OCLP supports Pasig River rehab

MANILA, Philippines - Ortigas & Co. Ltd. Partnership signed a memorandum of agreement granting four hectares of land in Tatala, Binangonan, Rizal to Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig, which would now serve as a relocation site for informal settlers along the Pasig River.  Kapit Bisig managing director, Gina Lopez received the donation in a charity banquet held at the Circulo Verde Guest House last August 31.

“Our river system has been suffering for decades from all the pollutants that have been dumped in it. We recognize Kapit Bisig’s strategy of taking control of pollution sources and ensuring that the overall waste dumped in the river is reduced,” according to Rex Drilon, COO of Ortigas & Co.

Kapit Bisig covers all bases of their massive rehabilitation program through Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns, relocation, and area redevelopment. With the recent appointment of Lopez as chair of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), the success of this project is ensured because of guaranteed support from the private sector and government.

Hundreds of families living in the Pasig riverbanks had been relocated to Montalban, Rizal and Calauan, Laguna for many years now. The addition of the donated OCLP property in Binangonan, Rizal will provide a relocation site for at least a thousand more endangered families living by the banks of Pasig river. “By partnering with an organization that works as methodically as Kapit Bisig, we ensure a broad scope and maximum impact to beneficiaries,” Drilon added.

In the same ceremony, OCLP also handed over the proceeds of the May 2010 Golf Tourney to Kapit Bisig and two other beneficiaries, Habitat for Humanity Philippines and ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor), represented by Habitat president Ricky Jacinto and ANCOP’s Noli Medalla respectively.

The three organizations were granted two hundred thousand pesos each, dedicated to their different sustainability efforts. Habitat for Humanity Philippines has built more than 24,000 houses in around 100 build-sites nationwide providing simple, decent, and affordable houses with the help of volunteers. ANCOP, on the other hand, has been working with Ortigas & Co. since 2002, being involved in shelter building for the poor and child education sponsorships.