18 ‘water champions’ honored at World Water Day Awards 2018

Eighteen (18) individuals, organizations, government agencies and local government units who have gone above the call of duty to save the world’s most precious natural resource —water— were honored at the World Water Day Awards 2018.

This brings to 54 the total number of honorees since the awards program started in 2015.

The awarding ceremony, held at the Novotel Hotel in Cubao, Quezon City was the highlight of this year’s national celebration of the World Water Day on March 22, with the theme “Nature for Water.”

The awards program was organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, the National Water Resources Board, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), and water concessionaire Maynilad.

Here is the complete list of the awards and winners for this year:

Water Conservation Education Award:         Unilever Philippines

Water Leadership Award:      Manila North Tollways Corporation and

Kagawad Annie Baluyot of Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City 

Kawal ng Kalikasan:   Engineer Reynaldo Valdrez Rosario and

                                   Technical Working Group on Solid Waste Management Policy

Kampeon sa Lawa:     Better Tunasan River Army;

Cabuyao River Protection Advocates; Tanaw de Rizal; and

Mr. Mandy Mariño 

Kampeon ng Katubigan:         Villar Sipag Foundation

Huwarang Alagad ng Ilog Pasig:        Philippine Coast Guard

Water-Wise City Award:        City of Taguig

Water Warrior Award (WWA) for Capacity Building:          Lydia Codiñera

WWA for Environmental Sustainability:        Mr. Allan Chua

WWA for Industry Leadership:         Engineer Ma. Teresa C. Combatir

Huwarang Lingkod Tubig:     Metropolitan Naga Water District (Luzon);

Silay City Water District (Visayas); and

Butuan City Water District (Mindanao) 

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New El Nido joint conservation agreement signed

Residents, government officials, civic groups, and environmentalists in El Nido, Palawan, have renewed their commitment to protect and strengthen the natural resources of El Nido, and to work together towards the sustainability of one of the Philippines’ most prized tourism destinations. 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (ENTMRPA) Superintendent Alexander E. Mancio and El Nido Mayor Nieves C. Rosento signed the renewal of the Conservation Agreement for El Nido.

“It is refreshing to see this level of commitment for the protection of our environment coming from our stakeholders,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said.

“This covenant that our officials signed, together with the local government, non-government organizations, and people’s organizations, is the right step toward achieving sustainability in El Nido, one of the most beautiful and most biodiverse ecotourism destinations in the Philippines,” he added.

Signing the agreement with Mancio and Rosento were Malampaya Foundation, Inc. (MFI) President Belinda C. Racela, Barangay Bucana Chairman Aracel A. Bacolod, Barangay Buena Suerte Chairman Ricky C. Ballena, and the people’s organizations Pagkakaisa Pagtutulungan Kalikasan Pakaingatan Ecotourism Service Cooperative (PPKPESC) of Brgy. Buena Suerte, and Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Magsasaka, Mangingisda, at Kababaihan Tungo sa Maunlad na Kinabukasan ng Pamayanan (SANMKAP) of Brgy. Bucana.

PPKPESC was represented by its chairman, Policarpio P. Ramos, Jr., while SANMKAP was led by its president, Plenie Candelario.

“This partnership aims to implement and sustain ecotourism and other livelihood activities for the people of El Nido. MFI will train and provide livelihood programs for the people, while our local officials, together with the local government, will support them,” Cimatu said.

The MFI provides livelihood and ecotourism training through its two flagship programs, the Barangay Aquatic Habitat and Underwater Regeneration Assistance (BAHURA), and the Livelihood Alternatives and Mariculture-Based Assistance Program (LAMBAT).

The BAHURA program helps local communities implement coastal resource management plans as well as environment-friendly alternative livelihood. Meanwhile, LAMBAT offers trainings to locals to help them acquire new skills, such as for environmentally-friendly mariculture or carpentry.

Under the agreement, the parties also resolved to implement and maintain programs aimed at protecting the environment, including the establishment and maintenance of Materials Recovery Facilities, tree and mangrove seedling nurseries, scheduling regular coastal and sea cleanup activities, and cooperatively guarding and patrolling the seas and forests of El Nido.

Cimatu said that the conservation agreements signed in El Nido go hand-in-hand with the mission of Task Force El Nido to save and protect the area, known for its beautiful islands, spotless beaches, crystal clear water, and towering limestone cliffs. The task force is composed of the DENR, the Environmental Management Bureau, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, and the El Nido local government.

El Nido is part of the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area, a 90,321-hectare key biodiversity area protected under Presidential Proclamation 32 signed by then president Joseph Estrada in 1998. ###

DENR press releases and other news/feature articles are posted at the DENR website: www.denr.gov.ph. For queries/comments, write: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cimatu cites need to ‘invest in nature’ amid Boracay crisis

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu on Thursday underscored the need to invest in nature to provide cost-effective solutions to the country’s most pressing water challenges in the wake of environmental issues facing the world-famous Boracay Island.

“Let us spend to grow more trees to make our forests lusher, and our watersheds more productive. Let us exert more effort to clean up our rivers, lakes, beaches and seas, and to safeguard our aquifers, and to keep them clean,” Cimatu said in his address read by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) OIC-Undersecretary for Manila Bay Concerns and Related Water Concerns Atty. Maria Paz G. Luna during the national celebration of World Water Day, highlighted by the awarding of water champions held Thursday at Novotel Hotel in Cubao, Quezon City.

WWD is observed annually on March 22 to raise awareness about the importance of water and sustainable development. This year’s theme, “Nature for Water” emphasizes the potential for nature-based solutions (NbS) to address mounting water-related problems facing the planet.

The annual awards recognize individuals, institutions and programs that made strides in achieving water and environment sustainability in the Philippines. It is the highlight of the local celebration of World Water Day, which is observed yearly on March 22 to raise awareness about the importance of water and sustainable development.

Cimatu described the event as “very timely” as he spearheads government efforts to rehabilitate the pollution-challenged Boracay.

“Had the good practices of today’s awardees been replicated in Boracay, that world-famous tourist destination would not have been a cesspool,” Cimatu said.

According to Cimatu, the government’s willingness to address the Boracay crisis is an acknowledgment that “nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many water challenges. Nature can heal itself if abuses are mitigated before they become irreversible.”

“This is evident in the rehabilitation of Boracay, where we are restoring wetlands and addressing wastewater issues through an improved sewerage system for the whole island,” Cimatu pointed out.

Cimatu said the government will not waver in its efforts to protect and conserve the country’s water resources through continued implementation of vital environmental programs, including the National Greening Program (NGP), the government’s flagship reforestation program.

“This massive replanting will go far beyond creating new forests as carbon sinks to mitigate climate change; it will also create livelihood and reduce poverty, provide habitats for biodiversity, recharge watersheds, protect topsoil from erosion, and boost food security,” Cimatu said.

He added: “Solid waste management, which has a direct impact to water, is also our top priority.”

At the same time, Cimatu said it is high time the Philippines invest in the so-called green infrastructure, an approach which protects and restores natural ecosystems that provide security to nearby communities. 

“Countries highly vulnerable to natural disasters, like the Philippines, need to invest more in green infrastructure,” Cimatu said.

“Integrating green with grey or traditional infrastructure creates cost-effective, climate resilient communities,” he added.

After the awarding ceremony, Luna, on behalf of Cimatu, together with other government officials and representatives from the private sector, signed a commitment document in support of the United Nations resolution on the International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028. 

This decade for action aims to further improve cooperation, partnership and capacity development in response to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. ###

DENR press releases and other news/feature articles are posted at the DENR website: www.denr.gov.ph. For queries/comments, write: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.