Earth Hour 2017

This is the 10th Year for Earth Hour and we feel delighted that Unsullied Perspective has been part of this movement since 2010. So what is Earth Hour?

"Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement by WWF to unite people to take action for the planet. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights out event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage hundreds of millions of supporters, individuals and organizations alike, in more than 7000 cities and towns in over 175 countries and territories worldwide." 

Earth Hour 2017 will take place on Saturday 25 March, 8:30 p.m. local time. 

  

Let us join again in observing Earth Hour, let us all lend our voices. Together, we can make a difference to protect the earth for the future generation.  

To join this movement, please click here >> earthhour.org


We feel great receiving an email from WWF acknowledging our efforts for our participation in Earth Hour.  We wish to share them to encourage everyone to be part of this movement.

Here is the message:

It only means that...even in our small way, through collected efforts, we can do big changes. 

Maynilad Wastewater Management Service: A Pro-Environment Initiative

Sharing my own learning:

My kids and I attended the Daloy Dunong Program of Maynilad thru the invitation of Nuffnang Philippines last February 4, 2017. Since the seminar has something to do with health and environment which is part of the advocacy of this blog and also because of a great parent-child bonding opportunity, I grabbed the chance to be present with my kids.

It was such an enriching experience that even my kids appreciated what they learn especially the plant tour at Veterans Village Water Reclamation Facility.  

From that Daloy Dunong Educational Tour, we learned of the following:

1. Maynilad's commendable effort in ensuring that wastewater from our household will be treated and processed before it will be discharged to river, lake and sea to avoid polluting our bodies of water
2. How wastewater is treated in the facility like the one we visited in Quezon City. A presentation on wastewater management was provided to us then we toured the plant where we witnessed the entire process 
3. We found out that water treatment is such a complicated process.  We saw how sewage/filtrate/ septage turned to effluent and bio-solid using specialized machines at different stages.  Those terms! Thank goodness they have those samples for us to understand. 😊
4. That some of Maynilad's customers are already connected to a sewerage system directly connected to a treatment facility while those who are not connected to sewer lines are provided with sanitation services at no extra cost to its customer.  
5. That Maynilad has expansion programs and accelerating its wastewater management to cover 100% of its West Zone service by 2037.  That is good news for mother earth and also for our future generations as it only means that they would need more people to man these plants so better keep that in mind and think of possible career opportunities for the kids
6. That it partners with other private and government entities to build more treatment plants and they encountered challenges acquiring lands where they will put up the plant
7. That they conduct seminar and tours to inform its stakeholders on the importance of wastewater management like this Daloy Dunong Tour.

Here are more detailed information:

Where does our tap water come from?

"Water, water everywhere,  Nor any drop to drink" are famous lines from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by an English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge published in 1798.  Those lines greatly imply the importance of having clean and safe water to drink.  Is it not a big relief that we are living in this millennium with clean potable water available right inside our household? Well, YES! Especially those areas serviced by Maynilad Water Services Inc. that composed parts of Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas or the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area as well as parts of Cavite Province covering Cavite City, Bacoor, Imus, towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario.  Maynilad sources its water supply from reserves in Angat and Ipo dams collected during rainy days. That same water is treated at the La Mesa Treatment Plant then goes to pumping stations for distribution directly to every household of Maynilad customers.   

An illustration on how Maynilad delivers potable water to every household

The water quality supplied by Maynilad is consistently monitored to ensure that it is safe for consumption as we use it in our daily routines such as cooking, washing, bathing and just about anything where we need that precious colorless liquid.  I was surprised when I learned from a close friend who is also a Maynilad customer that they use their tap water for drinking.  It only means that the water quality of Maynilad is safe.  

Illustration provided by Maynilad

Where does our wastewater go?

Maynilad customers consume about 35 gallons of water per person per day according to a study by the University of the Philippines.  About 80% of water we used or roughly 28 gallons turn into wastewater or  go down the drain that will later on reach our surrounding bodies of water. 

That wastewater if not properly treated prior to disposing to creeks,  lakes and rivers can pose health and environmental risks. The possible health risks if exposed to contaminated water include Diarrhea, Leptospirosis,  Hepatitis A and many others.  On the other hand, its impact on the environment can manifest through  sudden destruction of large quantities of fish or fish kill and possible "euthropication" where excessive nutrients in our waterways can cause dense growth of plant life and and death of animal life.

