Villar Foundation Partners with DZRH for Manila Bay Cleanup

The Villar Foundation, in keeping with its environment-related advocacies, has inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) as represented by radio station DZRH in its Manila Bay Cleanup drive. The said cleanup drive attracts hundreds of volunteers. As a matter of fact,  March this year, Mrs. Villar filed a petition for Writ of Kalikasan at the Supreme Court to stop another reclamation project at the Manila Bay. Fortunately, her petition was granted in April.

The Villar Foundation, led by its Managing Director Cynthia Villar, together with at least 1,000 volunteers from schools, barangays, NGOs, socio-civic organizations, and other private individuals and groups will join the cleanup drive. Their assigned garbage cleanup area is in the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat & Eco-Tourism Area or LPPCHEA, off Manila Bay.

“We have always been concerned about the condition of the Manila Bay. The recent typhoons have shown all of us the bay’s decaying state due to people’s indiscriminate throwing and dumping of garbage there. Regular cleanup drives such as this are always a good idea,” said Villar.

During the recent typhoon Gener, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), at least 200 truckloads or over 500 tons of garbage, washed away to shore by the storm surge, was collected around the Manila Bay area. It took weeks to completely collect the big piles of garbage. Villar added that the foundation conducts regular weekly cleanups at LPPCHEA but Saturday’s cleanup with DZRH is just bigger in terms of number of volunteers.

As per the MoA, MBC or DZRH will lead the Manila Bay Cleanup project on August 25, 2012 (Saturday) 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 this 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 in April.

“We will continue to support campaigns or drives to protect Manila Bay and neighboring areas including LPPCHEA. At the same, time, we will continue to oppose projects that will cause damage and destruction to the bay and nearby cities,” cited Villar.

For more details about the projects and programs of the Villar Foundation, please visit its website www.villarfoundation.org or follow its Twitter account www.twitter.com/VFoundationInc