Sen. Cynthia Villar lauds partners in Manila Bay clean up

Sen. Cynthia Villar lauded the flourishing partnership between private and public organizations to clean and protect Manila Bay on the occasion of the celebration of January as Zero Waste Month.

Villar, chairperson of the committee on environment and natural resources, made this statement during the clean-up activity of the Manila Bay Sunset Partnership Program Inc. (MBSPPI) at the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park.

“Obviously, our waste problem has reached alarming levels that government efforts are not enough to clear our coastal areas of plastic debris. This now calls for a concerted effort between public and private organizations to significantly reduce wastes,” Villar said.

Villar also cited a University of Georgia study showing that the Philippines ranked third, next to China and Indonesia, among 192 countries surveyed, in terms of estimated volume of mismanaged plastic wastes that could potentially enter the bodies of water.

She commended MBSPPI for conducting monthly clean up activities around Manila Bay, adding that MBSPPI supplements the effort of 13 government agencies mandated by a Supreme Court continuing mandamus to clean and rehabilitate Manila Bay.

MBSPPI is the flagship Corporate Social Responsibility of LandBank and the first public-private, multi-sectoral partnership organized to help implement a sustainable approach to clean and protect Manila Bay.

At present, member-organizations are: Asian Social Institute, City Government of Manila, Cooperative Development Authority, DENR- Manila bay Coordinating Office, DENR-NCR, De La Salle University Manila, Department of Finance, Department of Public Works and Highways-NCR, Division of City Schools-Manila, Department of Finance, Environment Management Bureau-NCR, LANDBANKOOP, LBP Countryside Development Foundation, Inc., LBP Insurance Brokerage, Inc., LBP Leasing and Finance Corporation, LBP Resources and Development Corporation, Manila Broadcasting Company, Manila Ocean park, Manila Yacht Club, Masaganang Sakahan, Inc., Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Miss earth Foundation, Inc., Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippine Information Agency-NCR, Polystyrene Packaging Council of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of the Philippines-Manila, and Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (SIPAG).