    

The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004


Maynilad ensures compliance to the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 where part of its provision states:

• "To promote environmental strategies, use of appropriate economic instruments and of control mechanisms for the protection of water resources;" 
• "To formulate a holistic national program of water quality management that recognizes that water quality management issues cannot be separated from concerns about water sources and ecological protection, water supply, public health and quality of life;"

Thus, Maynilad provides not only safe potable water but also sustainable water solution that includes Wastewater Management Service.  Maynilad's Wasterwater Management Service covers "sewerage" and "sanitation". 

For its sewerage service, Maynilad provides sewer service connection, maintenance/repair of sewer network, operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities and also plan for sewer coverage expansion.  On the other hand, its sanitation service includes septic tank desludging or regular cleaning of septic tank, operation and maintenance of septage treatment plant, fleet maintenance and planning for sanitation coverage expansion.  Both for its sewerage and sanitation services, Maynilad ensures to attend to customer complaints. 

The septic tank cleaning or desludging services are offered by Maynilad at no extra cost but there are certain conditions that must be met such as:

1. The wastewater is of domestic quality (only residential and semi-business customers)
2. Not been served in the last 5-7 years
3. With updated Maynilad account
4. Septic tank is accessible (ensure that you know where your septic tank is, you can check your house' as-built plan or consult with experts or plumber)

To request for septic tank cleaning service, you can call the Maynilad hotline at 1626 or through their Facebook and Twitter accounts. 

What are the benefits from wastewater management?

1. It protects the environment as waste water is treated before discharging to bodies of water to avoid water pollution.
2. Sanitation and healthful conditions are sustained
3. The whole family is safe from contaminated water 

What can we do to help in wastewater management?

1. Exercise proper solid waste management practices such as waste segregation and recycling, remember to reduce, reuse and recycle. 
2. Be mindful when you use the toilet. Never flush non-fibrous matter in the toilet bowl such as diaper, wipes, napkins and the like as these could cause trouble in the toilet and sewer pipelines.

3. Educate the people around you on how they can help in wastewater management and it starts by sharing this post with everyone you know. You can share by clicking any of the sharing buttons below. 

Here is a video on how our wastewater is treated by Maynilad:

Teaching Kids to Nurture Nature the Fun Way

Beep….. wake up call....

Way back in August 2005, I wrote about the plans that I wished to do and one of those is to go back to those places I’ve been to and relive the good memories (if God permits). NiN Nine Nine long years have passed and luckily I had the chance to revisit those places at random times though I was not able to write about them. It was because I lost interest in writing so all I did was just to immerse myself in each moment, lock them inside my head then later on reminisce them all for myself.  But then my memory sometimes fails me that I tend to forget some details of those happy moments. So when I read again about my other plans to "get back at those activities I want to indulge in (if my time allows it)" I really felt the eagerness to resume my passion for writing and photography, so that’s what I did this year. That serves me three purposes, one is to indulge in my favorite pastime , the other is to take into account each special place that I revisited and of course to teach my kids how to be more appreciative of nature.

Also, it has been too long since I last had the chance to go out with my closest kin, it is always a great time to spend time with them. We all took advantage of the long weekend to break free from city life and pay a visit to dad. “Mommy, we want to visit the riverside.” asked my daughter. She was referring to the river I once told them that my cousins, my siblings and I enjoyed when we were kids. It has been more than two decades since I last swam in that river and I was really shocked how different it has been from twenty years ago. It was stripped of its natural beauty that it can be likened to a dirty canal than a river.

I remember that in the later part of the 80s and early 90s, quarrying was prevalent in the area that explains why clay loam was established in all directions thus the water has that brownish texture since there were no more sand, rock and limestone to purify the water. Soil erosion is very much evident as there were no more natural barriers to protect the river bank.

We used to catch fish and shrimp here... :-(

The kids went home a bit heartbroken since there was no chance they will be allowed to swim in murky waters. I too felt saddened for one precious moment that my children missed.

It seems to be a luxury for city-grown dwellers to enjoy the natural beauty of this earth. It always seem like my kids’ “megaminds” are so preoccupied with Facebook’s Farmville, or that online gaming of Counterstrike and the like. Their waking hours if not in school is spent mostly on the internet where they socialize with either real or fictional people and get involved in activities where only their brain, eyes and fingers were working. I wanted my children to live through the same enriching experience I had and treat themselves on a different adventure and at the same time teach them to nurture nature in a fun and inspiring way. So with prodding from the kids and the rest of the family, we all agreed to visit Daranak Falls. 

