Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Benny Antiporda has called the village youth council of a town in Rizal province as an "inspiration".
This, after the group of young officials found a way to marry the notion of environmental activism with the now-familiar community pantry initiative.
"Basura kapalit ay pagkain? Pwedeng-pwede 'yan dito! (Food in exchange for garbage? That is very doable here!)" Antiporda wrote on his Facebook Thursday afternoon, April 29 as he marveled at the genius of the community pantry organizers in Barangay Hulo, Pililla, Rizal.
"Isang inspirasyon ang Sangguniang Kabataan ng Brgy. Hulo, Pililla, Rizal nang itayo nila ang community pantry na may barter system: solid waste para sa pagkain (The Sangguniang Kabataan of Brgy. Hulo, Pililla, Rizal has become an inspiration for setting up a community pantry that employs a barter system: food in exchange for solid waste)," he said.
"Ayon sa kanila, ito ay upang maengganyo ang kanilang komunidad na ihiwalay ng tama ang kanilang mga basura (According to them, this is meant to entice the community into segregating their garbage)," added the undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and LGU Concerns.
"Sa simpleng pamamaraang ito, tunay na malaki ang maitutulong nito sa ating kalikasan at masusugpuan ang krisis sa ating basura. #WasteNoMoreWasteNoTime (Through this simple deed, we help the environment thrive and at the same time eradicate the garbage crisis)," he said.
Antiporda also sits as alternate chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC).