA.
Villar has been vocal about her strong support for the protection of Manila Bay. To recall on March 16 last year, she filed a petition for Writ of Kalikasan against a Manila Bay reclamation project that is seen to cause catastrophic flooding in the area. The Supreme Court granted her petition and issued a Writ of Kalikasan on April 10.
“We will continue to support campaigns or drives to protect Manila Bay and neighboring areas including LPPCHEA. Moreover, we will continue to oppose projects that will cause damage and destruction to the bay and nearby cities,” cited Villar. If carried out, the Manila Bay reclamation project that Villar is opposing is seen to cause severe flooding in numerous barangays — 11 in Parañaque, 37 in Bacoor and 17 in Las Piñas.
For more details about the projects and programs of the Villar Foundation, please visit www.villarfoundation.org or follow www.twitter.com/VFoundationInc.