Daranak Falls in Tanay, Rizal is only about fifty kilometres from Manila. This is the nearest place north of Manila to visit when you want to experience the countryside (though of course a bit altered due to human activity but still relaxing and beautiful).

Did the kids enjoy their visit there? I am very certain about that. It was an experience that Farmville, Farmtown and the likes can never replicate and provide. Did the children learn anything from that experience? Definitely! We were like playing 'spot the difference' with the shots we took from the river back at the barrio and the one we took in Daranak Falls. After seeing one river destructed by human activity and learning how difficult it is for life forms to survive in there and the one that they experienced in Daranak Falls, they now know that people need to live in harmony with all the living and non-living beings in this earth. And, that it is very essential that we conserve and protect our precious planet so that the generation next to them will also enjoy what they experience now.

Extending Help to Typhoon Victims

Its been days that I have been hearing and watching disheartening news about the calamity that hit Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and other parts of Mindanao.   The scene reminds me of the Ondoy disaster that hit Metro Manila in 2009.  It was on the night of December 16, 2011 when typhoon Sendong (with international name Washi) affected the areas with heavy rainfall causing massive floods.  As of this writing, the death toll has reached more than 700 and several hundred more were missing.  Based on the report from Philippine Red Cross, drowning was the main cause of death.  Raging floodwater cascaded from mountains that inundated rivers and ravaged the homes of the residents.  News evidently showed illegal logging activities as one of the culprit in this flash floods as dead bodies were pulled underneath mud and piles of logs.  We have been taught how important trees are, that without enough trees to hold the water from the mountains, there is really a very high risk of flash floods.   An unusually heavy rainfall was also recorded which could be attributed to the effects of climate change.  It is so sad that we have to go through another calamity like this one, another lesson we have to learn the hard way.  I wonder if we really learn from it all or if we really take the lesson by heart.

The damage has already been done and worthless deaths have already been included in the statistics, all we could do for now is to help those who are affected by this disaster.  While thinking of the best way to help them,  I  received an advisory from my mobile network on how Globe subscribers can extend their help.   Globe subscribers can give donation to the victims of typhoon Sendong via Red  Cross.  Just text RED amount  to 2899. The amount can be in 5, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000.  Smart subscribers can also donate, text RED amount and send to  4143.  The amount can be in 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000 pesos.   

If you are not a Globe or Smart subscriber, you can send your donations to Philippine Red Cross' through online means via Paypal, Greenpeso, Bancnet and GCash.  There are also bank accounts where you can deposit your donations. You can refer to the Philippine Red Cross website for more information on how you can donate for the victims of typhoon Sendong, visit http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow.

A Marvelous Trip to Underground River

Time check: 2:35 AM…the frap kept me awake until this time.  Instead of counting sheep, I settled on blogging my way to sleep.  I surf first about the result of the New Seven Wonders to see if our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River made it to the list.  The result was announced last November 11, 2011 (11/11/11)  Wow! How great it is to know that it was included in the “provisional list” (one vote from me \(*_*)/).  The provisional list was arranged alphabetically so it means there was no significant order.  The final ranking has not been revealed yet as it will be announced in the first part of 2012. 

That news brought me back to my Underground River experience with one of my best buddies Cecil way back in 2008.  That time, the voting for the elimination round for the New7Wonders was ongoing and the Underground River already made it to the semifinals.  When we went to Puerto Princesa, a tour to Underground River was not in our itinerary but through the advice and goodness of great people we met there who offered to provide us a free tour to the site as they said that it was a very rare and precious chance to visit one of the would-be seven wonders, it was an opportunity we could not resist. We were told that the road trip would be more than 50km from the city proper to Sabang pier thus we need to leave early at 6AM the following day to be ahead of the throng of other tourists.  They already made a prearranged tour for us so as to avoid the hassles of waiting for many hours (they did not want us to waste much time waiting for a boat ride since we also have other places to visit in Puerto Princesa and we need to leave early the next morning).


On the day of our trip, there was typhoon in Puerto Princesa but our adventurous attitude was more profound than our fear of being stranded in the midst of the storm.



