Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Manila Water President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jocot de Dios turned over refrigerated drinking fountains (RDFs) to Balara Elementary School on Wednesday, Aug 2.
(Photos from Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN)
As part of Manila Water's 26th anniversary celebration, the Manila Water Foundation launched the Project Drink 72 that aims to provide RDFs to 72 public schools in Quezon City. Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Leonor Cleofas, and Department of Education-Quezon City Schools Division Superintendent Carleen Sedilla, Manila Water Foundation Executive Director Reginald Andal, Manila Water East Zone Business Operations Group Director Shoebe Caong, school principal, teachers and students were also present at the said event. Balara Elementary School received the first batch of 20 units of RDF for 59,000 students on Wednesday, Aug 2. The Project Drink 72 supports the WASH in Schools or WINS Program of the Department f Education (DepEd). This project encourages the students and teachers to lessen the consumption of sweetened beverages and to decrease the number of the single-use polyethylene terephthalate (P.E.T.) bottles. “Hopefully, ang mga bata, maiiwasan ang mga matatamis na inumin. Tubig po ang tunay na kailangan natin for our health. Ang mga fountain na ito will hopefully deter or prevent us from using plastic kasi masama po talaga 'yan sa ating environment (Hopefully, children will avoid sugary drinks. Water is what we really need for our health. These fountains will hopefully deter or prevent us from using plastic because that is really bad for our environment),” said De Dios. Belmonte expressed her gratitude for the program because it will surely encourage the students drink water often, and reduce the use of P.E.T. bottles. “Alam naman natin na isa sa mga adbokasiya natin ay siguraduhing malulusog ang ating mga kabataan. Kayo rin ang nagsimula ng WASH Program kung saan sinisiguro natin na may handwashing facilities ang ating mga paaralan. Ngayon naman, drinking fountains, alam n'yo ito rin ay aking adbokasiya because we really believe that water is a basic human right that every Filipino family should have (We know that one of our advocacies is to make sure our young people are healthy. You also started the WASH Program wherein we ensure that our schools have handwashing facilities. Now, you give drinking fountains, you know this is also my advocacy because we really believe that water is a basic human right that every Filipino family should have),” said Belmonte.
(Photos from Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN)
As part of Manila Water's 26th anniversary celebration, the Manila Water Foundation launched the Project Drink 72 that aims to provide RDFs to 72 public schools in Quezon City. Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Leonor Cleofas, and Department of Education-Quezon City Schools Division Superintendent Carleen Sedilla, Manila Water Foundation Executive Director Reginald Andal, Manila Water East Zone Business Operations Group Director Shoebe Caong, school principal, teachers and students were also present at the said event. Balara Elementary School received the first batch of 20 units of RDF for 59,000 students on Wednesday, Aug 2. The Project Drink 72 supports the WASH in Schools or WINS Program of the Department f Education (DepEd). This project encourages the students and teachers to lessen the consumption of sweetened beverages and to decrease the number of the single-use polyethylene terephthalate (P.E.T.) bottles. “Hopefully, ang mga bata, maiiwasan ang mga matatamis na inumin. Tubig po ang tunay na kailangan natin for our health. Ang mga fountain na ito will hopefully deter or prevent us from using plastic kasi masama po talaga 'yan sa ating environment (Hopefully, children will avoid sugary drinks. Water is what we really need for our health. These fountains will hopefully deter or prevent us from using plastic because that is really bad for our environment),” said De Dios. Belmonte expressed her gratitude for the program because it will surely encourage the students drink water often, and reduce the use of P.E.T. bottles. “Alam naman natin na isa sa mga adbokasiya natin ay siguraduhing malulusog ang ating mga kabataan. Kayo rin ang nagsimula ng WASH Program kung saan sinisiguro natin na may handwashing facilities ang ating mga paaralan. Ngayon naman, drinking fountains, alam n'yo ito rin ay aking adbokasiya because we really believe that water is a basic human right that every Filipino family should have (We know that one of our advocacies is to make sure our young people are healthy. You also started the WASH Program wherein we ensure that our schools have handwashing facilities. Now, you give drinking fountains, you know this is also my advocacy because we really believe that water is a basic human right that every Filipino family should have),” said Belmonte.