Groups sign MOA to save Baguio rivers

By Patrick Rilorta

BAGUIO CITY  - Stakeholders of “Salaknib ti Waig” program converged Tuesday at the Baguio City Police Office multi-purpose hall to put in paper their commitment to sustain rehabilitation of rivers here.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Environment regional director Paquito Moreno, Jr. and heads of colleges, universities, non-government organizations and barangay officials signed agreement on their role as guardians of inland waterways of the city.

The ‘Salaknib ti Waig’ program is a project of the City Environment and Parks Management Office patterned after the DENR’s “Adopt-an-Estero” program. 

It aims to sustain waterway protection by tapping support of partners from private sector and community.

The main focus is protection of rivers and streams within the city being the headwaters of four major river systems.

Stakeholders will be responsible in maintenance of the “adopted” river, formulate action plans to rehabilitate and ensure measures are undertaken to reduce pollution and improve quality of water in rivers. Adoptorswill  be working with the barangays which have jurisdiction of these adopted rivers through  information and education campaigns and community mobilization activities in partnership with the city government and DENR-EMB.

The program covers 28 barangays within the Balili River Basin and involves around 17.750 km of inland waterways within these barangays has been identified for adoption.

The adopters are Saint Louis University with partner barangays Cabinet Hill-Teachers Camp, DPS Compound, Engineers Hill, Marcoville and South Drive while Goshenland adopted and partnered with Holy ghost Proper and Upper General Luna barangays.

The Rotary Club of Baguio adopted and partnered with Imelda Village and M. RoxasTeachers Camp barangay and Pines City Colleges partnered with Happy Homes, North Sanitary Camp and South Sanitary Camp barangays.

Other adopters are MJ Corporation partnering with ABCR barangay, NIIT with Camdas, Private Road, Tabora and Trancoville barangay, Baguio City Academy Colleges with Tabora barangay and University of the Philippines-Baguio with Brookside barangay.Other partners of the program include Beneguet Electric Cooperative,  Baguio Regreening Movement (BRM), Baguio Heritage Foundation, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), BRSRC and Alay sa Kalinisan (ASKI).