It was great that the road was paved that made our three-hour road trip more bearable. Halfway through, while traversing the mountainous road and our vehicle beaten with gusty wind of 150 kph, Ces and I were praying for better weather and were being optimistic.  Our companion told us that if there would be no motor banca available to take us to the site due to the bad weather, we would be traversing what they call as the “monkey trail”.  It is an alternative route to get to the Underground River but one has to walk about 1-2 hours to get there.  It sounded more exciting but we didn’t think we could take the chance to push our luck further at a stormy weather.






It was an answered prayer that when we arrived at Sabang pier, the weather was clearer and there were motorized outrigger boat to take us to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park. 

What was more unbelievable was that the sea was calm despite the typhoon. The boat ride was one superb experience as we get to see the picturesque beauty of Palawan.  It took us about twenty minutes to get to the park’s entrance.

Then we walked the wooden trail

until we arrived at the site where other tourists were waiting for their turn to get inside the cave.  As it would be another boat ride, we were told to put on appropriate clothing gears first, a hard hat and a life vest which were mandatory to be worn by every passenger.

We had an orientation while waiting for our turn and took pictures of almost every spot.  The guides told us about what to do and not what to do inside the cave. 

So off we went inside the world-famous Underground River…

 
it was too dark inside the cave and the only light we had were those on our hard hats.  We were greeted with “Good Evening” by American tourists on another boat we met along the way.

 
I just can’t explain the feeling I had while inside the cave.  It was more like I was taken inside an unknown dimension.  Our boatman explained every detail of the rock formations we encountered, the stalactites and stalagmites, and even scientific details on acidity factors affecting the formations of those rocks.  Whew…I was amazed of all the knowledge he imparted to us that reminded me of geology in high school.

water dripping...one reason we need something to protect our heads

glossy rocks

my cam caught a bird creature..obviously not a bat which is aplenty inside. But this one, I can't tell what exactly it was

just one of those astounding rock formations

Refuted to be the longest navigable underground river in the world, the overall trip took us almost an hour.   

Cecil and I were too thankful that we were given the opportunity to visit one of the seven wonders.  An amazing design of nature that every Filipino should truly be proud of.

Photography: Glimpse at the Rare Three Suns

For the last three weeks, I spent most of the times at home looking after my sick children. Worrisome days indeed... but then it was also one of those days that made me appreciate special things that I oftentimes overlook such as this...

It was one lazy Monday afternoon, the sun bidding farewell to another tiring and sad day then suddenly the atmosphere changed its appearance to an overcast weather, which made me feel all the more sad ...

then I noticed that the other side of the horizon was sunny while at the other side was rainy, had few experiences of them before but never had the chance to capture them on pictures thus I really never let this one passed by.

minutes later... there was heavy downpour... as if heaven felt the sadness that I was feeling that day.



And some minutes more, the rain stopped and revealed another rare moment... as if there were three suns brightly painted above the eastern sky, sure it was only a reflection of the setting sun from the west. Nature really has its own way of showing its unique beauty. Took off my sadness and worries that day. Three suns, three shining glory, an infinite possibility of hope.

(pictures were taken on 9/27/2010 using a point and shoot camera, how I wished I captured them more clearly)

The Straight Road or the Sea of Garbage

It is rainy season here once again, just the other day, the less than fifteen minutes downpour already caused flooding in affected parts of the metropolis. Flooding for such a short span of rainfall only means one thing, clogged drainage. Too bad it is getting worse year after year despite government efforts in improving the waterways and sewerage. And too bad we are experiencing an abnormal weather pattern that PAGASA already warned us of La Niña, an above normal rainfall, I hate to imagine if the rainfall would be longer than fifteen minutes. Just before election, I had this urge to bring to the attention of our mayor the worsening state of cleanliness in the metro. I got the idea from WWF on a good way to help in WWF’s environmental campaign where they encourage people to write to local politicians to demand that they do more to protect the environment. So that's what I did, here is the abridged version of my email message:

I wrote to you out of concern for the environment and in the hope that the alarming condition of our filthy streets will be given appropriate attention and action. I recognize the fact and I am thankful that you are doing best efforts to make our city at par with the rest of the world’s cities but sadly it seems that it doesn’t even come close to other places when we talk of street cleanliness. Yes there are garbage collectors and dump trucks roving around and I see street sweepers each morning who are supposed to do the job of keeping every nook as clean as possible. Yes it has improved over the years when it comes to garbage collection system but despite of all these efforts, I am saddened by the fact that rubbish still lingers anywhere even in major thoroughfare which is too far from the impression we somehow wish to project.

