PUP students and faculty vow to save Pasig River

By: Faizza Farinna T. Tanggol

Green is the new school color of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) as they demonstrated their love for the environment, particularly the Pasig River, last April 29, 2009. Under the auspices of Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP), a partnership between ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. (AFI), the DENR through the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) and other supporting groups such as MMDA, and local government units, KBPIP launched a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) inside the Mabini campus of PUP. This is the first ever campus in Metro Manila with such a facility. PRRC provided the equipment and constructed the MRF facility.

The inauguration of the PUP MRF was hosted by ABS-CBN’s Bernadette Sembrano while PDA champion Yeng Constantino offered a repertoire of songs for the Pasig River cause. Sembrano and Constantino waived their fees as support for KBPIP.

Engr. Allan Gatpolintan, Deputy Executive Director of PRRC, explained the current problem with solid wastes, “What we see floating around Pasig River such as the plastics and styro, those are the solid wastes which constitute about 10% of the pollutants in the River.”

Setting up MRFs in a community addresses the solid waste concern. Each MRF has pedicabs which will collect the wastes from the households. Collected biodegradables such as kitchen wastes are fed into a biodigester or into a composter and vermicompost beds. Non-biodegradable wastes such as plastics and styrofoam are segregated then put into the shredders and styro oven. The processed non-biodegradables can then be recycled into useful products such as bricks, pavers, and table top. The finished products can be sold as part of the community livelihood.

“I love the Pasig River project because of the spirit of kapit bisig,” enthused Gina Lopez, the Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation, “Kapit bisig means working together—it’s such a Filipino concept—and there’s really no way that the [Pasig] River will be cleaned if we don’t work together.” And indeed the kapit bisig spirit is evident as multi-sectoral partnerships develop to rehabilitate the Pasig River.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) headed by Sec. Lito Atienza, signed a memorandum of agreement with AFI to co-manage the rehabilitation of Pasig River and its tributaries. The main goal is to revive the waters in seven years so that fish and shellfish can be propagated, the habitat can be conducive for wildlife, and people can swim and navigate around it. PRRC operates the fully-airconditioned ferries that traverse along the Pasig River and has relocated about 7,000 families in different resettlement sites. An estimated 4,000 families remains to be resettled.

Goldilocks, the Filipino foods giant, have generously sponsored P5M for the operation and further expansion of MRFs in three communities. They marked a milestone as they became the first corporate sponsor to help in the Pasig River initiative.

“The [Pasig River Rehabilitation] Commission and ABS-CBN Foundation is banking in [putting up] twelve MRF sites, one of which is the PUP MRF,” Engr. Gatpolintan said.

Atty. Araceli Linatoc, the Director for Administrative Services of PUP, assured that the newly-installed MRF will be “run and managed properly by the university.”

Lopez emphasized the importance of the youth in rehabilitating the Pasig River. “The youth is key,” she said, “We [AFI and PRRC] are going to work together with you. Together, we can do this!”