Maynilad CSR Work Turns Driftwood Into Artworks

Maynilad Water Services, Inc., (MWSI ) has been able to achieve a record of sorts in the circular economy with a CSR project that turns driftwoods into artworks helping not only the indigenous people in its thrust but also in contributing to the declogging of the Ipo dam.

MWSI assistant vice president Abigail Ho-Torres revealed this future-proofing project is part of the company’s overarching goal to go beyond its water concession business with the buzzword “Higit sa Tubig” that underlines the company’s goal of helping communities while ensuring sustainable development.

Torres told the radio program “In the Heart of Business” at DWIZ in its 1-2 pm segment Thursday that the water concession has been undertaking projects that would result in a tsunami of hope for communities.

This includes providing water facility treatments for flood-devastated areas like in the Yolanda typhoon devastation in Leyte, the “Plant for Life” program where trees that are indigenous to the Angat and Ipo dam watersheds are planted yearlong and then monitored, creating programs that help the blighted areas and informal settlers.

Torres, who heads the Advocacy and Marketing Department of Maynilad, said that the Dumagats that live in the Ipo dam watershed in Norzagaray, have been tapped to transform driftwoods that usually turn up during typhoons into works of art that are later sold and give extra income to the indigenous people there

She said this “Sining IPO project” has been successful and shows that the driftwoods, although can be considered garbage already, are made into functional items that can grace houses. She said that the problem of the driftwoods was given attention and this led to having them transformed into ornamental things.

“We were able to identify Tata Roque, the chieftain of the Dumagats, as an artisan and he was the one who led the tribe into the transformation of the said driftwoods,” Torres said.

Aside from the Sining IPO CSR works, Maynilad also had been able to spearhead projects that led to the transformation of communities like that of its “Kapwa” project where a community of informal settlers were able to eke an income from being bulk water suppliers.

What is a good thing about this Kapwa project, she said, is that the community has been able to set up a cooperative from out of the proceeds of the business, initiated with support from Maynilad, and they now have a social enterprise that issues receipts and generates income.

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