Sustainable Initiatives Led by Local Experts

        Partner  communities  of  DLSU-COSCA prepare  to  join the  nation in celebrating  Philippine  Environment  Month on June  24, 2017 by  participating  in the   24 Orchestrated Clean-Up.   Leaders from partner communities in  Leveriza, Manila,  Barangays 718, 719 and 720 and other  volunteers  from nearby Barangays were visited  by representatives  from  government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environmental Management Bureau and  DLSU-COSCA  to  encourage participation  on their  regular  clean-up activities and  activities  related  to  their participation  in the  Philippine  Environment  month.

       The regular clean-up is one of the activities outlined in the 2017 Barangay plans crafted by the respective partner communities.  More than the physical tidying, the clean-up activity for Estero Fort San Antonio de Abad and Estero de Maytubig  is  regularly undertaken by partner  communities  to facilitate  other efforts  to  improve water quality of  the estero  and  in the  long run raise the communities’ consciousness  about  caring  for the  environment .  

        Efforts to  rehabilitate  the estero  concretize  the objective of the Lasallian Environmental Sustainability and Governance (L-ENVISAGE), a component of DLSU-COSCA's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Localization Project.  The  component  builds on the localization and implementation of five international  SDGs focusing  on activities such as  a) Awareness and capacity building of  partner communities,  b) Collaboration with private and public sector, c)  Policies and regulations,  and d) Engagement of  the DLSU community.    Simple activities  such as  the tidying exercise  coupled with  capacity  building  and  governance  strengthening all support  the attainment of one of L-ENVISAGE’s milestones which is to restore the ecological services of Estero Fort San Antonio de Abad and Estero de Maytubig  and in the  long run create  an awareness of  protecting the  environment  and  on the intrinsic value of the estero. 

        Ms. Lydia,  a  Councilor  from COSCA’s partner  barangay shares, “ Ang  paglilinis  ng  kapaligiran kasama ng estero namin  ay  palagiang kasama  sa  taunang plano  ng aming barangay.  Bagama’t ginagawa na namin ito, binibigyan din namin ng  pagkakataon  ang pagtutulungan ng gobyerno  at  ng iba pang mga organisasyon  sa gawaing ito” (The clean-up  activity including  the dredging  of  our estero is regularly included in  our  Annual Barangay plan.  While  we already do this  regularly, we provide opportunity  for government and other organizations in this  collaboration).