At least 50 portable toilets were installed in Barangay 275 at Parola Compound in Tondo, Manila on Tuesday as part of the city government's "Kubeta Ko" project.
Under the project, a portable, container-based toilet technology developed by Loowat, Limited will be used. The said company secured funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the "Kubeta Ko" project.
In September, the Manila city government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) entered an agreement to install the portable toilets to minimize open defecation around the Manila Bay area.
Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso said the project is a realization of his dream to provide "dignified" toilet facilities for the poor.
Promoting proper hygiene can also allow residents to avoid catching illnesses, Domagoso said.
"May dignidad sa pagiging mahirap sa pagpapakita ng kalinisan at kaayusan at pag-alis ng kadugyotan sa ating pamumuhay (There is dignity in being poor, in showing cleanliness and orderliness and eliminating filth in our lifestyle)," he said in his speech.
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don't care if I spend every single cent to give you a decent living, to give you something that you can call your home," he added.
In a message, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said the "Kubeta Ko" project is also in line with his department's Manila Bay beautification project.
He also said the portable toilets have a waterless flush system that can save water.
The biowaste collected in these toilets can also be converted into energy and liquid fertilizer.
Cimatu said this is only the pilot stage of the project. Around 400 portable toilets will be installed for the full-blown implementation of the project.
The DENR alloted a total of P10 million to the City of Manila for the said project and an additional P5 million for the city "to cover the operational costs during the implementation of the project."
However, this is only a "temporary solution" to the city's pollution problems, the environment secretary said. A better sewerage system must be built and informal settler families, especially those living in critical areas, must be relocated, he added.
The Manila mayor reminded residents to practice discipline and keep the portable toilets clean.
Officials from the Manila city government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the British Embassy Manila attended the event.
The project is also in coordination with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and Maynilad Water Services and will be effective for a year.