In this condition sir, may I suggest some points that I hope will upgrade the city’s rating on cleanliness.

Firstly, there should be garbage bins strategically located in each street for people to get used to throwing their trash in proper places. I admire the City of Davao for having such discipline and for investing in large trash bins located in almost every street corner.

Secondly, heads of each community must be strict in the implementation of cleanliness program and fine or penalize households that are not following RA 9003. Isn’t it strange that despite the dissemination of information in the local government units regarding this law, most people are still not following proper waste disposal, I doubt if they were even aware of this law?

Thirdly, mobilize the youth (“Sangguniang Kabataan) to undertake community service such as street cleaning, planting or watering plants during weekends. Such a good way to instill awareness and active involvement among the youth on the importance of keeping our surroundings clean and orderly and on starting a sensible cause on the issue of climate change rather than tolerate them spending most of their time surfing the internet which in one way or another also contribute to heat and carbon emission.

Fourthly, we can follow other cities like in Puerto Princesa, Palawan where people has this commitment of planting trees and different kinds of flora in a given period of time (especially for couples who are about to get married). Their place has been tagged as the “city within a forest or forest within a city” because of that commitment. Although it would seem a herculean task, I know you can make a difference by passing an ordinance for idle lots to be converted to urban gardens. That at least could help curb the air pollution in the city and eventually help to lessen the greenhouse effect. I was informed that some lot owners (I am referring to lots which are not being used or idle) prefer to have bare lots rather than plant a tree on it because anything planted are considered improvement which are all subject to additional tax. Is it possible to change the rule that instead of imposing tax on every tree planted on the lot, discounts should be given to lot owners on their real property taxes? That way, lot owners would be encouraged to use their lots for a very sensible purpose. If idle lot cannot be used as a living space for humans, at least make it as a living space for plants.

Lastly, the rules are already there, what is needed is the strict implementation of those rules. Authorities, residents and visitors alike MUST be informed of the strict and serious implementation of these rules and violators must be penalized. I think it is more effective if penalty should NOT be in the form of money but through community service because if we allow a mistake to be paid then the same cycle will just go on, offenders will only have the thought that they can get away with anything for as long as they have money unlike when they render community service, they will surely learn from their mistakes. I have high regard for Singapore for their strict implementation of laws on cleanliness and orderliness thus even Filipinos are very much disciplined there which gives me a ray of hope that it can also be done here.

I hope that these points will be given due consideration. I trust that in the next few days, we will all be able to see the changing face of the city.


Surprisingly it reaped positive action from our local government just days after I sent the email. I was more than thankful that they really made an effort to diligently clean up the city every morning however I noticed that their action was rendered unsuccessful as the city easily gets back to its filthy state just before sundown. An apparent reason all points to the lack of discipline on proper waste disposal of the residents within the area. It is so disappointing that there are people who totally disregard the law and lack the concern for their surrounding, and they seem to have multiplied over the years. If you happen to read my related post "from peanut shells to junk food wrapper" about one parent who couldn't care enough to teach her child to dispose of his garbage properly, it will be more likely that no matter how great the efforts of the government to improve the drainage system or how frequently they collect the garbage, the problem will still remain. It will be hard for us to get off from this mess unless we start to discipline ourselves and to teach younger children to be more conscious of every piece of litter that we get rid of.

I remember a campaign song of one presidential candidate in the 2010 election “nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng basura?” (Have you bathed in a sea of garbage?) though it was not meant to directly inform the public about the perennial problem on careless dumping of waste, still it rings a bell. Maybe most residents in Metro Manila, rich and poor alike already experienced swimming through filthy waters late last year during typhoon Ketsana (“Ondoy”). Just in case we have already forgotten, here are some snapshots from that tragedy (all Ondoy-related pictures re-posted with permission from www.manilablog.com)






It is about time that we put heartily what President Benigno Aquino said, that we all must head to the straight path, that we all should aim to become part of the solution and not of the problem. Are you in for this call?


We all must be responsive and responsible and we better act now while we still have a choice. The straight road or the sea of garbage, what scene do you prefer?