The Navotas City local government and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Friday, August 30, to promote better waste management.

(Photos by Hannah Nicol/MANILA BULLETIN)

City Mayor John Rey Tiangco, PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang, and PRC head of delegation Maria Grazia Pressacco led the event.

According to the city government, the project known as “Promotion of Green and Circular Economy Through Civil Society Engagement and Good Governance in Highly Urbanized Coastal Cities in the Philippines” focuses on reducing single-plastics, reusing materials, and encouraging behavioral changes as ways of preventing waste from ending up in landfills. 

The initiative has two main components: enhancing Solid Waste Management (SWM) by involving technical training for LGUs, citizens, and garbage collectors; and providing livelihood support by forming community savings groups (CSGs).

The project will be implemented in four barangays within the city -- North Bay Boulevard South (NBBS) Kaunlaran, NBBS Dagat-dagatan, NBBS Proper, and North Bay Boulevard North (NBBN).
 

(Photo by Hannah Nicol/MANILA BULLETIN)

 “We aim to achieve a cleaner, more sustainable, and progressive Navotas City. This program can also be a model program that can be replicated by other cities in the country. We also aim to be effective in waste management, providing livelihood, and promoting a circular economy. Through this project, we are not only protecting the environment and promoting sustainability, we also build stronger and more resilient communities for generations to come,” Pang said.

Tiangco highlighted the importance of clean waters, noting that Navotas is one of the largest fish ports in Metro Manila.

“Navotas City is one of the biggest fishports, so the main industry here is fishing. It’s very important that we have clean water so we have more fish to catch,” he said.

He added that the majority of the city's residents rely on fishing as their primary source of income.

Tiangco also acknowledged that the country is already experiencing the effects of climate change. He stressed that addressing this challenge is the collective responsibility of everyone—not just the government and civil society, but all citizens.

The mayor also announced that the landfill in the city is set to close next year.

“Our city is also the only city that hosts a landfill in Metro Manila. We allow others to dump there. Although our city earns from that, we’ve decided to close it next year. This project happened at the most opportune time, as we face the challenge of reducing waste," Tiangco said.

The project was launched in December 2022 and is funded by the European Union and Eibarko Udala. It aims to reduce waste and provide livelihood opportunities by promoting sustainable development and a circular economy in three coastal cities: Zamboanga City (six barangays), Manila City (one barangay), and Navotas City (four barangays).

The initiative plans to expand and reach up to 200,000 beneficiaries in 2025.